Baseball Award Races Heat Up as Postseason Looms

BOSTON, MA — With the regular baseball season at its 75% mark, teams are gearing up for the postseason, which begins in six weeks. As competition intensifies, the races for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Cy Young awards heat up.

In the American League, Aaron Judge is on track to secure his third MVP title in four years, boasting a bWAR of 6.6, one win higher than Tarik Skubal of the Tigers and Cal Raleigh of the Mariners. Although Judge has fewer home runs and RBIs than Raleigh, the catcher’s extra credit for position play and Seattle’s potentially better record could sway voters.

Meanwhile, Bobby Witt Jr., José Ramírez, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are also vying for top spots in the race, while Garrett Crochet is likely the Red Sox’s leading candidate unless Alex Bregman’s performance takes off down the stretch.

In the National League, Shohei Ohtani aims for an unprecedented third consecutive MVP, a feat not achieved since Barry Bonds from 2001-2004. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s stellar defensive play for the Cubs has him at 6.0 bWAR, just ahead of Ohtani’s 5.8. Among pitchers, Cristopher Sánchez, Paul Skenes, and Zack Wheeler are competing with impressive stats.

Turning to potential Cy Young contenders, Skubal is the favorite in the American League with a 2.42 ERA and 0.87 WHIP, putting him in a good position to become the first AL pitcher to win back-to-back titles since Pedro Martinez.

In the National League, the competition is fierce as Sánchez, Skenes, and Wheeler all boast over 5.0 bWAR, with strong performances this season.

Rookie watch: Nick Kurtz of the Athletics is highly favored for AL Rookie of the Year with 23 home runs this season. Jacob Wilson from the Athletics and Carlos Narváez of the Red Sox have also made strong cases for consideration.

In managerial awards, Blue Jays’ John Schneider has turned the team’s fortunes around, while Pat Murphy from the Brewers is a leading candidate for the National League award.

Amid all of this, the MLB postseason schedule has been set with Wild Card games starting on September 30. The anticipation is high as teams aim to secure their spots in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Twins announced that they will not sell the team, opting instead to bring in minority partners despite significant debt and disappointing recent seasons.

Overall, the excitement of the upcoming postseason is palpable as awards and accolades are being dissected in anticipation of the thrilling conclusion to the regular season.