PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies obviously did not win the trophy they hoped to in 2026.
Awards season did not go a whole lot better. Cristopher Sánchez finished as the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award while Jhoan Duran placed second for the BBWAA’s inaugural NL Reliever of the Year Award and Don Mattingly placed third in NL Manager of the Year voting. Sánchez (First Team) and Jesús Luzardo (Second) were the only Phillies to make the All-MLB Team.
The one victory came courtesy of Zack Wheeler, who won the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
With this year’s awards handed out, let’s break out the crystal ball and pick the Phillies’ top candidate for some of the major awards next year.
CY YOUNG: Zack Wheeler
The easy pick here would be Sánchez, who has finished as the NL Cy Young runner-up in back-to-back seasons. You also couldn’t go wrong picking Luzardo, whose 1.69 ERA from June 10 through the end of the season was the best by any pitcher in Major League Baseball -- yes, even unanimous Cy Young winners Jacob Misiorowski (2.05) and Cam Schlittler (2.01).
But the choice here is Wheeler. He’s been open about his desire to win a Cy Young Award before he calls it a career and he, too, has had some close calls. He was the NL Cy Young runner-up in both 2021 and '24. He also received votes in 2020, '23 and '25.
Wheeler was very much in the Cy Young race in 2025 until his bout with thoracic outlet syndrome derailed his season. There was even some concern it may derail his career, though he emphatically put those worries to rest with a remarkable ’26 campaign that earned him that Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Winning that award speaks volumes about Wheeler’s work ethic and his desire to not only return to the mound, but to do so at an elite level. Now with a full offseason and entering 2027 completely healthy, Wheeler will have his sights set on that elusive NL Cy Young Award.
MVP: Bryce Harper
It seems as if Harper and Kyle Schwarber are in this conversation every year at this point. Both players earned some down-ballot votes for this year’s honor, which was won unanimously by Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Schwarber has earned MVP votes in each of his five seasons with the Phillies, including finishing as the runner-up to Shohei Ohtani in 2025. He figures to once again be in the mix in ’27 if he continues along one of the greatest power-hitting stretches in Phillies history, but -- as evidenced by his runner-up finish in his 56-homer season -- it’s not easy for a full-time DH to win the award. (Though not impossible, as demonstrated by Astros DH Yordan Alvarez this season).
So that’s why we’ll give the edge to Harper. Now, the two-time MVP winner won’t enter next season as the MVP favorite by any means, but there is certainly a path to winning the award.
With the Phillies looking to bounce back from a largely disappointing season that led to a shakeup within the coaching staff, a big season from Harper that helps spark the Phillies has the potential to be viewed even more favorably than normal in the eyes of voters.
Harper’s numbers have been relatively consistent in his five seasons since winning the 2021 NL MVP Award:
2022: .878 OPS, 18 HR
2023: .900 OPS, 21 HR
2024: .898 OPS, 30 HR
2025: .844 OPS, 27 HR
2026: .865 OPS, 29 HR
While impressive, it’ll take a bit more than that for No. 3 to win MVP Award No. 3.
Rookie of the Year: Aidan Miller
At this point last year, it was already evident that the Phillies were likely to have a pair of rookies on the 2026 Opening Day roster. Outfielder Justin Crawford indeed earned a starting spot in the outfield, as did Andrew Painter in the rotation. Each had his ups and downs in his debut season, so neither ever really entered the NL Rookie of the Year conversation. Well, the Phils may have a candidate heading into the 2027 season. Aidan Miller (Phillies’ No. 2 prospect, MLB Pipeline’s No. 59 overall) has a legitimate chance to make the Opening Day roster.
COMPLETE PHILLIES PROSPECT COVERAGE
“He’s not being anointed the position, but I also think he has a heck of a chance to make our club in the spring,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “I think that, as it stands, that would be very helpful for us to have that consideration. And frankly, I'm hoping he does. I'm not giving it to him, but I'm hoping that he does.”
Of course, the Phillies also went into last spring hoping Miller would impact the roster to some extent, only for a recurring back issue to flare up just before Grapefruit League play started. He ultimately went on to miss nearly the entire 2026 season, appearing in only eight Minor League games in September.
It’s hard to know what to expect given the fact Miller has played only eight games above Double-A (all in 2025) -- not to mention the back issues -- but he certainly has the tools to be the Phillies’ first Rookie of the Year winner since Ryan Howard in 2005.