The Baseball Writers Association of America will announce its Manager of the Year winners tonight, and we at Diamond Digest, for the wanted to reveal our own award ballots for who we believe should be taking home some hardware in the coming days!
Below you will find the result of our team’s voting for each award, using the same point system as the BBWAA (with the exception of MVP, which shares the same voting system as the Cy Young). Writers were also given the option to vote for the Hank Aaron and Reliever of the Year awards. You will also find some quotes from those who voted below each section in order to get an understanding from our writers as to why they voted as they did (which are important because we have some close ones this year).
Without further ado, let’s get into the awards!
American League Hank Aaron Award: Aaron Judge
He’s having an unreal season. Stuff we have never seen before. As a hitter specifically. That’s why this is an award that is perfect for him.
Michael Fitzpatrick
National League Hank Aaron Award: Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani is the best hitter in the NL. Putting up another 50 HR season is absolutely incredible.
Drew Klugman
AL Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year: Aroldis Chapman
Chapman was nearly automatic this year. He posted a 1.17 ERA, 1.73 FIP, 2.6 fWAR, and 32 saves. There wasn’t another reliever in the American League I would’ve used over him with a game on the line.
Bailey Digh
Certainly not another pitcher in Cleveland!
Carson Melinder, voted for Cade Smith, if he gets caught up in the next scandal, blame him
NL Billy Wagner Reliever of the Year: Edwin Diaz
Appearances and innings pitched aside, Diaz was toward the top of every statistical category among National League relievers.
Bailey Digh
Morejon has fulfilled multiple roles this season with the padres and has been absolutely dominant in all of them.
Drew Klugman, voted for Morejon
American League Rookie of the Year: Nicholas Kurtz
Kurtz wasn’t just the American League’s top rookie. He was one of the best players in the league. He led rookies with a 170 wRC+ and 36 home runs, which ranked second and fifth in the AL (min. 450 PA), respectively. He was also fifth in the league in RE24 (40.87).
Bailey Digh
Clearly number 1, Kurtz has been one of the best hitters in baseball since being called up.
Drew Klugman
Single-handedly ruined my fantasy championship matchup.
Jordan Lazowski
National League Rookie of the Year: Drake Baldwin
It’s Horton if he plays all year. But Baldwin was the best for a full-ish year.
Jordan Lazowksi
Drake Baldwin rose from a strong but inauspicious 2024 season in AAA to produce in both aspects of the game at a premium position. If you have a season in which it makes your All-Star counterpart a trade chip, you get my vote.
Carson Melinder
American League Manager of the Year: Dan Wilson
The Mariners are on the cusp of winning the division for the first time that I have ever personally witnessed. Given the ups and downs of this season, I would have never expected them to be in this position.
Michael Fitzpatrick
He overcame two of his relievers, including one of the best closers in baseball, getting suspended for gambling and clawed back from a 15 game deficit to win the ALC with a subpar team. Hard to think of anything more deserving of winning MOY than that.
Elizabeth Rose, voted for Vogt
Boone has handled the criticism of managing in the biggest market in the sport incredibly well, and for the Yankees to make it to their pre-season projections in spite of Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt injuries is impressive to me.
Drew Klugman, voted for Boone
While Alex Cora is sitting in a Chili’s somewhere talking about how slept on the Red Sox were this year still, I am taking the AL Pennant winner.
Carson Melinder, voted for Schneider
National League Manager of the Year: Pat Murphy
2025 could’ve been a down year for the Brewers. It wasn’t. Instead, Pat Murphy managed a team that won the most games in baseball (97) and won its third straight division title.
Bailey Digh
To lose Counsell, who was regarded and paid as one of the best managers in baseball, and turn this into a 90+ win team is a significant accomplishment. Not to mention the trade of Corbin Burnes.
Michael Fitzpatrick, voted for Murphy
*Indistinguishable angry NL Central noises*
Carson Melinder
American League Cy Young Award: Tarik Skubal
He is the best pitcher on planet earth, and it is my sincere hope that the Detroit Tigers extend this man.
Carson Melinder
Skubal and Skenes are 1a and 1b in all of baseball. Great seasons for Crochet and Woo but Skub improved in pretty much every way from last year when he won this unanimously
Joey Bohley
Skubal has been as advertised this year. Reigning winner and has been just as good in 2025 as he was in 2024.
Drew Klugman
Extend him or you deserve nothing but jail @Tigers.
Payton Ellison
National League Cy Young Award: Paul Skenes
Paul Skenes was electric in 2025. He led the majors in ERA (1.97) and FIP (2.36) while ranking second in fWAR (6.5) and fourth in strikeout rate (29.5%). Tarik Skubal was the best pitcher in the majors; Skenes was second.
Bailey Digh
Skenes stays just a step ahead of Sánchez.
Patrick Matteson
Skenes has been the best pitcher in baseball this year. Despite an incredible season from Cristopher Sanchez, I think it’s a pretty easy first place vote for Skenes.
Drew Klugman
Livvy Dunne.
at least one of our writers, again
American League Most Valuable Player: Cal Raleigh
What can I say that hasn’t already been said. It’s the every day grind of being a catcher argument. He’s a switch hitter who has done it from both sides. If he gets to 60 or even somehow passes judge’s AL HR record, it shouldn’t even be a debate. I watch him play every single day and just an eye test alone shows that he is the MVP.
Michael Fitzpatrick
It’s not the analytical decision, but hot take, I think that his level of offense at the catching position should mean something.
Jordan Lazowski
If we’re going to pretend to care about arbitrary numbers in the American League to determine MVP races, I’ll take the guy who hit 60 HRs at a more demanding position. An incredible season from both Cal and Aaron, but Raleigh was simply more valuable to his teams success.
Carson Melinder
Judge is the co-best player in baseball. Winning the batting title this season and could’ve had a shot at the triple crown had he not gotten hurt.
Drew Klugman, voted for Judge
I don’t care about 60 home runs. Judge was the best player in the American League. He led the way with a 10.1 fWAR, a 204 wRC+, and 5.61 WPA.
Bailey Digh, voted for Judge
I don’t feel great about it but catching as much as Cal did is stupid hard and he’s really good at it AND he hits nukes.
Joey Bohley
National League Most Valuable Player: Shohei Ohtani
It’s Ohtani until it isn’t. And I don’t know how you could think that it won’t be him for the foreseeable future.
Michael Fitzpatrick
The man literally does it all.
Patrick Matteson
I genuinely would like to start a dialogue about at what point we name the MVP awards after players, and if he is worthy of consideration. Simply incredible.
Carson Melinder
It’s Shohei Ohtani. And he was himself again. I don’t think much more explanation is needed.
Bailey Digh
Ohtani will forever be the NL MVP so long as he keeps hitting and pitching, sorry.
…People trying to give PCA MVP votes? What happened to the sport I love?
Jordan Lazowski, no one gave Pete Crow-Armstrong MVP votes
Here is the schedule this week for the remainder of the BBWAA awards announcements, all telecast on MLB Network at 7 pm ET:
November 12: Cy Young Award
November 13: Most Valuable Player
Make sure to tune in to our Twitter/X and Bluesky for more thoughts on these award winners, and let us know if you think we got our voting right!
