Alonso’s wonderful Orioles’ season continues to be recognized

It’s been 35 years since an Oriole won American League Most Valuable Player. With another excellent year, perhaps Pete Alonso will break that streak.

Since Cal Ripken Jr. won the award in 1991, 11 of the 14 other American League teams—all but Cleveland, Kansas City and Tampa Bay — have had a winner. The Rays haven’t had a winner since they began play in 1998.

The Orioles’ Cy Young Award winner drought is even longer. It’s been 46 years since Steve Stone won in 1980. Only the Texas Rangers, who’ve never won, have gone longer.

Alonso finished fifth overall, behind the unanimous winner, Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr, and New York’s Cam Schlitter, the unanimous winner of the Cy Young Award.

Twenty-eight of the 30 voters found room on their ballot for Alonso, whose votes ranged from third to 10^th.

I didn’t have an MVP vote this year, but I probably would have voted for Alonso fourth, behind Alvarez, Caminero and Witt.

Alonso’s fifth-place finish was his best. He previously received MVP votes in four seasons with the New York Mets, seventh place in 2019, when he won the National League Rookie of the Year, eighth in 2022, 17^th in 2023, 11^th in 2025.

He had a 5.0 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), trailing only his 2019 season when he set a rookie record with 54 home runs. This year, he won the AL home run title with 43 and became the first player to lead both leagues in RBIs with 113. His 131 in 2022 led the NL.

A few weeks back, a reader asked a question that I answered in the mailbag, wondering how many games the Orioles would have won without Alonso.

They won 79 with him, and he played in each of their 161. The easy way would have been to subtract the 5.0 WAR and say 74, one fewer than they did in 2025. I said 70 to 72.

The Orioles’ poor finish shouldn’t stop anyone from voting for putting Alonso in the top five. Witt had an outstanding season with a 6.7 WAR, and his Royals won only 69 games.

In Ripken’s MVP season, the Orioles finished last with a 67-95 record. His 11.5 WAR was the highest for an AL MVP since Carl Yastrzemski’s 12.5, the year he won the Triple Crown in 1967.

WAR was not followed during the time Ripken or Yastrzemski won their MVPs.

The Orioles have won major awards handed out by the Baseball Writers Association of America since Stone and Ripken’s victories.

In 2023, Gunnar Henderson won the Orioles’ first Rookie of the Year since Gregg Olsen’s in 1989. That year, Brandon Hyde was Manager of the Year, the Orioles’ first since Buck Showalter in 2014.

Voting for each award is tricky. I might have had to struggle to find 10 worthy candidates for the MVP. However, I would have had a hard time choosing the five players for Rookie of the Year.

Thirteen players got a vote, and I would have had 10 legitimate choices for the award, which was deservedly won by Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle.

Shockingly, Orioles outfielder Dylan Beavers received a fifth-place vote. Beavers had a -.5 WAR. None of the other 12 players who got at least one vote had a WAR lower than 2.5.

Most voters are diligent, putting in time researching the candidates and talking to current and former players, coaches and managers about the selection. I’m not so sure the Beavers’ voter did so.

This year brought the first Reliever of the Year Award, and I was honored to get to vote for the award.

I considered 10 candidates for the five players on the ballot and settled on Toronto’s Louis Varland, the winner. Tampa Bay’s Bryan Baker, Cleveland’s Cade Smith, Houston’s Josh Hader and Texas’ Jacob Latz were my other four.

No Oriole reliever received a vote.

Had there been a Reliever of the Year award in 2016, the Orioles’ Zack Britton, who saved 47 games in 47 chances, would have been an easy winner.

That year, Britton, who had a stellar 0.54 and allowed only four earned runs and one home run, had to settle for fourth place. Only five voters, including me, voted Britton first. Boston’s Rick Porcello won.

It was one of the few times that I hadn’t voted for the eventual winner. I received lots of criticism for voting for an Oriole.

When you watch a player regularly, like Britton or Alonso, you appreciate how important he was to a team’s success.

Award season is nearing an end. Alonso was the unanimous winner of the Most Valuable Oriole and also won the Orioles Advocates Oriole Way Award. He was also the team’s nominee for the Heart and Hustle and Roberto Clemente Award.

On Wednesday night in Las Vegas, Alonso was named the All-MLB First Team first baseman. That same night, Orioles’ centerfielder Colton Cowser won the Play of the Year Award. He was recognized for his game-saving catch in Colorado on August 31^st.

Along with Boston’s Willson Contreras, Alonso is an AL finalist at first base for the Silver Slugger awards. The winners will be announced on Monday night. 

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com