Here's your guide to baseball's awards season

November 7th, 2023

With the 2023 postseason complete and the Hot Stove officially underway, it's also time for baseball's awards season.

Below is a look at important upcoming dates to mark on your calendar, followed by a look at the honors that have already been bestowed.

Tuesday, Nov. 7: Executive of the Year Award
This honor will be announced during the GM Meetings, which will take place in Scottsdale, Ariz., from Nov. 7-9. As with other awards, voting is completed prior to the start of the postseason, which means results from the playoffs aren’t taken into account. Last year's winner was Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti after Cleveland won the American League Central with a record of 92-70.

Result: Orioles general manager Mike Elias was named MLB's 2023 Executive of the Year.

Wednesday, Nov. 8: All-MLB Team nominees announced
6 p.m ET on MLB Network
The All-MLB Team was introduced in 2019 to honor players’ full-season contributions, given that All-Star selections are based on first-half performance. Once nominees are announced, fans will be able to vote at MLB.com to help choose first- and second-team selections at each position (including three outfielders, a DH, five starting pitchers and two relievers).

Thursday, Nov. 9: Silver Slugger Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
Each year since 1980, the best offensive player at each position in each league has been honored with a Silver Slugger Award based on voting from MLB managers and coaches. This will be the second year that there will be an award category for utility players, given the increasing prevalence of players who are defensively versatile. The finalists were announced on Nov. 2.

Friday, Nov. 10: Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners announced
The Platinum Glove Awards, one presented in each league to the best overall defensive player, will be announced at the Rawlings Gold Glove Dinner in New York City, where the Gold Glove Award winners will receive their trophies.

Monday, Nov. 13: BBWAA Rookie of the Year Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
The BBWAA opens its major awards week by honoring the top rookies of 2022. It’s an honor with a strong legacy, bearing the name of Jackie Robinson, the first winner back in 1947.

While not every Rookie of the Year Award winner goes on to stardom, past winners include legends such as Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Tom Seaver, Johnny Bench, Cal Ripken Jr., Ichiro Suzuki and Albert Pujols. The Braves’ Michael Harris II and the Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez won the award last year, and the favorites this time around appear to be D-backs outfielder Corbin Carroll and Orioles shortstop/third baseman Gunnar Henderson.

The rest of the finalist field includes the Guardians' Tanner Bibee and the Red Sox's Triston Casas in the AL, as well as the Dodgers' James Outman and the Mets' Kodai Senga in the NL.

Tuesday, Nov. 14: BBWAA Manager of the Year Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
Which manager from each league was the best at guiding his team to success in 2023? The winners last year were the Mets’ Buck Showalter and the Guardians’ Terry Francona. This year, it could be tough to beat Orioles skipper Brandon Hyde and Braves manager Brian Snitker -- Hyde led the surprising O’s to Baltimore’s first 100-win season since 1980, and Snitker’s Braves won 104 games while tying the AL/NL record with 307 home runs and setting a new record with a .501 slugging percentage. Bruce Bochy of the Rangers is also an AL finalist after leading the Rangers to a World Series title, but remember, the awards are based on regular-season results alone.

The other finalists are the Brewers' Craig Counsell and the Marlins' Skip Schumaker in the NL, and the Rays' Kevin Cash in the AL.

Wednesday, Nov. 15: BBWAA Cy Young Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
The Cy Young Award has been bestowed upon the best pitcher in each league as selected by BBWAA voters since 1967, and the award had been presented to one pitcher in all of MLB for 11 years prior to that. Last year, veteran right-hander Justin Verlander won his third career Cy Young Award in the AL and young Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara won his first in the NL.

This year's NL finalists are all from the NL West: Zac Gallen of the D-backs, Blake Snell of the Padres and Logan Webb of the Giants. What was a wide-open race throughout 2023 may have tilted toward Snell late in the season.

In the AL, Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole is the frontrunner, with Kevin Gausman and Sonny Gray challenging him as fellow finalists.

Thursday, Nov. 16: BBWAA Most Valuable Player Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
The debate rages on: What does “most valuable” mean? In 2022, the question took on new meaning in the AL with Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani each having a strong argument for the honor, and Judge winning after the Yankees slugger slammed an AL-record 62 homers in a historic offensive campaign.

In 2023, Ohtani is primed to win his second career AL MVP Award after putting together his finest year at the plate while continuing to dominate on the mound. The two-way superstar led the Majors with a .654 slugging percentage and a 1.066 OPS while belting an AL-best 44 homers. In 23 starts on the mound for the Angels, he posted a 3.14 ERA and 31.4 percent strikeout rate. Corey Seager and Marcus Semien of the Rangers are fellow AL finalists.

On the NL side, things aren’t as clear-cut, though it’ll be tough to top Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., who became the first player in AL/NL history to hit 40 or more homers (41) and steal 70 or more bases (73) in the same season. The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts also has a strong case after he launched a career-high 39 homers with a .987 OPS and produced a league-leading 8.4 Baseball Reference WAR. Los Angeles teammate Freddie Freeman is the other NL finalist.

Friday, Nov. 17: Heart & Hustle Awards
Approximately 10 a.m. ET on MLB Network
This award is presented by the MLB Players Alumni Association and is voted on by alumni as well as active players. It goes to the active player “who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.” Each of the 30 teams has one nominee, and a winner will be selected from that group and announced on MLB Network.

Tuesday, Nov. 28: MLB Comeback Player of the Year Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
The Comeback Player of the Year Awards honor one player from each league who has overcome adversity to return to a high level of performance in the Major Leagues. Last year, Verlander won the award in the AL after missing the entire 2021 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In the NL, the winner was Albert Pujols, who had a resurgence at the plate in the final season of his illustrious 22-year MLB career.

Wednesday, Nov. 29: Rivera/Hoffman Reliever of the Year Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
Named for Hall of Fame closers Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman when the awards were established in 2014, these honors go to the best reliever in each league. Last year, Mets closer Edwin Díaz won the honor in the NL, and Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase received it in the AL.

In 2023, among the best relievers in the AL were the Orioles’ Félix Bautista (1.48 ERA, 33 saves, 46 percent strikeout rate), Clase (3.22 ERA, MLB-leading 44 saves) and the Blue Jays’ Jordan Romano (2.90 ERA, 36 saves, 29 percent K rate).

In the NL, leading candidates include the Brewers’ Devin Williams (1.53 ERA, 36 saves, 38 percent K rate), the Padres’ Josh Hader (1.28 ERA, 33 saves, 37 percent K rate) and the Pirates’ David Bednar (2.00 ERA, 39 saves, 29 percent K rate).

Thursday, Nov. 30: Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
The Outstanding DH Award has been handed out since the designated hitter was first adopted by the AL in 1973, and it was renamed in honor of five-time winner and Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez in 2004. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the NL had its first winner, the Braves’ Marcell Ozuna. But pitchers returned to hitting in ’21 before the NL permanently adopted the DH beginning in ’22.

It would be a stunner if the award didn’t go for a third consecutive year to Ohtani, even with outstanding performances by Ozuna and the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez.

COMPLETED AWARDS

Monday, Oct. 30: Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One
Prior to Game 3 of the World Series
This honor, coveted across the Majors for what it represents and the name it bears, is bestowed annually to the player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

Result: Yankees outfielder was named the recipient of the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award.

Sunday, Nov. 5: Rawlings Gold Glove Awards
7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
With several first-time finalists for the honor, including four rookies, and a National League winner at third base not named Nolan Arenado for the first time in more than a decade, intriguing storylines abound. Voting for the Platinum Glove Award, which is given to the best overall defensive player in each league, begins thereafter.

Result: Thirteen first-time winners and two rookies were among the players honored with 2023 Gold Glove Awards.

Monday, Nov. 6: BBWAA Awards finalists announced
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
The Baseball Writers' Association of America will reveal the finalists for its awards -- Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young and MVP -- one week before announcing the winners. The top three vote-getters for each AL and NL award become finalists.

Result: See a full breakdown of 2023 BBWAA Awards finalists here.