As baseball awards season gets rolling, the Marlins could have more than one player showing up on ballots.
Javier Sanoja, Otto Lopez and Sandy Alcantara all have cases worth watching, and each one brings a different kind of resume to the table.
Sanoja has already landed among the National League Gold Glove finalists at third base, where he’s up against Alex Bregman (Cubs) and Max Muncy (Dodgers). He took home the NL Gold Glove for utility players last year, while Bregman won the American League Gold Glove at third base in 2024. Muncy has never won a Gold Glove.
The defensive numbers give the race some shape. Bregman led NL third basemen with 15 defensive runs saved, while Sanoja was sixth with five. On the outs above average leaderboard at the hot corner, Manny Machado of the Padres was first with 12, followed by Bregman at nine, Joey Ortiz at eight and Sanoja at six.
Rawlings will announce the 2026 Gold Gloves in an ESPN broadcast at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday. Platinum Glove voting will start right after on Rawlings.com.
Lopez, meanwhile, is coming off an All-Star season that should have him in the mix for multiple honors, including NL Silver Slugger, the All-MLB First or Second Team and the MLB Players Alumni Association Heart & Hustle Award.
His season stood out across the board among qualifying NL shortstops. In 157 games, Lopez led the Majors with 191 hits, finished second with 31 infield hits and posted a 122 OPS+. Defensively, he finished tied for fourth among NL shortstops with six DRS, ranked fourth with 14 OAA and was second with 1,357 innings.
The Heart & Hustle Award goes to active players who show a true passion for the game and embody its values, spirit and traditions. Each team has a nominee, and former players vote on the award, making it the only MLB honor decided that way.
The MLBPAA will announce the winner on Nov. 6.
Louisville Slugger will name NL Silver Slugger finalists at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, with the winners coming Nov.
- The MLB Awards show, which includes the All-MLB First and Second Teams, is set for Nov. 11 at 9 p.m. on MLB Network from The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
Alcantara’s path to a possible NL Comeback Player of the Year Award is built on a full-force return after a rough 2025. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, he posted a 5.36 ERA, third highest in the NL, but in 2026 he turned back into a workhorse.
He led the Majors with 214 innings and 3,293 pitches thrown, tied for the NL lead with 33 starts and tied for third with 21 quality starts. In the final month, he also went 3-for-3 in save situations, a stretch that put him in some exclusive company.
His 3.2 fWAR tied for 11th in the NL with D-backs left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, another name that could surface in the award discussion.
The biggest threat to Alcantara’s chances may be Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, who returned from thoracic outlet decompression surgery and put up a 4.0 fWAR and a 3.00 ERA. Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell, who had a 112 OPS+ in a career-high 145 games, should also factor into the conversation.
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Marlins Have An Obvious First Base Decision To Make
The Marlins are again in the market for help at first base, and Ty France fits the kind of practical, proven option they usually need to consider. A free agent with a track record that stretches across the Mariners, Twins, Reds, Blue Jays and Padres, France also brings an All-Star resume from 2022 and a recent season that showed he can still be an everyday presence in the middle of a lineup.
What makes him especially interesting from Miamis side is how well he has handled the Marlins lately, which is the sort of detail front offices tend to notice when weighing fit and familiarity. Frances broader 2026 production also suggests there is still plenty of offensive value there, so the question for Miami is not whether he belongs on the radar, but whether he is the clearest answer at a spot the club cannot afford to leave unsettled for long. [Read more 🡒]