A bounty of boxes remains untouched beneath holiday trees, but when it comes to awards from MLB, those have all been handed out already. There were a lot of them in 2025, including:
BBWAA Awards (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year)
All-MLB First and Second Teams
Hank Aaron Awards
Roberto Clemente Award
Gold Glove Awards
Silver Slugger Awards
LCS and World Series MVP Awards
Outstanding DH Award
Comeback Players of the Year
Relievers of the Year
Players Choice Awards (Player of the Year, Outstanding Player, Outstanding Pitcher, Outstanding Rookie, Comeback Player)
That sure covers a lot of ground.
But while we don’t have any physical hardware left to unveil, the least we could do for those whose terrific seasons were somehow devoid of decoration is acknowledge them here, with our annual All-Awardless Team.
While the A’s Shea Langeliers (.861 OPS, 31 homers, 32 doubles) was another very strong candidate here, it just feels appropriate to recognize Contreras for his large role in the Brewers posting MLB’s best record. Despite playing most of the season with a fractured middle finger, “Wild Bill” had a .754 OPS that ranked fifth among qualified catchers while logging the second-most defensive innings (1,111 2/3) of any backstop. He graded out above average in blocks, framing and caught stealing, and he hit a pair of big homers to help the Brewers’ advance past the rival Cubs in the NLDS.
Another guy instrumental in his club’s contention, Busch broke out in a meaningful way in 2025. His .866 OPS was third among qualified first basemen, and his 140 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) was second only to Silver Slugger Pete Alonso’s 141 mark. Busch reduced his strikeout rate by 5 percentage points (from 28.6% to 23.5%) and had one of the highest expected slugging percentages (.539) in MLB. He received a fifth- and a sixth-place vote in the NL MVP balloting (finishing 16th overall), but otherwise went unrecognized for a strong season that helped the Cubs reach October for the first time since 2020.
Donovan has attracted interest in trade talks this offseason because of his defensive versatility and an offensive profile that led to 42 extra-base hits (10 homers, 32 doubles) against just 67 strikeouts. His .775 OPS ranked fifth among qualifiers playing primarily at second, and his 119 wRC+ ranked fourth.
Though a hamstring injury sidelined him much of September, this was still a special season for Turner. He captured the Phillies’ first batting title (.304) since Richie Ashburn in 1958 while cranking out 31 doubles, seven triples, 15 homers, 69 RBIs, 94 runs and 36 stolen bases. Interestingly, in his age-32 season, Turner went from minus-3 outs above average the previous year to plus-17, a career-best.
Though the Nationals’ James Wood merits a mention for his 31-homer breakout, at least he was an All-Star. Soderstrom toiled in relative anonymity in Sacramento and came out with a strong .276/.346/.474 with 25 homers and 34 doubles, and his five outs above average in left were tied for second-most among qualifiers. Not bad for a guy who was drafted as a catcher and started the season at first base (before making way for Kurtz, the eventual AL Rookie of the Year) before playing in left for the first time in his professional career in April.
Prior to 2025, Grisham was considered a non-tender candidate before taking a $500,000 pay cut to remain with the Yanks. He was considered a glove-first platoon type with little to offer offensively. But in 2025, Grisham seized a regular spot in the lineup with a career-best .812 OPS and 129 wRC+, both of which were second only to the marks put up by Byron Buxton (.878, 136) among qualified center fielders. Grisham’s 14.1% walk rate was ninth-best in MLB. He earned quite a raise, accepting the Yankees’ $22 million qualifying offer in lieu of exploring free agency.
This is another guy whose season wasn’t outlandish enough to earn individual acclaim but who was an important piece of the Brewers’ winning recipe. Frelick finished sixth among qualified right fielders in OPS (.756), with a terrific 13.6% strikeout rate. Though he did not repeat as a Gold Glove winner in right (that honor went to Platinum Glove winner Fernando Tatis Jr.), Frelick, whose speed and range are major assets, remained elite on defense, with 7 outs above average.
Knee and side issues limited Polanco to just 34 starts at his go-to position of second base in 2025, but he made the most of the bat-only opportunity for the division-winning Mariners. Polanco’s .821 OPS was sixth-best among primary DHs, as his 26 homers and 30 doubles were both his best marks since 2021. Where he really distinguished himself was in October. The veteran Polanco met the moment with a multi-homer game off Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, the game-winning RBI in the 15-inning affair that capped the ALDS vs. the Tigers and five RBIs in the first two games of the ALCS.
Abbott was a deserving first-time All-Star in 2025, but that was his only recognition for a wonderful season in which he posted a 2.87 ERA and a 159 ERA+ (59% better than league average) that ranked sixth among those with at least 150 innings pitched. Abbott has fastball velo readings and ground-ball percentages that don’t lead you to believe he’d have success at Great American Ball Park, but the mustachioed 26-year-old looks and pitches the part of a crafty lefty, limiting hard contact and walks.
No, we did not aim to have three Brewers (!) and six NL Central players (!!) on the All-Awardless squad this year, but that’s where the numbers led us, OK? At least this will help the casual fan better understand how the Brew Crew won 97 games this year. All of the All-MLB relief pitcher spots went to closers, but Uribe was probably the best setup man in the game this year. He was versatile enough to pitch anywhere from the fifth inning to the ninth, and with a 1.67 ERA in 75 1/3 innings and an MLB-best 37 holds, he made NL Manager of the Year Pat Murphy’s job a lot easier. Uribe also ably filled in as closer late in the season when Trevor Megill went down and stayed in that role in the postseason, helping the Brewers reach the NLCS.
MANAGER: John Schneider, Blue Jays
We don’t always include a manager here on the All-Awardless squad, but this is a good place to give Schneider his flowers. While it wasn’t a shock that the Guardians’ Stephen Vogt won AL Manager of the Year after leading Cleveland to a historic comeback in the AL Central, the fact of the matter is that the Guards were defending division champions who won four fewer games than the year before, while Schneider’s Blue Jays went from worst to first in the brutal AL East. And of course, those Manager of the Year votes were cast before Schneider and the Jays came within two outs of a World Series title. Unfortunately, Schneider didn’t get to hoist a trophy for his great work this year, and we just want him — and everyone else on this “team” — to feel seen.
