Major League Baseball presents a variety of annual awards and trophies to recognize both its teams and its players. Three team trophies are awarded annually: one each to the National League and American League champions, and one of the champion of the World Series. Additionally, various organizations—such as the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) and the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball—present awards for such accomplishments as excellence in batting, pitching performance, fielding prowess, and community service.
The Most Valuable Player Award, commonly known as the "MVP", is the oldest individual award, given in its current format since 1931. MVP awards are also presented for performances in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the League Championship Series, and the World Series. Offensive awards include the Silver Slugger Award and the Hank Aaron Award, while the Cy Young Award and Major League Baseball Reliever of the Year Award recognize pitching; the Rawlings Gold Glove Award is given for fielding. The newest award is the All-MLB Team, introduced in 2019 to honor the best players at each position across all of MLB. Before that time, the most recently established awards were the Major League Baseball Reliever of the Year Award and Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award, both established in 2005. Additionally, the Commissioner, at his discretion, can present an Historic Achievement Award for any great contribution to the sport that he deems worthy.
Team awards
Commissioner's Trophy
The Commissioner's Trophy is presented each year by the Commissioner of Baseball to the Major League Baseball team that wins the World Series. The World Series is played between the champion clubs of the American League and the National League. The "modern" World Series has been played every year since 1903 with the exception of 1904, which was cancelled when the NL champion New York Giants declined to play the AL champion Boston Americans, and 1994, which was cancelled due to the players' strike.
Baseball has employed various championship formulas since the 1860s. When the term "World Series" is used by itself, it is usually understood to refer to the "modern" World Series exclusively.. Verducci, in referring to the 2001 World Series, makes mention of its 98-year history—since 1903. The World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff. Best-of-seven has been the format of nearly all of the modern World Series, except 1903 and 1919–1921 which were best-of-nine. In addition to the Commissioner's Trophy, each player on the winning team receives an individual World Series ring. The Commissioner's Trophy has been awarded to the Series winner since 1967.
Recent trophy designs contain flags representing each team in each league. It is the only championship trophy of the four major sports in the United States that is not named after a particular person (contrasting with the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup, the National Football League's Vince Lombardi Trophy, and the National Basketball Association's Larry O'Brien Trophy). The current holders of the trophy are the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League, who won the 2025 World Series.
Warren C. Giles Trophy
The Warren C. Giles Trophy is presented annually to the champion of the National League. The award is named for Warren Giles, who was league president from 1951 to 1969. Until 2017 the award was passed from champion to champion (like the NHL's Stanley Cup, but unlike the American League) as opposed a new trophy being created each season. Starting in 2017, an identical trophy as the American League trophy was made, and a new trophy is now made each season. Warren's son Bill Giles, the honorary league president and former part-owner of the Philadelphia Phillies, presents the trophy to the National League champion at the conclusion of each National League Championship Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the current holders of the Giles Trophy after beating the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2025 National League Championship Series.
William Harridge Trophy
The William Harridge Trophy is the American League's counterpart to the Giles Trophy, and is presented each year to the American League champion. Prior to 2017, the trophy featured a golden eagle, the league's emblem, sitting atop a silver baseball and clutching the American League banner. Since 2017, the trophy is all silver with a pennant on top. The trophy is named for Will Harridge, who was league president from 1931 to 1958. The Toronto Blue Jays are the current holders of the Harridge Trophy after their 2025 American League Championship Series win over the Seattle Mariners. A new trophy is awarded each season.
Individual awards
Most Valuable Player
The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP) is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. The MVP originated in 1910 as the Chalmers Award, sponsored by the Chalmers Automobile Company. Chalmers presented the award until 1914. The National and American Leagues presented their own "League Awards" from 1922 to 1929,"Review-The Week In Sports-Outlook". (September 28, 1925). The New York Times, Sports, p. 17. after which the BBWAA began to present an unofficial award. Since 1931, it has been officially presented by the BBWAA. It was officially called the Kenesaw Mountain Landis Memorial Baseball Award until 2020, following complaints from past MVP winners about Landis's role in stonewalling racial integration. The most recent award winners are Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees in the American League and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League.
Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best exhibits the character and integrity of Lou Gehrig, both on the field and off it. The award was created by the Phi Delta Theta fraternity in honor of Gehrig, who was a member of the fraternity at Columbia University. It was first presented in , fourteen years after Gehrig's death. The award's purpose is to recognize a player's exemplary contributions in "both his community and philanthropy." The bestowal of the award is overseen by the headquarters of the Phi Delta Theta in Oxford, Ohio, and the name of each winner is inscribed onto the Lou Gehrig Award plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. It is the only MLB award conferred by a fraternity. The most recent award winner is Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals.
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, one each for the American and National Leagues. The award was first introduced in 1956 by Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955. The award was originally given to the single best pitcher in the major leagues, but after Frick's retirement in 1967, the award was given to one pitcher in each league. Each league's award is voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, with two representatives from each team.Dickson, p. 145. The most recent award winners are Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers in the American League and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League.
Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to one player from each league, as voted upon by the BBWAA. The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA who alone selected a rookie of the year. Starting in , all members of the national BBWAA organization voted. Jackie Robinson was awarded the first official Rookie of the Year award. The award was originally known as the J. Louis Comiskey Memorial Award, after the Chicago White Sox owner of the 1930s. In 1987, it was renamed the Jackie Robinson Award, in honor of the 40th year since Robinson broke the baseball color line. Only two players, both in the American League, have been named Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same year: Fred Lynn in 1975 and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001. The only Rookie of the Year to win the Cy Young Award in the same year was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. In 1947 and 1948, only one award was given to a single player. Since 1949, the honor has been given to one player in each league. The most recent award winners are Nick Kurtz of the Athletics in the American League and Drake Baldwin of the Atlanta Braves in the National League.
Manager of the Year
The Manager of the Year Award is an honor given annually since 1983 to the best managers in the American and National Leagues. The winner is voted on by 30 members of the BBWAA. Each places a vote for first, second, and third place among the managers of each league. The manager with the highest score in each league wins the award. In 1991, Bobby Cox became the first manager to win the award in both leagues, winning with the Atlanta Braves and having previously won with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1985. Tony La Russa, Lou Piniella, and Jim Leyland have since won the award in both leagues. Joe Girardi is the only manager to win the award with a fourth-place team (2006 Florida Marlins); he is also the only manager to win the award after fielding a team with a losing record. The 2025 award winners are Stephen Vogt of the Cleveland Guardians in the American League and Pat Murphy of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League.
All-MLB Team
The All-MLB Team, introduced following the , honors the best players at each position across all of MLB. A panel consisting of media members, former players, and baseball officials selects the honorees; fan voting is also incorporated into the selection process, with the collective fan vote having the same weight as a single panel member. First and second teams are named, each consisting of one catcher, one player at each infield position, three outfielders regardless of position, five starting pitchers, two relievers, and one designated hitter. The All-MLB Team is announced during the Winter Meetings.
Gold Glove
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National and American Leagues, as voted by the managers and coaches in each league. Managers are not permitted to vote for their own players. Twenty Gold Gloves are awarded each year: one at each of the nine positions, plus one for a utility player, in each league.
Silver Slugger
The Silver Slugger Award is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by Major League Baseball's coaches and managers. These voters consider several offensive categories in selecting the winners, including batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage, in addition to "coaches' and managers' general impressions of a player's overall offensive value". As with the Gold Glove, the prize is presented to outfielders irrespective of their specific position, and an additional award is presented to a utility player in each league. Pitchers do not receive a Silver Slugger Award; an award is given to one designated hitter in each league, instead. Prior to 2022, when the designated hitter was permanently allowed across both leagues, a Silver Slugger Award for pitchers was awarded in the National League (except in 2020).
Hank Aaron Award