The 2025 MLB season has been one to remember. Baseball fans witnessed 50 home-run feats from catcher Cal Raleigh and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber; a 30 home run, 30 stolen base season from right fielder Juan Soto and a league leading 2.03 Earned Run Average from second-year pitching phenom Paul Skenes. With the regular season coming to a close, here are predictions for who will win the MLB awards.
AL MVP: Cal Raleigh – Seattle Mariners
Speaking of Raleigh, the “Big Dumper” has put together the best catcher season since Buster Posey in 2012. During that season, Posey accumulated 9.8 Wins Above Replacement, while Raleigh currently sits at 8.7 WAR, second in baseball only behind Aaron Judge. Notching a league-leading 57 home runs paired with 119 Runs Batted In while playing 117 games at catcher, Raleigh has cemented himself as one of the best overall players in baseball. Being able to call games for one of the best pitching rotations in baseball while being an eight-win player easily makes the Big Dumper the most valuable player in the American League.
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers
There are not enough words to describe Ohtani’s greatness. After finishing as unanimous NL MVP in 2024, Ohtani has followed that campaign with 53 home runs, 99 RBIs, 19 stolen bases and a 3.29 ERA this season. On top of all that, Ohtani leads the majors in runs scored with 141. The designated hitter/pitcher has carried the Dodgers to the No. 4 seed in the National League and a first-place spot in the NL West. With his eventual fourth MVP award, Ohtani will have the second-most MVP awards in MLB history only behind Barry Bonds.
AL Cy Young Winner: Tarik Skubal – Detroit Tigers
Without a doubt, Skubal is the best pitcher in the MLB and will win his second Cy Young award by year’s end. Skubal leads the league in WHIP with 0.88 and is 0.05 points lower than second place, which is absurd. The left-handed pitcher is second in strikeouts with 233 and third in innings pitched with 189.1 in an era where pitching injuries are more prevalent than ever. Skubal’s ability to be a reliable force on the mound throughout MLB’s long season are why the left-hander is second in ERA with 2.23.
NL Cy Young Winner: Paul Skenes – Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Skenes is the best young player in the game today, regardless of position. Since toeing the rubber for the first time on May 11, 2024, Skenes has been nothing short of dominant.
The 23-year-old is top-four in ERA, strikeouts and Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched. Skenes’ throw-everything approach promises to give MLB hitters nightmares for years to come while he wins multiple Cy Young awards throughout his career.
AL Rookie of the Year: Nick Kurtz – Athletics
Prior to the 2024 MLB Draft, Kurtz was known as a stereotypical power hitter. Kurtz played just 33 minor league games where he batted .344 with a 1.152 On-Base Plus Slugging and forced the Athletics’ hand to call him up to the big leagues in April. Since then, he has been nothing short of spectacular. Kurtz is currently fifth among qualified rookies in batting average at .291 and is first in home runs with 33 under his belt. His 81 RBIs lead all qualified rookies as well. At the age of 22, he has quickly inserted himself into “best first baseman in the league conversations.”
NL Rookie of the Year: Drake Baldwin – Atlanta Braves
Baldwin might not have as many at-bats as other NL rookies, given his position as backup catcher, but he has been effective nonetheless. His 102 base hits are currently 10th among qualified rookies. The catcher made the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training and showed that he could be the Braves’ catcher of the future. His 18 home runs and 75 RBIs rank third and second, respectively, among qualified rookies.
The players mentioned have had outstanding seasons. Some are establishing themselves as major league baseball players, while others continue to etch their names in the history books. Time will tell if these predictions are correct. Find out who will win the MLB awards on Thursday, Nov. 13.
