As the 2026 MLB season reaches its conclusion, I wanted to commemorate the season and issue some awards to players who accomplished incredible feats this year. Historically, Major League Baseball has distributed MVP and Cy Young awards for each league along with Silver Sluggers and Gold Glove honors; however, those feel too corporate and played out, in my personal opinion. So, as an alternative, I decided to invent a few awards that do not exist and will never exist in any formal fashion in an effort to put my own unique spin on MLB award season.
Without further ado, welcome to the inaugural “Greg’s MLB Awards (that do not exist and will never exist and do not make much sense, but just try to follow along and have fun).” The title is still a work in progress.
The “2026 Fernando Tatis Jr. ‘I Think I Got My Swagger Back’” Award:
Winner: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Fernando Tatis Jr. has had a bizarre 2026 MLB season. Through his first 50 games, the former three-time All-Star was slashing .240/.316/.279 and had, remarkably, not hit a single HR. In fact, it took Tatis until May 30th to hit his first HR of the 2026 regular season. Over the next two months, Tatis experienced a marginal increase in productivity leading up to the July All-Star break, but the real leap was yet to come. Despite his slow start and only hitting 5 HRs prior to the All-Star break, Tatis is currently slashing .289/.358/.470 with a 131 OPS+. Tatis has also managed to accumulate 25 HRs and 38 SBs. I won’t dive too deep into Tatis’ remarkable second-half turnaround, as I already have an article on this exact subject that you can read right here on the Skippers View. I debated who the namesake of this award should be, with 1964 Lou Brock and 2008 Manny Ramirez making strong cases; however, those players were traded mid-season and didn’t truly encapsulate a player’s ability to hit for power, seeing such a drastic change in productivity over the course of a single season.
The “David Ortiz ‘Yeah, Listen, uh... We F*cked Up’ Letting This Guy Go” Award:
Winner: Pete Alonso
Now, this is not a perfect 1:1 comparison. David Ortiz had put together six fairly mediocre seasons in Minnesota when the Twins released him to free agency in December of 2002. By contrast, when the Mets let Pete Alonso walk in free agency this past off-season, the 30-year-old homegrown first baseman had already proven his talent by hitting 264 HRs throughout six full seasons (and one shortened 50-game season in 2020), making five All-Star teams, and gifting Mets fans one of the most unforgettable postseason moments of the decade.
Alonso has had an incredible first season as a Baltimore Oriole, leading the AL in both HRs and RBIs with 41 and 110, respectively. Alonso looks to be worth every penny of the $33.5 million annual salary that the O’s will be paying him over the course of the next 4 seasons. And David Stearns has to explain to Uncle Steavie why he let one of the best hitters in baseball walk in free agency in order to sign Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien.
The “John Smoltz ‘How Am I The 3rd Best Pitcher on my Team?’” Award:
Winner: Zach Wheeler
The Phillies still, as of writing this blog, have not clinched a spot in the 2026 postseason despite having three of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball. Zach Wheeler has accumulated 5.5 bWAR so far this season, which has him tied for the 8th best in all of Major League Baseball. Unfortunately, a 5.5 bWAR is only the third highest on his own team. Wheeler has been incredible in 2026, but Christopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo have been sensational. Sanchez leads all pitchers in the MLB in bWAR (7.6) and wins (18). Sanchez has also put up a 154 ERA+ while striking out 221 batters throughout his 200.0 innings pitched. Luzardo has been just as impressive in his own right, putting up the 3rd-best bWAR (6.3) amongst all starting pitchers in the MLB while also striking out 221 batters and putting up a 157 ERA+. When compared to his teammates, Wheeler’s 188 Ks, 147 ERA+, and 3.33 FIP just don’t hit the same. Not unlike John Smoltz in the late 90s for the Braves, Wheeler is likely an “ace” on many MLB teams, but currently, he’s easily the 3rd best starter on his own team.
Thank you for reading, everyone! If you enjoyed this blog, please let me know, and I’ll work on a part two! Make sure to subscribe to the Skippers View and follow us on X.