2025 Diamond Awards
The Minnesota Twins today announced the recipients of the Diamond Awards, their annual awards for the 2025 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. The winners will be celebrated during TwinsFest Live! presented by Dove on Friday, January 23, 2026 at Target Field. Tickets and more information will be available at a later date.
Centerfielder Byron Buxton is the winner of the Most Valuable Twin Award and the Jim Kaat Award for Twins Defensive Player of the Year. Buxton hit .264 (129-for-488) with 21 doubles, seven triples, 35 home runs, 83 RBI, 41 walks, 24 stolen bases (0 caught stealing), 97 runs scored and an .878 OPS in 126 games for the Twins this season, earning his second career All-Star selection while setting single-season career highs in several offensive categories including runs scored, hits, triples, home runs, RBI, walks and total bases (269). He became just the second player in Twins history with at least 30 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a single season (joining Kirby Puckett in 1986), as well as the first player in American League/National League history (1901-) with 35 home runs, 20-plus stolen bases and no caught stealings in a season. Buxton was also a force on defense, making 118 starts in centerfield and posting a .993 fielding percentage.
Right-handed pitcher Joe Ryan is the winner of the Joseph W. Haynes Award for Twins Pitcher of the Year. Ryan went 13-10 with a 3.42 ERA (171.0 IP, 65 ER), 39 walks, 194 strikeouts, a 1.04 WHIP and a .218 opponent batting average in 31 games (30 starts) for the Twins in 2025, earning his first career major league All-Star selection. The 29-year-old was tied for sixth among qualified American League pitchers in wins, fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.97), sixth in strikeouts, ninth in opponent batting average and 10th in ERA. Ryan also averaged 10.21 strikeouts-per-nine innings, third-best in the AL and the fourth-highest single-season figure by a qualified pitcher in Twins history (since 1961).
Infielder Luke Keaschall is the winner of the Bill Boni Award, given to the Twins Outstanding Rookie. Keaschall made his major league debut on April 18 and hit .302 (55-for-182) with 14 doubles, four home runs, 28 RBI, 19 walks, 14 stolen bases, 25 runs scored, a .382 on-base percentage and an .827 OPS in 49 games, around two stints on the Injured List, including missing more than three months with a fractured arm. The 23-year-old reached base safely in each of his first 12 career games, the second-longest such streak to begin a career in Twins history (since 1961). Keaschall also ranked second among MLB rookies (minimum of 200 plate appearances) in batting average, third in on-base percentage and sixth in OPS.
Utility player Austin Martin is the winner of the Charles O. Johnson Award for Most Improved Twin. After missing time due to injury and hitting .319 (36-for-113) with six doubles, one home run, 14 RBI, two stolen bases, 13 runs scored and an .829 OPS in 32 games for Triple-A St. Paul, Martin joined the Twins on August 1 and impressed down the stretch. The 26-year-old hit .282 (44-for-156) with eight doubles, one triple, seven RBI, 22 walks, 11 stolen bases, 22 runs scored and a .740 OPS in 50 games for Minnesota, including a .313/.419/.384 (31-for-99) slash line in his final 29 games of the season. He also committed just one error in 94 total chances across three positions (second base, leftfield and centerfield), good for a .989 fielding percentage.
Right-handed pitcher Pablo López is the winner of the Bob Allison Award, given to the Twins player who exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit and leadership both on and off the field. A leader in the clubhouse and in the community since being acquired in January 2023, López again facilitated team bonding moments off the field and set a competitive tone on it, while working to ensure his successful September return to the mound following a grade 2 teres major strain in June. The 29-year-old went 5-4 with a 2.74 ERA (75.2 IP, 23 ER), 20 walks, 73 strikeouts, a 1.11 WHIP and a .225 opponent batting average in 14 starts for the Twins last season.
Infielder Brooks Lee is the winner of the Carl R. Pohlad Outstanding Community Service Award. Lee returned to Minneapolis in December 2024 to participate in the club’s Holiday Week of Giving, visiting Gillette Children’s and participating in its holiday party, among other activities. Lee’s experience at Gillette inspired him to play a key role in setting up the Twins’ first-ever Reverse Signing Day at Target Field, in which he and his teammates got autographs from several Gillette Children’s patients on specially-designed baseball cards. Lee also hit the road as part of 2025 Twins Winter Caravan, visiting with fans in communities across the Upper Midwest. The son of a successful college baseball coach, Lee shared his love of baseball with the youth of Twins Territory in 2025 by volunteering at several of the Twins’ youth clinics. In his first full major league season, Lee hit .236 (115-for-487) with 15 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 64 RBI, 31 walks, 50 runs scored and a .654 OPS in 139 games for the Twins.
Catcher Ryan Jeffers is the winner of the Mike Augustin “Media Good Guy” Award for the second-straight season. Jeffers hit .266 (108-for-406) with 26 doubles, nine home runs, 47 RBI, 50 walks, 47 runs scored and a .752 OPS in 119 games for the Twins in 2025, including .333 (15-for-45) with an .815 OPS in his final 13 games of the season. Throughout the year, the 28-year-old continued to build on his existing relationships with local and national media via his candor and insights. Jeffers was also always available to speak with media postgame, no matter if the team won or lost.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch is the winner of the Dick Siebert Award given to the Upper Midwest Player of the Year. A native of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, Busch hit .261 (137-for-524) with 25 doubles, five triples, 34 home runs, 90 RBI, 56 walks, 78 runs scored and an .866 OPS in 155 regular season games for the Cubs in 2025, setting single-season career highs in most offensive categories including hits, triples, home runs, RBI, stolen bases (4), runs scored, slugging percentage (.523), OPS and games played. The 27-year-old also led all qualified major league first basemen in triples, and ranked second in slugging percentage, third in home runs, third in OPS, tied for sixth in RBI, tied for sixth in games and ninth in runs scored.
Former Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz is the winner of the Kirby Puckett Award for Twins Alumni Community Service. Cruz’s generous spirit and willingness to go above and beyond for others were legendary throughout his playing career, during which he won both the 2020 Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award and the 2021 Roberto Clemente Award. Since his retirement, Cruz’s charitable efforts, specifically his desire to break the cycle of poverty in communities across the Dominican Republic, have reached new heights. This summer, his Boomstick23 Foundation began constructing an education and technical center, to host training for technical skills and how to best use farmland for crops. Once complete, the training offered by the center will provide community members with necessary skills for future employment and income stability.
The 2025 BBWAA award recipients (including the to-be-determined winners of the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award and the Terry Ryan Play Ball! Minnesota Award), as well as the winners of the Sherry Robertson Award (Kaelen Culpepper) for Twins minor league Player of the Year and the Jim Rantz Award (Connor Prielipp) for Twins minor league Pitcher of the Year, will be recognized as part of TwinsFest Live! presented by Dove on Friday, January 23, 2026 at Target Field. Tickets and more information will be available at a later date.