The Washington Nationals announced the winners of the Club’s 11th annual end-of-season awards, as voted on by members of the local media, on Saturday. National League All-Star James Wood was named Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, and right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli was unanimously named the Pitcher of the Year, his first such award. Nasim Nuñez and Jacob Young were named winners of the Good Guy Award, presented to a player for his always-professional dealings with members of the media, his work in the community and for representing the Nationals organization with class both on and off the field. It is the first time in the history of the awards that two players tied in a category.
Wood, 24, represented the Nationals in the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game for the second consecutive season. Despite missing 27 games on the Injured List this season, he ranks among National League hitters in runs (2nd, 105), OPS (T2nd, .895), walks (3rd, 101), on-base percentage (3rd, .389), slugging percentage (6th, .506) and home runs (T9th, 30). He is one of just five players in Major League Baseball to hit at least 30 home runs and steal at least 20 bases this season and just one of two player to have at least 100 walks and 100 runs scored. Wood earned two National League Player of the Week Awards this season, on April 13 and July 13.
Prior to being placed on the Injured List on Aug. 4, Wood led Major League Baseball in runs scored (100) and walks (90). At that time, he scored 22 more runs than the next closest player and was the fastest player in Nationals history (2005-pres.) – in terms of games played – to score 100 runs in a season, scoring his 100th in his 112th game. He ranked in the top five in the National League in nearly every offensive category, hitting .265/.393/.535 with 26 doubles, one triple, 30 home runs, 73 RBI and 17 stolen bases at that time.
Batting leadoff for the majority of the season, Wood clubbed 10 leadoff home runs, the most in a single season in Nationals history (2005-pres.) and the second-most in Major League Baseball this season. All 10 leadoff home runs came between April 18 and July 12.
Wood earned 62% of the vote from the D.C. media, while C.J. Abrams came in second with 37.5% of the vote.
Cavalli, 28, went 13-5 with a 3.02 ERA, 200 strikeouts and a .232 opponents’ average in 32 starts this season. He ranks in the top 10 in the National League in starts (T3rd, 32), strikeouts (T4th, 200), strikeouts per 9.0 innings (4th, 10.61), ERA (7th, 3.02), strikeout-to-walk ratio (8th, 4.17), WHIP (8th, 1.16) and opponents’ average (9th, .232). He is the first Nationals pitcher since 2019 to finish in the top 10 in the National League in ERA when Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin all ranked in the top 10.
With a strikeout of JJ Wetherholt to cap his final outing of the season on Sept. 18 at St. Louis, Cavalli recorded his 200th strikeout of the season, becoming just the fifth player in Nationals history (2005-pres.) to reach that mark. He is the first Nationals pitcher to do so since Scherzer, Strasburg and Corbin all reached 200 strikeouts in 2019.
Cavalli allowed three earned runs or fewer in 30 of his 32 starts this season, tied for the best mark among Major League starters with New York Yankees’ Cam Schlitter (30) and ahead of Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski (28) and Cleveland’s Parker Messick (28). He matched Scherzer (30, 2018) for the most such outings in Nationals history (2005-pres.).
One of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball since the All-Star break, Cavalli went 8-1 with a 1.90 ERA (15 ER/71.0 IP), 90 strikeouts and a .186 opponents' average over his last 12 starts of the season. He ranks in Major League Baseball in strikeouts (5th, 90), ERA (5th, 1.90) and strikeouts per 9.0 innings (6th, 11.41) and opponents’ batting average (6th, .186) during this stretch dating back July 17.
Nuñez, 26, and Young, 27, are co-Good Guy Award winners for the first time in the history of the award. It marks Nunez’s first career Good Guy Award, while Young took home the award in 2024.
Nunez is Washington’s nominee for the 2026 Roberto Clemete Award. He has been an active presence at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy during his career with the Nationals. This spring, he participated in the Academy's 2026 Graduation Ceremony, where he helped celebrate eighth-grade scholar athletes as they prepared to begin high school.
Nuñez leads Major League Baseball with 49 stolen bases, the most in a single-season in Nationals history (2005-pres.). He ranked in the 97th percentile in sprint speed and in the 96th percentile in baserunning run value. Defensively, Nuñez ranked sixth among National League second basemen in outs above average (9). He earned MLB Play of the Week Honors on March 30th for a stunning acrobatic play against the Chicago Cubs.
Young put together his most productive offensive season while continuing his Gold Glove caliber defense. He recorded career-highs in home runs (10), triples (3), RBI (49), walks (33) and his 22 doubles are just two short of his career mark in 2024 (24). He ranks fourth in Major League Baseball with a .390 batting average with two outs and runners in scoring position.
Off the field, Young visited Inova Children’s Hospital, participated in meet and greets with DCIAA high school softball players, visited the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy and several other community activities. In addition, he and his wife, Caroline, bought donuts for Nationals front office staff and guest experience staff to thank everyone in the organization.
Other players receiving votes for the Good Guy Awards include Cade Cavalli, Dylan Crews, Luis Garcia Jr., Brady House, Jake Irvin, Daylen Lile, Miles Mikolas and Drew Millas.
Year Winners
2026 James Wood (Player), Cade Cavalli (Pitcher), Nasim Nuñez and Jacob Young (Good Guy)
2025 James Wood (Player), MacKenzie Gore (Pitcher), Josh Bell (Good Guy)
2024 Luis García Jr. (Player), Kyle Finnegan (Pitcher), Jacob Young (Good Guy)
2023 Lane Thomas (Player), Kyle Finnegan (Pitcher), Josiah Gray (Good Guy)
2022 Lane Thomas (Player), Erasmo Ramírez (Pitcher), Nelson Cruz (Good Guy)
2021 Juan Soto (Player), Kyle Finnegan (Pitcher), Josh Bell (Good Guy)
2020 Juan Soto (Player), Max Scherzer (Pitcher), Sean Doolittle (Good Guy)
2019 Anthony Rendon (Player), Stephen Strasburg (Pitcher), Sean Doolittle (Good Guy)
2018 Bryce Harper (Player), Max Scherzer (Pitcher), Sean Doolittle (Good Guy)
2017 Anthony Rendon (Player), Max Scherzer (Pitcher), Ryan Zimmerman (Good Guy)
2016 Daniel Murphy (Player), Max Scherzer (Pitcher), Ryan Zimmerman (Good Guy)