Guardians third baseman José Ramírez is a finalist for AL MVP, while Stephen Vogt is up for what would be his second straight Manager of the Year Award.

CLEVELAND — Perhaps we need to stop referring to José Ramírez as “underrated,” for it seems the rest of the baseball world has caught on to his greatness.

For the fourth time in his career, the Guardians‘ third baseman was named a finalist for the AL MVP award on Monday, joining New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge and Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. Regardless of the result it will mark the sixth top-five MVP finish of Ramírez’s career, along with two more top-10 rankings and a 17th-place finish in 2016.

Joining Ramírez in the pool of MLB awards finalists is Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt, who is up for AL Manager of the Year once again after claiming the honor last season. John Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays and Dan Wilson of Seattle are also in the running.

2025 marked another typically elite season for Ramírez, who also made his seventh All-Star team as the AL starter at third base. The 33-year-old batted .283 (his best mark in five seasons) and scored 103 runs while also hitting 30 homers and stealing 44 bases — making him just the third player in baseball history with three separate “30-30” campaigns. He was also a finalist for a Gold Glove Award and has a chance to win what would be his sixth Silver Slugger Award this Thursday.

Ramírez is attempting to become Cleveland’s first MVP since Al Rosen in 1953, but unfortunately, most experts have him pegged as the third wheel in a two-man race: Judge followed up his 2024 MVP performance by leading the majors in batting average (.331), OPS (1.144), and bWAR (9.7); while Raleigh smashed 60 home runs to shatter the single-season record for a catcher.

Guards’ fans hopes for an addition to the trophy case may rest on Vogt, who seeks to join Hall of Famer Bobby Cox and current Tampa Bay Rays skipper Kevin Cash as the only back-to-back Managers of the Year since the award was established in 1983. Though Cleveland’s record dipped slightly to 88-74 this season, the club made history by overcoming a 15 1/2-game deficit to steal the AL Central Division crown from the Tigers. Vogt was lauded down the stretch as a steadying presence on a team dealing with injuries, depth issues, and the shocking loss of two pitchers to a gambling investigation.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America votes for MVP and Manager of the Year along with Rookie of the Year and Cy Young in each league, and the winners will be announced next week. On Sunday, the Guardians’ Steven Kwan also earned the AL Gold Glove for left fielders, joining Vic Power, Kenny Lofton, and Omar Vizquel as the only Cleveland players to win four straight Gold Gloves at any position.

The full list of BBWAA awards finalists is as follows:


MVP


American League

Aaron Judge, New York YankeesCal Raleigh, Seattle MarinersJosé Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians


National League

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles DodgersKyle Schwarber, Philadelphia PhilliesJuan Soto, New York Mets


CY YOUNG


American League

Hunter Brown, Houston AstrosGarrett Crochet, Boston Red SoxTarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers


National League

Cristopher Sánchez, Philadelphia PhilliesPaul Skenes, Pittsburgh PiratesYoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers


ROOKIE OF THE YEAR


American League

Roman Anthony, Boston Red SoxNick Kurtz, AthleticsJacob Wilson, Athletics


National League

Drake Baldwin, Atlanta BravesCaleb Durbin, Milwaukee BrewersCade Horton, Chicago Cubs


MANAGER OF THE YEAR


American League

John Schneider, Toronto Blue JaysStephen Vogt, Cleveland GuardiansDan Wilson, Seattle Mariners


National League

Terry Francona, Cincinnati RedsPat Murphy, Milwaukee BrewersRob Thomson, Philadelphia Phillies