As we find ourselves in the midst of another thrilling postseason, and more specifically, another exciting World Series, awards season is just around the corner. As we prepare to honor the best players and performances of 2023, here are some important dates to mark on your calendar:
Monday, Oct. 30: Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One
Prior to Game 3 of the World Series
This honor, coveted across the Majors for what it represents and the name it bears, is bestowed annually to the player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
Sunday, Nov. 5: Rawlings Gold Glove Awards
7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
With several first-time finalists for the honor, including four rookies, and a National League winner at third base not named Nolan Arenado for the first time in more than a decade, intriguing storylines abound. Voting for the Platinum Glove Award, which is given to the best overall defensive player in each league, begins thereafter.
Monday, Nov. 6: BBWAA Awards finalists announced
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America will reveal the finalists for its awards — Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young and MVP — one week before announcing the winners. The top three vote-getters for each AL and NL award become finalists.
Tuesday, Nov. 7: Executive of the Year Award
This honor will be announced during the GM Meetings, which will take place in Scottsdale, Ariz., from Nov. 7-9. As with other awards, voting is completed prior to the start of the postseason, which means results from the playoffs aren’t taken into account. Last year’s winner was Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti after Cleveland won the American League Central with a record of 92-70.
Wednesday, Nov. 8: All-MLB Team nominees announced
6 p.m ET on MLB Network
The All-MLB Team was introduced in 2019 to honor players’ full-season contributions, given that All-Star selections are based on first-half performance. Once nominees are announced, fans will be able to vote at MLB.com to help choose first- and second-team selections at each position (including three outfielders, a DH, five starting pitchers and two relievers).
Thursday, Nov. 9: Silver Slugger Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
Each year since 1980, the best offensive player at each position in each league has been honored with a Silver Slugger Award based on voting from MLB managers and coaches. This will be the second year that there will be an award category for utility players, given the increasing prevalence of players who are defensively versatile.
Friday, Nov. 10: Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners announced
The Platinum Glove Awards, one presented in each league to the best overall defensive player, will be announced at the Rawlings Gold Glove Dinner in New York City, where the Gold Glove Award winners will receive their trophies.
Monday, Nov. 13: BBWAA Rookie of the Year Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
The BBWAA opens its major awards week by honoring the top rookies of 2022. It’s an honor with a strong legacy, bearing the name of Jackie Robinson, the first winner back in 1947.
While not every Rookie of the Year Award winner goes on to stardom, past winners include legends such as Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Tom Seaver, Johnny Bench, Cal Ripken Jr., Ichiro Suzuki and Albert Pujols. The Braves’ Michael Harris II and the Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez won the award last year, and the favorites this time around appear to be D-backs outfielder Corbin Carroll and Orioles shortstop/third baseman Gunnar Henderson.
Tuesday, Nov. 14: BBWAA Manager of the Year Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
Which manager from each league was the best at guiding his team to success in 2023? The winners last year were the Mets’ Buck Showalter and the Guardians’ Terry Francona. This year, while the D-backs’ Torey Lovullo led his squad to an improbable World Series appearance, and on the other side, Bruce Bochy led the Rangers to the Fall Classic in his first season at the helm, the awards are based on regular-season results alone.
The two remain solid candidates for the honor, though it’ll be tough to beat Orioles skipper Brandon Hyde and Braves manager Brian Snitker — Hyde led the surprising O’s to Baltimore’s first 100-win season since 1980, and Snitker’s Braves won 104 games while tying the AL/NL record with 307 home runs and setting a new record with a .501 slugging percentage.
Other candidates include the Marlins’ Skip Schumaker, who led Miami to the postseason in his first year at the helm after a 93-loss campaign in 2022, and Twins skipper Rocco Baldelli, who guided Minnesota to an AL Central title.
Wednesday, Nov. 15: BBWAA Cy Young Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
The Cy Young Award has been bestowed upon the best pitcher in each league as selected by BBWAA voters since 1967, and the award had been presented to one pitcher in all of MLB for 11 years prior to that. Last year, veteran right-hander Justin Verlander won his third career Cy Young Award in the AL and young Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara won his first in the NL.
This year’s race seems to be pretty wide open, particularly in the NL. In contrast with last year’s balloting, which yielded a unanimous result in favor of Alcantara, several candidates have a shot this time around. Padres left-hander Blake Snell is likely a slight favorite over the field, which includes Zac Gallen, Kodai Senga, Justin Steele, Spencer Strider, Logan Webb and Zack Wheeler.
In the AL, Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole is the frontrunner, though Kevin Gausman, Sonny Gray, Pablo López, Luis Castillo and Kyle Bradish should get some consideration as well.
Thursday, Nov. 16: BBWAA Most Valuable Player Awards
6 p.m. ET on MLB Network
The debate rages on: What does “most valuable” mean? In 2022, the question took on new meaning in the AL with Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani each having a strong argument for the honor, and Judge winning after the Yankees slugger slammed an AL-record 62 homers in a historic offensive campaign.
In 2023, Ohtani is primed to win his second career AL MVP Award after putting together his finest year at the plate while continuing to dominate on the mound. The two-way superstar led the Majors with a .654 slugging percentage and a 1.066 OPS while belting an AL-best 44 homers. In 23 starts on the mound for the Angels, he posted a 3.14 ERA and 31.4 percent strikeout rate.
On the NL side, things aren’t as clear-cut, though it’ll be tough to top Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., who became the first player in AL/NL history to hit 40 or more homers (41) and steal 70 or more bases (73) in the same season. The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts also has a strong case after he launched a career-high 39 homers with a .987 OPS and produced a league-leading 8.4 Baseball Reference WAR.
Friday, Nov. 17: Heart & Hustle Awards
Time TBA, MLB Network
This award is presented by the MLB Players Alumni Association and is voted on by alumni as well as active players. It goes to the active player “who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.” Each of the 30 teams has one nominee, and a winner will be selected from that group and announced on MLB Network.
Thursday, Dec. 14, and Saturday, Dec. 16: All-MLB Team announced
Official announcement on Dec. 14, followed by MLB Network program on Dec. 16
The 2023 All-MLB Team will be announced from All-MLB Weekend in Las Vegas, with an MLB Network special two days later.
Dates and times for the announcement of the following award winners are yet to be determined:
Hank Aaron Awards
Awarded to the best overall offensive player in each league as determined by a combination of a fan vote and the selections of a panel consisting of Hall of Fame players, the Hank Aaron Awards have honored the best offensive performers each season since 1999.
Nine finalists from each league were announced on Oct. 6, and the list includes past winners Judge (2022), Freddie Freeman (2020) and Bryce Harper (2015, ’21). The other AL nominees are Yordan Alvarez, Yandy Díaz, Adolis García, Ohtani, Rodríguez, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Kyle Tucker. In the NL, the other nominees are Acuña, Luis Arraez, Cody Bellinger, Betts, Carroll, Matt Olson and Juan Soto.
MLB Comeback Player of the Year Awards
The Comeback Player of the Year Awards honor one player from each league who has overcome adversity to return to a high level of performance in the Major Leagues. Last year, Verlander won the award in the AL after missing the entire 2021 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In the NL, the winner was Albert Pujols, who had a resurgence at the plate in the final season of his illustrious 22-year MLB career.
Rivera/Hoffman Reliever of the Year Awards
Named for Hall of Fame closers Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman when the awards were established in 2014, these honors go to the best reliever in each league. Last year, Mets closer Edwin Díaz won the honor in the NL, and Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase received it in the AL.
In 2023, among the best relievers in the AL were the Orioles’ Félix Bautista (1.48 ERA, 33 saves, 46 percent strikeout rate), Clase (3.22 ERA, MLB-leading 44 saves) and the Blue Jays’ Jordan Romano (2.90 ERA, 36 saves, 29 percent K rate).
In the NL, leading candidates include the Brewers’ Devin Williams (1.53 ERA, 36 saves, 38 percent K rate), the Padres’ Josh Hader (1.28 ERA, 33 saves, 37 percent K rate) and the Pirates’ David Bednar (2.00 ERA, 39 saves, 29 percent K rate).
Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award
The Outstanding DH Award has been handed out since the designated hitter was first adopted by the AL in 1973, and it was renamed in honor of five-time winner and Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez in 2004. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the NL had its first winner, the Braves’ Marcell Ozuna. But pitchers returned to hitting in ’21 before the NL permanently adopted the DH beginning in ’22.
It would be a stunner if the award didn’t go for a third consecutive year to Ohtani, even with outstanding performances by Ozuna and the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez.
