This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
BALTIMORE -- Pete Alonso was named the 2026 Most Valuable Oriole Award winner this year, earning the honor voted on by local Baltimore media. It was a fitting way to cap the 31-year-old first baseman’s tremendous first year with the O’s, considering he spent much of the second half trying to power the club into the postseason.
Could more recognition be on the way for the Polar Bear?
MLB awards season is right around the corner, and though no Orioles are likely to win any of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Awards, Alonso could be among the top finishers for the American League MVP Award. Expect to see the slugger get some down-ballot votes and finish at least somewhere in the top 10 when the results are announced on Nov. 12.
Perhaps Alonso will be in the mix for other awards. He could appear on one of this year’s All-MLB Teams, which come out Nov. 11. Maybe he’ll be a candidate to win an AL Silver Slugger Award, with the recipients of those being announced Nov. 17.
But even if Alonso doesn’t add any additional hardware to his trophy case, it shouldn’t be overlooked how much of an impact he made in Baltimore this year.
Signed to a five-year, $155 million deal last Dec. 11, Alonso lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon him. He played in all 161 games for the Orioles, hitting .267 with an .885 OPS and leading the AL in both home runs (43) and RBIs (113). His 4.9 Wins Above Replacement (per Baseball-Reference) were his most since he recorded 5.4 as a rookie in 2019 with the Mets.
Only two previous players in Orioles history hit more home runs in their first season with the club -- Frank Robinson (49 in 1966) and Mark Trumbo (47 in 2016). Alonso’s 113 RBIs were also the most by a Baltimore player since Chris Davis compiled 117 in ‘15.
Alonso’s defense at first base was much improved. His leadership inside the O’s clubhouse helped keep the team in contention down the stretch, though they finished 79-82 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year.
As the Orioles look to return to championship contention, they’ll be building around Alonso, who has been such a natural fit on their roster and to their core.
“Congratulations to Pete on the season. It’s really amazing to see where he’s ranking statistically in a lot of categories,” president of baseball operations Mike Elias said. “He started off slow, you start thinking, ‘OK.’ Because you always hear it’s really hard to switch teams as a veteran, especially to come in as a free agent with those types of expectations on you. And you start thinking, ‘Does he need a transition period changing teams?’ And then, to see him put up, I don’t know, the second-best season in his career or whatever, there’s probably different ways to slice it, that’s impressive. So we’re really thrilled that we have him.
“I think we’re lucky to have him in a lot of ways. We’re tickled at the fit. We’re disappointed that we didn’t exploit or cash in on that more with a playoff appearance and beyond. He’s all in. He’s a partner with us in terms of helping to improve the team next year. I know he loves it here, and he loves being here.”