MLB Awards Finalists: Ohtani in NL MVP Top Three Again, Crow-Armstrong and Alvarez Headline MVP Races

Shohei Ohtani is a National League MVP finalist again. The Baseball Writers Association of America announced the 2026 award finalists on MLB Network on Monday evening, November 2, 2026. Ohtani joined Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs and Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers in the top three for National League MVP.

In the American League, the MVP finalists are Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals.

Ohtani reaches the top three for a sixth straight year

Ohtani will finish in the top three of National League MVP voting for a sixth straight year. He won National League MVP in each of his first two years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he won American League MVP in 2021 and 2023 with the Angels. In 2026 he hit .275 with a .377 on base percentage and a .512 slugging percentage, with 30 home runs and 81 RBI in 139 games. On the mound he went 8 and 2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts.

Crow-Armstrong hit .280 with a .372 on base percentage and a .570 slugging percentage, with 45 home runs, 107 RBI, 41 stolen bases and 119 runs in 161 games for the Cubs, and he won a Gold Glove. Alvarez hit .316 with a .432 on base percentage and a .601 slugging percentage, with 42 home runs, 106 RBI and 105 runs in 158 games for the Astros.

Cy Young finalists in both leagues

The National League Cy Young finalists are Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers, Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies. The American League Cy Young finalists are Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays, Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians and Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees.

Messick appears on two lists. He is also an American League Rookie of the Year finalist, with Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers and Payton Tolle of the Boston Red Sox. The National League Rookie of the Year finalists are Carson Benge of the New York Mets, Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds and JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Managers and a new reliever award

The American League Manager of the Year finalists are Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays, Chad Tracy of the Boston Red Sox and Will Venable of the Chicago White Sox. The National League finalists are Don Mattingly of the Philadelphia Phillies, Pat Murphy of the Milwaukee Brewers and Walt Weiss of the Atlanta Braves.

Writers will also vote for a Reliever of the Year award for the first time, according to NBC Sports. The American League finalists are Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays with 41 saves, Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians with 41 saves and Louis Varland of the Toronto Blue Jays with 35 saves. The National League finalists are Jhoan Duran of the Philadelphia Phillies with 33 saves, Trevor Megill of the Milwaukee Brewers with 30 saves and Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres with 38 saves.

Winners will be announced in the week of November 9: Rookie of the Year on November 9, Manager of the Year on November 10, Cy Young and Reliever of the Year on November 11, and MVP on November 12.