Mookie Betts and Roy Wood Jr. host MLB Awards as Yordan Alvarez and Pete Crow-Armstrong win Hank Aaron Award

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Two weeks after the Milwaukee Brewers won the Commissioner’s Trophy for the first time in franchise history, Major League Baseball closed out its 2026 season with the MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards on Wednesday night at the Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. The awards recognized the league’s greatest players and performances from the past season in a show hosted for the second straight year by Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts and comedian Roy Wood Jr.

Betts and Wood opened the evening by joking about the changes in 2026, including a comparison to the White Sox going from 121 losses in 2024 to a playoff run in 2026, and they also joked about MLB’s new ABS system by “testing” whether their jokes landed in what they called the “joke zone.” Their hosting set the tone for an awards program that then shifted to the players and club leadership being honored for on-field and organizational impact.

Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs were named the winners of this year’s Hank Aaron Award, presented annually to the best overall offensive performer in each league. Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and 2006 Hank Aaron Award winner Ryan Howard, accompanied by Aaron’s widow, Billye, presented the award alongside Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds.

Alvarez was onstage to accept the award, speaking with MLB Network’s Siera Santos while accepting it. Crow-Armstrong was not in attendance; he sent a prerecorded video expressing gratitude to Billye and the Aaron family and thanking them for the opportunity to be part of Hank Aaron’s legacy.

Along with the Hank Aaron Award, Alvarez also received the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. The MLB Awards presentation credited Alvarez with leading the AL in several offensive categories, including batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.432), slugging percentage (.601), OPS (1.033) and OPS+ (190), while hitting 42 home runs and driving in 106 runs.

Alvarez’s night extended beyond his offensive awards, as he and Phillies starter Zack Wheeler were also recognized as Comeback Players of the Year in their respective leagues. The awards further highlighted the season’s top relief work, with San Diego’s Mason Miller winning the Trevor Hoffman Award for the NL’s top reliever, and Tampa Bay’s Bryan Baker taking the Mariano Rivera Award as the AL’s top bullpen arm.

Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander received the MLB Executive of the Year award presented by Sage. The award is voted on by fellow executives around the league, and MLB’s announcement noted that Neander earned the honor a second time, also winning in 2019. Neander’s recognition was also framed in relation to the Rays’ recent postseason run, including an offseason connection to Matt Arnold of the Brewers, whose club beat the Rays in the World Series last month, as mentioned in the awards presentation.

The ceremony also included a rebranded entertainment-focused honor: the Flow Mayor Award, previously known as the Entertainer of the Year. World Series MVP William Contreras of the Atlanta Braves received the Flow Mayor Award, presented with a diamond-studded toothpick by his brother, Willson Contreras, as part of the program’s celebration of style and swagger.

The awards included the announcement of the 2026 All-MLB First and Second Teams, which were presented during the show. Alvarez, Bobby Witt Jr., Elly De La Cruz and Jackson Chourio were among the players in attendance. The Brewers were represented by Contreras and Chourio, with MLB’s announcement noting that Milwaukee had two of four players selected to this year’s All-MLB teams.

On the All-MLB First Team, position players named included Pete Alonso (1B), Brice Turang (2B), Bobby Witt Jr. (SS), Junior Caminero (3B), Gabriel Moreno (C), Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF), Fernando Tatis Jr. (OF), Jackson Chourio (OF) and Yordan Alvarez (DH). First Team starting pitchers were listed as Jacob Misiorowski, Cam Schlittler, Chris Sale, Dylan Cease and Cristopher Sánchez, with relievers named as Mason Miller and Louis Varland.

The All-MLB Second Team included Willson Contreras (1B), Brandon Lowe (2B), Elly De La Cruz (SS), Alex Bregman (3B), William Contreras (C), James Wood (OF), Randy Arozarena (OF), Jordan Walker (OF) and Ben Rice (DH). Second Team starting pitchers were Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Sonny Gray, Tarik Skubal, Drew Rasmussen and Jesus Luzardo, with Baker and Cade Smith completing the bullpen list.

Beyond the marquee individual awards and team selections, MLB also cited recognition for performers across the league, including that the MLB Awards package extended beyond traditional categories to include honors such as the Flow Mayor Award and Premier Play of the Year. In the same announcement stream, MLB highlighted that Cowser’s game-ending homer robbery was named Premier Play of the Year and that AUSL stars were honored with the champion Talons represented.

The MLB Awards again served as a league-wide showcase following the World Series, bringing together major award winners, All-MLB selections and executives at a single televised-style event in Las Vegas, while tying the end of the 2026 season to both statistical achievements and organizational recognition.