Even though a chill is still in the air for much of the U.S., baseball—and the spring—is right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers will report to some clubs as soon as Feb. 10, meaning it’s nearly time to get back into the swing—pun very intended—of things.
That also means it’s never too early to survey the landscape of the award races set to be run by baseball’s best in 2026. From the MVP awards, dominated in recent years by Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, to the Cy Youngs, where Tarik Skubal has been a familiar face and Paul Skenes a new one, to the Rookies of the Year, where fresh faces and personalities are guaranteed to burst onto the scene, there are no shortage of storylines.
