Whicker: My 2026 MLB Award winners
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease lowered his ERA from 4.55 in 2025 to 2.40 in 2026.This has earned him Mark Whicker’s American League Comeback Player of the Year award.
September 28, 2026
By Mark Whicker
Canadian Baseball Network
The Baseball Writers Association of America has already voted for this year’s award winners, so don’t get too bent out of shape if Pete Crow-Armstrong goes 0-for-the-playoffs and still wins MVP.
We’re reasonably sure Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani won’t win either MVP this year. That would be the first time both have missed it since 2020.
And, in thinking about the manager’s award, Dave Roberts of the Dodgers and Kevin Cash of the Rays are the only playoff skippers who have gotten to a World Series with their current teams. They met in 2020, with Roberts winning.
Here is what one ballot would look like. And, yes, the BBWAA ballots are sent by mail. We didn’t even need the Supreme Court to allow it.
MVPs
He didn’t win the conventional Triple Crown but Yordan Alvarez led the AL. in all slash categories, won the batting title, had a league-leading 33 intentional walks, and got Houston into the playoffs. He also was the runaway leader in RISP average. Should finish well ahead of Junior Caminero.
The Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong played every game, led the NL. in runs, slugging and on-base, and tied Kyle Schwarber with 45 home runs. He was also a defensive dazzler in centre field.
CY YOUNG
It’s a Yankee righthander but not Gerrit Cole. Cam Schlittler, 25, had an AL-leading 1.95 ERA and was one of two (with Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen) to finish with a sub-1.000 WHIP. Toronto’s Dylan Cease might have won it with two or three more starts.
Looks like another runnerup finish in the NL for the Phillies’ Cristopher Sanchez. You can’t touch Jacob Misorowski of Milwaukee, not when he has a .802 WHIP, a 16-5 record, and a 1.80 ERA. The Miz struck out 13 every nine innings and gave up 96 hits in 30 starts.
MANAGER
The Dodgers were not a push-button appliance this year. Will Smith played 73 games, Mookie Betts was cold early, Freddie Freeman was cold late, and pitchers Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani combined for 36 starts. And Kyle Tucker was a crowd pincushion and hit .233. Still, they came in with another 100-win season, with Dave Roberts again refusing to either panic or cruise.
It’s not just that the White Sox won the AL Central two years after they lost 121 games, it’s that they did it without an outrageous individual performance, except for maybe Miguel Vargas. Will Venable was the guide.
ROOKIE
Not giving it to Cincinnati’s Sal Stewart in the NL would be the definition of insanity. He played every game as a 22-year-old and drove in 111 runs on the worst offensive team in the league.
Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle had a solid rookie year. Cleveland lefty Parker Messick was exceptional, finishing third in ERA, fourth in WHIP and fourth in innings with a 12-9 record – and four losses in quality starts.
RELIEVER
Without Mason Miller the Padres would have been buried in the first half. He saved 38 of 41 and struck out 129 in 70 innings. Unfortunately the baseball writers have decided to give relievers a separate award, depriving guys like Miller of Cy Young consideration.
Tampa Bay’s Bryan Baker went 41 for 44 and should edge Cleveland’s Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) in the AL. It’s called Know Your Personnel: Baker was a fine setup man for the Orioles but never got a chance at the 9th inning.
EXECUTIVE
Mike Chernoff, a 23-year veteran with the Cleveland organization even though he’s only 44, has developed a solid young nucleus of position players to support an eternally good pitching staff. Picking up outfielder Jo Adell and pitcher Foster Griffin were the latest examples. Remember, this is the lowest payroll in the game.
Milwaukee’s Matt Arnold deserves the NL award and not just because they traded Freddy Peralta and remained the best regular-season team in baseball. The minor league mavens think the Brewers have several imminent stars.
COMEBACK
Cease cut his ERA almost in half in his first year with the Blue Jays (4.55 to 2.40) and had a career-high 239 strikeouts. He has led his league in strikeouts-per-nine three times in his career.
The Phillies’ Zack Wheeler doesn’t win in the NL because his pitching was so much better. He wins because no one was sure he could overcome thoracic outlet syndrome (a blood clot, in English) and win half of his 28 starts.
BREAKOUT
Lefthander Reid Detmers did yeoman work for the 100-loss Angels, finishing third in AL WHIP with a career-best 3.36 ERA.
Alec Burleson always had a respected bat, but this year his 116 RBIs for the Cardinals led the NL
COMEDOWN
Kyle Finnegan symbolized the season in Detroit. Projected as the eighth-inning guy after a terrific 16-game audition in 2025, he had a league-leading 10 blown saves and gave up 9.9 hits every nine innings.
Miami thought it might have a star in outfielder Jakob Marsee, but he faded to a .232 average and 41 RBIs in 616 plate appearances.
MIS-MANAGER
Seattle has already cut Dan Wilson loose, but he still didn’t struggle the way Detroit’s A.J.. Hinch did.
It’s easy to pick on Tony Vitello, the U. of Tennessee coach that San Francisco hired, but the Giants led the NL in errors, and their oblivious nature regularly drew the ire of Mike Krukow, the nonpareil TV analyst who is retiring.
EXECU-STIFF
The Mets had MLB’s highest payroll and had the third-worst record in the National League. It’s doubtful that David Stearns thought they’d improve by ridding themselves of Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Diaz, but he’s the guy in the chair.
Perry Minasian has already been fired as the Angels’ GM, and John Mozeliak was summoned for a cleanup before the new owners take over. It all falls on Arte Moreno. We’ll see if it’s a case of addition by resignation.
FREE AGENT BARGAIN
Lefty reliever Sean Newcomb signed with the White Sox for $4.5 million and was exactly what they needed. He gave them 90 innings out of the bullpen and gave up four home runs.
Gregory Soto, another lefty reliever, had 16 saves and a 1.164 WHIP for Pittsburgh, after he signed for $7.75 million.
FREE AGENT RIPOFF
You can’t put a $60 million (a year) badge on a player and expect him to become DiMaggio, but Tucker actually went in reverse, giving the Dodgers only 17 home runs.
Houston won its division despite a $54 million, three-year contract hiccup. Tatsuya Imai quickly left the rotation after giving up six walks every nine innings.
WIND FARM
This goes to the hitters whose bats stir up the most air without result. In the AL., Nimmo hit 14 home runs for Texas and struck out 149 times. In the NL Atlanta’s Austin Riley walked back to the dugout 201 times and compensated with only 19 longballs. What has happened to him?
GREEN LIGHT
This goes to the relief pitchers whose appearances make baserunners go into their sprinter’s stance. In the NL., the Pirates’ Evan Sisk inherited 30 runners and allowed 16 of them to score. In the AL., Chase Silseth of the Rangers and Angels greeted 50 ducks on the pond and watched 21 of them quack happily to the plate.
The opposite of this is Brent Headrick of the Yankees, who inherited a league-high 54 runners. Eight scored. If the Yankees have any luck, you’ll see Headrick as often as you see Aflac duck this postseason.