The Sporting News handed out its latest round of awards yesterday, and for the Orioles, the haul was as thin as it gets.
Pete Alonso was the only Baltimore representative named to the American League All-Star team, making him the lone member of the organization to land on the outlet’s list. At first base, he joined a group that included Dillon Dingler, Chase Meidroth, Junior Caminero, Bobby Witt, Jr., Randy Arozarena, Riley Greene, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Yordan Álvarez, Cam Schlittler and Louis Varland.
Alonso’s recognition fits into a broader award season that already has plenty of Orioles-looking-through-the-window energy. The White Sox’s Will Venable was picked as AL Manager of the Year, the Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle took Rookie of the Year, and Álvarez was named Comeback Player of the Year. On the MLB side, the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong won Player of the Year and the Rays’ Erik Neander was chosen as Executive of the Year.
Alonso also showed up on MVP ballots, though Álvarez is the clear favorite there after posting a .316/.432/.601 line with 34 doubles, a triple, 42 homers, 106 RBIs and 109 walks in 158 games. Alonso was the unanimous selection as Most Valuable Oriole after hitting .267/.363/.522 with 24 doubles, 43 homers, 113 RBIs and 81 walks in 161 games.
For Baltimore, though, Alonso is pretty much the whole story.
The rest of the club is not expected to place anyone else on a ballot. Craig Albernaz is out of the Manager of the Year race after a fourth-place finish, and none of the Orioles pitchers figure to get Cy Young support after Trevor Rogers finished ninth in 2025. Brandon Young’s 3.56 ERA in 28 starts is not likely to draw much attention beyond Baltimore, especially with only five names allowed on a ballot.
The rookie race was deep enough that even a five-man ballot felt cramped. Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo entered the year at plus-1000, with the Blue Jays’ Trey Yesavage listed as the favorite.
Basallo finished with 18 home runs and 54 RBIs in 112 games, though he also hit .222/.291/.406 and spent time on the injured list. Dylan Beavers put together a .228/.307/.373 line with 20 doubles, nine home runs and 44 RBIs in 104 games.
On the pitching side, there wasn’t anyone who merited serious consideration.
The new BBWAA reliever award gives Baltimore one more category to watch, but not one to claim. Ryan Helsley appeared in only 17 games, and Félix Bautista’s season was limited to two September appearances. The Orioles did not have a real candidate there.
The same goes for the other awards still to come. The BBWAA will announce its honors Nov. 9-12, with Nov. 11 packed with the Cy Young, Reliever of the Year, All-MLB teams, Hank Aaron awards, Comeback Player of the Year, Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter, and Executive of the Year. The Silver Slugger Awards arrive Nov. 17, and the Fielding Bible winners were announced yesterday, with Baltimore shut out there as well.
The Orioles’ recent award history makes the dry spell even more obvious. They still have not had an MVP since Cal Ripken Jr. in 1991, eight years after he won it the first time.
Boog Powell was the last non-Ripken Oriole to take the honor, back in 1970. Steve Stone remains the club’s last Cy Young winner, doing it in 1980 with a 25-7 record and a 3.23 ERA in 37 starts before his career was derailed by a shoulder injury.
Gregg Olson was the last Orioles Rookie of the Year until Gunnar Henderson won unanimously in 2023. Aubrey Huff was the last Oriole to win the DH award, in 2008.
Brandon Hyde was the Sporting News Manager of the Year in 2023, and Mike Elias was the publication’s Executive of the Year that same season. Anthony Santander won a Silver Slugger in 2024, while Henderson and Adley Rutschman took home the award the year before.
Crow-Armstrong also was named Team of the Year, and that leaves Baltimore with the same familiar reminder at the end of the awards trail: catcher Rick Dempsey is still the last Orioles World Series MVP.
In Other News...
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Watts-Browns 2026 season was uneven at both Double-A and Triple-A, with command issues and inconsistent results slowing his momentum. Even so, Baltimore still sees enough upside to keep working with him, and the next step is giving him another chance to sort through the control problems in a minor league rotation before the organization decides how ready he really is. [Read more 🡒]