The 2026 MLB awards picture is loaded with big seasons, but a few names rise to the top when you sort through the numbers and the impact. Junior Caminero’s thunder at the plate, Pete Crow-Armstrong’s all-around brilliance, and Jacob Misiorowski’s overpowering stuff headline the predictions, with Kevin Cash and Pat Murphy also getting recognition for steering their clubs to huge seasons.
In the American League, the MVP call goes to Junior Caminero of the Rays. Tampa Bay’s third baseman put together a monster year, hitting .276 with 42 home runs, 101 RBI, and an .884 OPS over 162 games.
He also finished near the top of the league in home runs and total bases. At 22, Caminero became one of the youngest players in MLB history to post multiple 40-homer seasons, and that blend of power and steadiness makes him the pick.
The National League MVP prediction lands on Pete Crow-Armstrong, whose season checked just about every box. He hit .280/.372/.570 with 45 home runs, 107 RBI, and 41 stolen bases.
His 9.8 Baseball-Reference WAR led all of baseball, and his defense in center field only strengthened the case. It was the kind of complete year that makes a player impossible to ignore.
On the pitching side, Cam Schlittler gets the nod for AL Cy Young after anchoring the Yankees rotation with a 14-6 record, 1.95 ERA, and 0.91 WHIP across 193 2/3 innings. He struck out 11 batters per nine innings and finished with 7.0 Baseball-Reference WAR. That mix of run prevention, volume, and bat-missing ability put him ahead of the pack.
Jacob Misiorowski is the NL Cy Young prediction after a season that was flat-out dominant. The Brewers right-hander went 15-5 with a 1.86 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 174.2 innings.
He averaged 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings and posted 6.1 Baseball-Reference WAR. The 1.86 ERA and his ability to overwhelm hitters made him the clear choice in the National League.
Manager of the Year in the American League goes to Kevin Cash. Tampa Bay entered the season with a preseason projected win total of just 76.5, but Cash pushed the Rays all the way to the top seed in the league and the best record in the AL. That kind of turnaround makes him the obvious pick for another Manager of the Year honor.
Pat Murphy gets the National League Manager of the Year prediction after another huge run in Milwaukee. The Brewers won 103 games and captured a championship, building on a 2025 season in which they had set a then-franchise-best with 97 wins.
They did it while dealing with major roster losses and injuries, which only adds to the weight of Murphy’s work. A third straight NL Manager of the Year award would fit the season he just guided.
For AL Rookie of the Year, Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers gets the call. He hit .278/.376/.425 with 18 home runs, 72 RBI, and 12 stolen bases in his first full MLB season. His 6.7 Baseball-Reference WAR stood out for a rookie position player, and his 94 walks against 95 strikeouts showed a polished approach at the plate.
In the National League, Sal Stewart is the rookie pick after a season built on production. He drove in 112 runs while hitting .263/.330/.457, with 32 home runs and 15 stolen bases.
The RBI total jumps off the page even more because Cincinnati finished last in the National League in runs scored. Stewart’s knack for delivering in key spots gives him the edge in a crowded race.
In Other News...
Junior Caminero Just Gave The Rays A New Kind Of Star
Junior Camineros breakout season has already changed the way the Rays are viewed, and now it has given the franchise something it had never had before. He was named a finalist for the American League Most Valuable Player award, becoming the first Tampa Bay player to reach that stage after a year in which he appeared in all 162 regular-season games, hit .276 and emerged as one of the leagues most dangerous young hitters.
The 22-year-olds rise carried beyond the box score, too. Caminero helped define the Rays season with a walk-off home run that clinched their postseason berth, then added another All-Star nod and a second straight trip to the Home Run Derby. Even before the award result is settled, Tampa Bay has a new kind of star on its hands, one who has already put himself in the conversation with the games best. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Still Have One Big Taylor Walls Question At Shortstop
Taylor Walls gave the Rays exactly what they value most at shortstop in 2026: elite defense. After a Gold Glove-winning season, Tampa Bay moved quickly to keep him in place by picking up his club option for 2027, a sign that the organization still sees real value in his glove even if the bat has never been the selling point. For a team that has long prized run prevention and versatility, that part of the equation is easy to understand.
The harder part is figuring out how long that arrangement can last. Walls struggled offensively during the season and into the postseason, and the Rays also have younger shortstop options on the way in Carson Williams and Grady Emerson. Both are part of the picture, but neither has yet forced the issue as an everyday answer, which leaves Tampa Bay with a familiar kind of in-between moment: a proven defender holding the job for now, and a future that is still taking shape behind him. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Could See A Buy Low Rotation Chance In Nick Lodolo
Nick Lodolos name is the kind that tends to surface when front offices start looking for rotation upside without paying full price for it. The left-hander has shown enough talent to keep evaluators interested, but injuries and uneven results have also made him a more complicated case than his stuff alone would suggest. For a Rays club that has long been willing to bet on pitchers with room to grow, he fits the profile of a buy-low target worth monitoring.
The appeal goes beyond the raw arm talent, too. Lodolos pitch mix and mechanics give scouts and analysts something to work with, and the article points to a few areas where small adjustments could help him become more effective. Tampa Bay has built a reputation for finding value in those kinds of margins, which is why this feels like the sort of arm the Rays could circle if the market opens up and the asking price stays manageable. [Read more 🡒]