Notably, the league called up Jacob deGrom and Ronald Acuna Jr. as respective Comeback Players of the Year. deGrom’s comeback from Tommy John surgery technically took place at the end of the 2024 season. The two-time Cy Young winner made three late-season appearances last year. He picked up the ball 30 times last season with the Texas Rangers, working to a 2.97 earned run average with 185 strikeouts in 172 2/3 innings. He earned his fifth All-Star nomination and finished eighth in the AL Cy Young voting in his age-37 season.
Acuna recovered from the second ACL tear of his career. The 2023 NL MVP had suffered the season-ending left knee injury on May 26, 2024. He returned almost a year later. The Atlanta Braves activated Acuna from the injured list on May 23. He returned to superstar form, hitting .290/.417/.518 with 21 home runs in 95 games. Acuna returned to the injured list around the trade deadline with right Achilles tendonitis. He missed just a few weeks and came back to hit .268/.402/.437 along the way despite an injury-plagued Atlanta team being well out of contention. It is the second season in a row in which a Brave was named NL Comeback Player of the Year. Chris Sale received that honor last season.
MLB announced a few other awards. Ohtani and Judge repeated as the respective Hank Aaron Award winners as the league’s top hitters. Ohtani again won the Edgar Martinez Award as the best designated hitter in the MLB. Aroldis Chapman and Edwin Diaz won Reliever of the Year honors, respectively. Diaz is the top reliever in free agency and has posted a 1.63 ERA in 62 appearances with the New York Mets. Chapman posted a 1.17 ERA over 61 1/3 frames in what may be the best season of his stellar career. He re-signed with the Boston Red Sox in August for a $13 million deal. The BBWAA will reintroduce his own Reliever of the Year Award in 2026.
Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold was named Executive of the Year for the second consecutive season. Milwaukee won 97 games in the MLB and advanced to the NL Championship Series despite an opening day payroll of approximately $115 million. That was the eighth-lowest mark in the majors.
MLB also announced its first and second teams. These are not league specific and are intended to honor the best players at each position. These are as follows:
First team
- Catcher: Cal Raleigh, Mariners
- First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
- Second base: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks
- Third base: Jose Ramirez, Guardians
- Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
- Outfield: Aaron Judge, Yankees
- Outfield: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
- Outfield: Juan Soto, Mets
- Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
- Starting pitcher: Tarik Skubal, Tigers
- Starting pitcher: Paul Skenes, Pirates
- Starting pitcher: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
- Starting pitcher: Garrett Crochet, Red Sox
- Starting pitcher: Max Fried, Yankees
- Relief pitcher: Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox
- Relief pitcher: Jhoan Duran, Twins/Phillies
Second team
- Catcher: Will Smith, Dodgers
- First base: Nick Kurtz, Athletics
- Second base: Brice Turang, Brewers
- Third base: Junior Caminro, Rays
- Shortstop: Bo Bichette, Blue Jays
- Outfield: Cody Bellinger, Yankees
- Outfield: Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks
- Outfield: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs
- Designated hitter: Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
- Starting pitcher: Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies
- Starting pitcher: Hunter Brown, Astros
- Starting pitcher: Zack Wheeler, Phillies
- Starting pitcher: Freddy Peralta, Brewers
- Starting pitcher: Bryan Woo, Mariners
- Relief pitcher: Edwin Díaz, Mets
- Relief pitcher: Andres Munoz, Mariners
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