Box-Toppers points leaders are finalists in 5 of 6 major 2026 postseason awards

These five are both Box-Toppers top-ranked players and finalists for major 2026 postseason awards: Cam Schlittler of the Yankees, Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers, Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, Parker Messick of the Guardians and Sal Stewart of the Reds.

In five of the six major postseason player awards, the 2026 Box-Toppers points leader for each honor is among the finalists announced by baseball writers.

Award finalists

Here are finalists for the Cy Young, Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards to be given this month, as named by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Players are listed with their Box-Toppers point (BTP) total for 2026 and their Box-Toppers rank in their award category.

Cy Young finalists
AL finalists Team BTP Rank*
Cam Schlittler Yankees 21.7 1
Dylan Cease Blue Jays 21.4 2
Parker Messick Guardians 11.7 14
NL finalists Team BTP Rank*
Jacob Misiorowski Brewers 26.1 1
Cristopher Sánchez Phillies 18.7 4
Chris Sale Braves 15.4 10
Most Valuable Player Awards finalists
AL finalists Team BTP Rank*
Yordan Alvarez Astros 7.5 3
Junior Caminero Rays 5.0 23
Bobby Witt Jr. Royals 4.2 34
**Pete Alonso Orioles 10.7 1
NL finalists Team BTP Rank*
Shohei Ohtani Dodgers 15.7 1
Pete Crow-Armstrong Cubs 8.5 10
Brice Turang Brewers 4.7 39
**Sal Stewart Reds 13.0 2
Rookie of the Year finalists
AL finalists Team BTP Rank†
Parker Messick Guardians 11.7 1
Payton Tolle Red Sox 11.7 2
Kevin McGonigle Tigers 3.5 T17
**Munetaka Murakami White Sox 7.0 5
NL finalists Team BTP Rank†
Sal Stewart Reds 13.0 1
Carson Benge Mets 6.0 6
JJ Wetherholt Cardinals 5.0 8
BTP—Box-Toppers points
* Rank shows a player’s rank among potential players eligible for the award. For example, AL Cy Young finalists are ranked among AL pitchers, AL MVP finalists are ranked among AL batters.
** Player led the league category in Box-Toppers points but is not among the three finalists for the award.
† Rookie of the Year candidates are ranked among their league’s rookies in Box‑Toppers points. Box-Toppers doubles batters’ point totals when ranking them in direct competition with pitchers for awards such as Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. This adjustment balances batters’ lower overall point-earning totals against pitchers.

Here are the five awards for which Box-Toppers top-ranked players are among the finalists:

Of the six major player awards, the AL Most Valuable Player is the only one in which the Box-Toppers point leader is not among the finalists.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) announced the top three finalists for each major award, including Manager of the Year. Winners will be revealed according to the following schedule:

  • Rookie of the Year: Monday, Nov. 9

  • Manager of the Year: Tuesday, Nov. 10

  • Cy Young Award: Wednesday, Nov. 11

  • MVP Award: Thursday, Nov. 12

AL Cy Young

Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler, Box-Toppers’ choice for the award, led AL pitchers with 21.7 Box-Toppers points (third overall).

The other finalists:

  • Dylan Cease (Blue Jays), 21.4 Box-Toppers points (second among AL pitchers).

  • Parker Messick (Guardians), 11.7 points (14th among AL pitchers).

NL Cy Young

Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, Box-Toppers' choice for the award, led all MLB players with 26.1 Box-Toppers points.

The other finalists:

AL MVP

Pete Alonso of the Orioles, who led AL batters with 10.7 Box-Toppers points in 2026, is not among the three finalists. Alonso is also not Box-Toppers’ top AL MVP selection—that honor goes to Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler, whose 21.7 points is more than double Alonso’s total. (Schlittler is also not among the three AL MVP finalists.)

In cases where a league’s top pitcher earns more than double the points of the top batter, Box-Toppers selects the top pitcher for MVP over the top batter.

The three AL MVP finalists:

  • Yordan Alvarez (Astros): 7.5 Box-Toppers points (third among AL batters).

  • Junior Caminero (Rays): 5.0 Box-Toppers points (23rd among AL batters).

  • Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals): 4.2 Box-Toppers points (34th among AL batters).

NL MVP

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers logged 15.7 Box-Toppers points in 2026, the most among NL players who qualified to rank among batters (15th overall).

Because 8.7 of Ohtani's points came as a pitcher, Sal Stewart of the Reds earned the most points solely as a batter, ranking second among NL batters with 13.0 points.

However, Box-Toppers’ top NL MVP selection is Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, whose 26.1 points is more than double Stewart’s 13.0 total. Of those three players, only Ohtani is among the three BBWAA finalists; neither Stewart nor Misiorowski made the top three.

Ohtani earned Player of the Game honors 13 times in 2026—six as a batter (7.0 points) and seven as a starting pitcher (8.7 points). Because at least 25 percent of his honors came from each role (46.2% batting, 53.8% pitching), he qualified to rank at both positions with his full 15.7-point total.

Looking at his stats individually, his 8.7 points as a pitcher would rank 28th among NL pitchers, and his 7.0 points as a designated hitter would rank 16th among NL batters. Doubling his batting points for award ranking purposes (14.0) yields an adjusted total of 22.7 points, placing him fourth on Box-Toppers’ NL MVP ballot behind Misiorowski (26.1), Stewart (13.0 actual/26.0 adjusted), and Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo (23.0).

The other two NL MVP finalists:

  • Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs): 8.5 Box-Toppers points (10th among NL batters), the favorite to win NL MVP.

  • Brice Turang (Brewers): 4.7 Box-Toppers points (39th among NL batters).

AL Rookie of the Year

Guardians pitcher Parker Messick and Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle led AL rookies with 11.7 Box-Toppers points each. Messick ranks higher on a tiebreaker, earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 2025. Both are among the three finalists for top AL rookie in 2026.

However, Box-Toppers’ choice for AL Rookie of the Year, White Sox batter Munetaka Murakami, was not named a finalist. Murakami earned 7.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026 (most among AL rookie batters and ninth among all AL batters). His award-adjusted total (doubled to 14.0) puts him in the lead among AL rookies.

Award favorite Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers is also a finalist; his 3.5 points tie for 17th among AL rookies and fifth among AL rookie batters.

NL Rookie of the Year

Sal Stewart of the Reds, Box-Toppers' choice for the award, led NL rookies with 13.0 Box-Toppers points (23rd overall, second among NL batters, and first among full-time batters). He is among the three BBWAA finalists.

The other finalists:

  • Carson Benge (Mets): 6.0 Box-Toppers points (sixth among NL rookies).

  • JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals): 5.0 Box-Toppers points (eighth among NL rookies).

Box-Toppers IBWAA Balloting Note

Box-Toppers statistics are used to cast a ballot in the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) postseason voting, which concludes prior to the start of the postseason. While IBWAA voting is independent of the official BBWAA results, the selections frequently align.

Here is a look at Box-Toppers’ ranked choices for postseason awards in the IBWAA ballot.

About Box-Toppers

Box-Toppers tracks who contributes most to their team’s victory. Using standard box score statistics, we identify the Player of the Game for every MLB contest. In the regular season, winners earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point, with bonus points awarded to the top overall and league-specific players of the day. More on how Box-Toppers works.

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