MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN — The Minnesota Twins today announced the recipients of the Diamond Awards, their annual awards for the 2026 season, based on voting conducted by the Twin Cities Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America and the Minnesota Twins Community Fund Board of Directors.
Utility player Kody Clemens is the winner of the Most Valuable Twin Award. Clemens hit .239 (127-for-531) with 22 doubles, seven triples, 27 home runs, 81 RBI, 39 walks, 10 stolen bases, 74 runs scored and a .758 OPS in 145 games for the Twins in 2026. The 30-year-old set single-season career highs in most offensive categories including games played, runs scored, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, slugging percentage (.460) and OPS, while leading the team in triples and home runs. Clemens also led the American League in triples (and was tied for 7th in baseball), becoming the first Twin to do so since Eddie Rosario led the majors with 15 triples in 2015. In addition to his breakout season as a hitter, Clemens was once again the Twins’ most versatile defender, playing multiple positions in 41 games while appearing at first base (52 games/40 starts), second base (72 games/69 starts), in leftfield (32 games/5 starts), centerfield (10 games/6 starts) and rightfield (21 games/17 starts).
Right-handed pitcher Taj Bradley is the winner of the Joseph W. Haynes Award for Twins Pitcher of the Year. In his first full season in Minnesota, Bradley went 12-6 with a 3.73 ERA (178.1 IP, 74 ER), 76 walks, 205 strikeouts and a 1.22 WHIP in 31 starts, setting single-season career highs in categories including wins, starts, ERA, innings pitched, WHIP and strikeouts. The 25-year-old became the first Twins pitcher with 200-plus strikeouts in a season since 2023 and ranked tied for fifth in the American League in strikeouts (tied for eighth in the majors). Bradley also ranked among qualified AL pitchers in strikeouts-per-nine innings (10.35, 5th), opponent batting average (.214, 6th), wins (T-6th), opponent OPS (8th, .658), innings pitched (10th), ERA (11th) and starts (T-11th).
Infielder Brooks Lee is the winner of the Charles O. Johnson Award for Most Improved Twin. Lee hit .253 (148-for-586) with 25 doubles, three triples, 24 home runs, 83 RBI, 37 walks, eight stolen bases, 72 runs scored and a .728 OPS in a team-leading 156 games for Minnesota this season. In his third major league season and second full season, Lee posted career highs in most offensive categories including games, at-bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, walks and OPS. His homer total led all American League switch hitters and was tied for second most among major league switch hitters, with Chicago-NL’s Ian Happ. Lee also ranked second among all switch hitters in RBI, trailing only teammate Josh Bell (96). The 25-year-old began the campaign as the club’s primary shortstop but switched to playing almost exclusively third base from May 22 until the end of the season.
Left-handed pitcher Connor Prielipp is the winner of the Bill Boni Award, given to the Twins Outstanding Rookie. Last season’s Twins minor league Pitcher of the Year, Prielipp made his major league debut on April 22 at New York-NL and went 6-7 with a 4.87 ERA (125.2 IP, 68 ER), 44 walks, 128 strikeouts and a 1.29 WHIP in 24 games (22 starts) for Minnesota. The 25-year-old ranked seventh among major league rookies in strikeouts and was fourth among rookies (minimum of 100.0 IP) by averaging 9.17 strikeouts-per-nine innings. Prielipp also posted the fifth-highest single-season strikeout total by a rookie pitcher in Twins history (1961-) and the second highest by a left-handed Twins rookie, trailing only Francisco Liriano in 2006 (144).
Outfielder Byron Buxton is the winner of both the Jim Kaat Award, for Twins Defensive Player of the Year, and the Bob Allison Award, given to the Twins player who exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit and leadership both on and off the field. Buxton hit .254 (94-for-370) with 18 doubles, one triple, 25 home runs, 46 RBI, 30 walks, seven stolen bases, 65 runs scored and an .829 OPS in 93 games for the Twins. Buxton played in 72 games (71 starts) spanning 597.2 innings in centerfield and did not commit an error; he was one of three centerfielders in baseball this year with at least 590 innings at the position and zero errors, as well as just the third such season in Twins history (1961-), joining himself in 2024 and Aaron Hicks in 2013. Inside the Twins clubhouse and as one of the team’s three veterans to reach 10 years of major league service time in 2026, Buxton continued to serve as a quiet leader and mentor for a Twins team full of younger players eager to learn.
Catcher Ryan Jeffers is the winner of the Mike Augustin “Media Good Guy” Award for the third-straight season. Jeffers remained a go-to interview for reporters, with the ability to share insights on both sides of the ball, while also providing his perspective as both a hitter and a catcher on the new automated ball-strike system. The 29-year-old hit .256 (81-for-317) with 19 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 56 RBI, 46 walks, 49 runs scored, a .353 on-base percentage and an .814 OPS in 92 games for the Twins in 2026.
Manager Derek Shelton is the winner of the Carl R. Pohlad Outstanding Community Service Award. Returning to Twins Territory at the helm of the Twins, Shelton was determined to ensure his influence extended beyond the field and used his platform to create positive change in the community. Through his “Shelty’s Shirts” initiative, he personally highlighted and supported a different nonprofit each month, hosting representatives from the nonprofits for private meet-and-greets that both raised awareness for a variety of causes and created meaningful connections with local organizations. He was also hands-on with the Dugout Buddies before home games, meeting young fans and engaging with them, and set the tone in the clubhouse that part of being a major league player is serving others.
Toronto Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Louis Varland is the winner of the Dick Siebert Award given to the Upper Midwest Player of the Year. A native of North Saint Paul, Minnesota who pitched at Concordia University, Varland went 5-6 with a 1.27 ERA (78.0 IP, 11 ER), two home runs allowed, 23 walks, 97 strikeouts, a 1.00 WHIP and a .196 opponent batting average in 71 games for Toronto this season. The 28-year-old went 35-for-37 in save opportunities, finishing the year tied for third in the American League and tied for fifth in baseball in saves. Additionally, his 94.6 save percentage ranked tied for second in baseball.
Former Twins outfielder Darin Mastroianni is the winner of the Kirby Puckett Award for Twins Alumni Community Service. Over the years – from his time in uniform and continuing after he hung up his spikes – Mastroianni has dedicated countless hours to clinics, camps and local leagues, cultivating a legacy of service to baseball and softball across Twins Territory. While coaching his own children’s teams, he also serves as a board member with the Twins Community Fund, ensuring the continuance of the Fund’s mission to ensure youth have access to baseball and softball.
Twins clinician, former minor league umpire, Minnesota Girls Baseball Association Founder and Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) inaugural season coach Emma Charlesworth-Seiler is the winner of the Terry Ryan Award, which honors individuals who share Terry’s advocacy of baseball and softball at all levels, especially for youth participants. Emma has long been a trailblazer for girls and women in baseball, and has made an impact on forging a baseball pipeline for girls and women of all ages. She founded the Minnesota Girls Baseball Association in 2014 to create a place for girls to play and compete in baseball, and has served as a coach for the past two years on the MTCF and Twins’ girls baseball teams that have competed at Baseball For All Nationals – the largest girls baseball tournament in the world. Charlesworth-Seiler was also a coach for the first-ever WPBL champions, the Los Angeles Queens, in the league’s inaugural 2026 season.