MLB Awards, Honors, and Trophies: All You Need to Know

bet365 News Team Updated: Feb 20 2024 18:34

From the World Series to the Gold Glove Award, all you need to know about every MLB individual and team award.

Team Awards

Just as every player in every league is striving to do, MLB players are all out to win the World Series.

The championship of America’s pastime has been contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League and the National League is a seven-game series, making it unique from some popular sports like the NFL. The winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy.

Heading into the 2024 MLB season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorites to win the World Series at +400.

Read more: 2024 World Series outright odds

American/National League Champion

Prior to the World Series is the Championship Series for both the American League and National League.

With the MLB’s 30 teams separated in half between the two leagues, a champion is crowned for the team that represents their respective league in the World Series.

Before Opening Day in 2024, the Houston Astros are favorites for the AL pennant at +400 while the Dodgers are favored for the NL pennant at +175.

Individual Awards

The team awards are the ones that are much more straightforward, as they are the same as the games we watch every day. However, there are far more individual honors earned, so let’s dive into those.

MVP

One award that is common between nearly all sports in the most valuable player (MVP) award. It’s just as it sounds - it is awarded to the player that is deemed to be the best in that specific season. Voters select one winner from the American League and one winner from the National League.

Cy Young

The first MLB award that is unique to baseball is the Cy Young award, which is awarded to the best pitcher in each league.

Rookie of the Year

Next up is an honor that is as straightforward as it sounds. Both the AL and NL award a trophy to a player in his rookie season that is deemed to be the best.

In other words, this could be thought of as the MVP of rookies. This is often a great indicator of future success, as players ranging from Ronald Acuna Jr. and Shohei Ohtani to Jackie Robinson, Johnny Bench, and Willie McCovey have won both a Rookie of the Year and MVP Award in their careers.

Manager of the Year

The Manager of the Year Award - given to the AL's and NL's best managers each season - can be harder to judge, as a manager does not have stats that show how good they are at their job.

Instead, this can be awarded to a manager who has turned his team around after a bad season, someone who gets the most out of their roster, or someone whose in-game adjustments have led to extra victories for his team.

All-MLB Team

Often confused with the All-Star Team, the All-MLB Team is considered more prestigious.

While the All-Star Team can be skewed by the fact the league mandates each team, no matter how bad its record, sends a representative to the game, the All-MLB Team is strictly for the league's best players.

There is an All-MLB first and second team, with the first team being the more prestigious. It is not split between AL and NL.

World Series MVP

The World Series MVP is given to the best performer in the World Series.

While there is an MVP awarded for both the AL and NL based on season-long accomplishment, there is one awarded based solely on the performance within a World Series, meaning that only one player wins the award each year.

Gold Glove

The first of two position-based awards is the Gold Glove, given to the best fielder at each position.

Whether that be making diving stops at third base or leaping over the wall to rob a home run in the outfield, these fielders are the ones that fill up the highlight reels and make those famous ‘Web Gems’ plays.

Silver Slugger

Similar to the Gold Glove, the Silver Slugger Award is given to the best hitter at each position.

Whether for their home-run power or consistency, it can be boiled down to simply stating that it is awarding to best offensive players at each position in the AL and NL.

Reliever of the Year

We outlined the Cy Young Award above, and there is another pitcher-specific award given to the best relief pitcher each league.

While the Cy Young isn’t explicitly for starting pitchers, that is generally the case as the award has not been given to a reliever since Dennis Eckersley in 1992.

Lou Gehrig Award

The Lou Gehrig Award is earned by the player who demonstrates the character of Gehrig, whether it be through helping kids in need or helping teenagers avoid drug addiction.

Hank Aaron Award

Another player-named award comes by way of who has long been thought of as the Home Run King. Therefore, it’s no surprise that it is awarded to the best overall offensive performer in the AL and NL. Unlike the Silver Slugger Award where one is granted per position, there is just one Hank Aaron Award for each league.

Roberto Clemente Award

Finally, the Roberto Clemente Award is one that is as prestigious as it gets. This honor is earned by the player who represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character.

That includes things such as sportsmanship, community involvement, philanthropy and overall positive contributions.

How and When are MLB Awards Announced?

It depends on the exact award, but many of the honors are decided by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).

They are then announced over a month-long period following the World Series beginning in mid-November.

Who Has the Most MLB Awards?

It’s always fun to take a look at who holds the most honors for specific awards. With that in mind, we’ve listed a few of the most popular below:

Most MVPs: Barry Bonds (7)
Most Cy Youngs: Roger Clemens (7)
Most World Series MVPs: Sandy Koufax (2), Bob Gibson (2) and Reggie Jackson (2)
Most Gold Gloves: Greg Maddux (18)
Most Silver Sluggers: Barry Bonds (12)

Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.