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Since 1992, Major Leaguers have recognized the on and off-field achievements of their peers through the Players Choice Awards program. These awards are voted on uniquely by the active MLB Player membership.
2025 marks the 34th Annual Players Choice Awards.
THE 2025 PLAYERS CHOICE AWARDS WINNERS
Player of the Year – Cal Raleigh
Marvin Miller Man of the Year – Brent Suter
Philanthropist of the Year – Aaron Nola
Curt Flood Award – Don Baylor & Scott Sanderson
AL Outstanding Player – Cal Raleigh
NL Outstanding Player – Kyle Schwarber
AL Outstanding Pitcher – Tarik Skubal
NL Outstanding Pitcher – Paul Skenes
AL Outstanding Rookie – Nick Kurtz
NL Outstanding Rookie – Drake Baldwin
AL Comeback Player – Jacob deGrom
NL Comeback Player – Ronald Acuña Jr.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR & AL OUTSTANDING PLAYER
Cal Raleigh
It was a record-setting season for Cal Raleigh, who rewrote the history books with his unprecedented power surge. Raleigh hit the most home runs in a single season by a Seattle Mariner, by a switch-hitter and by a catcher, while becoming the first Player to homer 20 or more times from both sides of the plate and winning the All-Star Game Home Run Derby. The North Carolina native led the league in homers and RBIs to go along with a stellar .948 OPS and elite defense behind the plate.
MARVIN MILLER MAN OF THE YEAR
BRENT SUTER
Brent Suter has provided leadership and a steady, reliable voice in his role as an MLBPA Player representative. His all-around contributions have been highlighted time and again, with multiple nominations for the Roberto Clemente Award and a 2022 nomination for the Marvin Miller award. Suter has used his platform as an athlete to draw attention to the effects of climate change, the global crisis of plastic waste, and other environmental causes. While pitching for the Reds in his hometown of Cincinnati, Suter has been actively engaged in the community, working with youth organizations such as Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which helps local children in need.
PHILANTHROPIST OF THE YEAR
AARON NOLA
During the 2024 season, Nola donated $1,000 per strikeout to Team Red, White and Blue, contributing a total of $197,000 for his 197 Ks. Nola continues to support veterans through the Team Red, White and Blue, while also raising support for ALS research with Strike Out ALS bowling tournaments around the country. In 2025, the ALS Association of Washington, D.C., honored him with its annual Volunteer Impact Award.
NL OUTSTANDING PLAYER
Kyle Schwarber
In his fourth season with the Philadelphia Phillies, Kyle Schwarber led the National League with 56 home runs and 132 RBIs while setting career highs in OPS, hits and WAR. Schwarber’s 23 homers off left-handed pitching set a major league record for a lefty hitter, surpassing the previous mark shared by Stan Musial and Matt Olson. He registered the second 50-homer season in Phillies’ history and finished two shy of Ryan Howard’s franchise record of 58 in 2006.
AL OUTSTANDING PITCHER
Tarik skubal
Tarik Skubal posted dominant numbers on the way to another superb season atop the Detroit Tigers’ rotation. He won his second straight ERA title (2.21) and led American League pitchers with a 6.6 WAR while posting a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 241-33. Skubal earned his second straight All-Star berth and first All-Star start, while becoming the first pitcher in the majors to reach 200 strikeouts.
NL OUTSTANDING PITCHER
PAUL SKENES
Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of Louisiana State University, followed up on his outstanding rookie year in Pittsburgh with another dominant season as the Pirates’ ace. Skenes led the National League with a 1.97 ERA – his second straight season with a sub-2.00 mark – while striking out 216 batters in 187 2/3 innings. In July, he became the first Pirate to earn starting pitcher honors in the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss in 1975.
AL OUTSTANDING ROOKIE
NICK KURTZ
Nick Kurtz, a 2024 first round selection out of Wake Forest University, emerged as a power-hitting force in the A’s lineup this season. Kurtz led all MLB rookies in home runs (36), RBIs (86), OPS (1.002) and WAR (5.4). His OPS led MLB first basemen, and he ranked second at the position to Matt Olson in WAR and to Pete Alonso in home runs. Kurtz posted one of the greatest offensive displays in baseball history on July 25, when he went 6-for-6 with four home runs in a 15-3 win over the Astros.
NL OUTSTANDING ROOKIE
DRAKE BALDWIN
Drake Baldwin, a 2022 draftee out of Missouri State University, had a major impact in his debut season with the Braves. Among National League rookies with a minimum of 100 games played, he ranked first in RBIs (80), batting average (.274), OPS (.810) and slugging percentage (.469), while ranking second in home runs (19) and total bases (190). He was one of only seven rookie catchers since 1947 to reach 35 extra base hits and 78 RBI, and the first to achieve the feat since Geovany Soto in 2008.
AL COMEBACK PLAYER
JACOB deGROM
Injuries limited Jacob deGrom to just nine starts in his first two years in Texas, but he regained his dominant form with a return to full health in his third season with the Rangers. DeGrom made his first All-Star team since 2021, while recording his highest strikeout and innings pitched totals since 2019. His 0.93 WHIP was the lowest single-season mark by a qualified pitcher in franchise history, and his 2.97 ERA was the fourth best by a Rangers starter since 2000.
NL COMEBACK PLAYER
RONALD ACUÑA, JR.
Ronald Acuña has proved time and again that few players in baseball can match his production when healthy. After a historic 2023 campaign in which he led the league in steals, on base percentage, OPS, hits and runs, as well as hitting 41 homers, he appeared in only 49 games in 2024 because of injuries. He came back with a vengeance in 2025, posting a .935 OPS and a 3.1 WAR in 95 games to make his fifth National League All-Star team over a seven-year span.
2025 CURT FLOOD AWARD WINNERS
DON BAYLOR & SCOTT SANDERSON
Don Baylor gained an appreciation for the importance of the Players Association’s mission as a young player in the Baltimore Orioles’ clubhouse, where he embraced the example of such union stalwarts as Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Mark Belanger, Bobby Grich and Dave McNally -- a seminal figure in the players’ fight for free agency rights. Don eventually ascended to the role of club representative and American League representative, providing valuable counsel to Executive Directors Marvin Miller and Donald Fehr from his seat on the Executive Subcommittee. Don played a pivotal leadership role through seven strikes and lockouts during his 19-year career with the Orioles, Angels, Yankees and three other clubs. He was a signatory to the 1980 collective bargaining agreement and was influential in keeping players focused and unified during the 1981 strike, which forced the cancellation of 712 games in the middle of the regular season. When it came to giving his time or advocating on behalf of his fellow players, Don never wavered.
Scott Sanderson is remembered by his contemporaries for his leadership during the historic 232-day strike in 1994-95, when he was at the forefront of the effort to keep players informed and unified during a turbulent time. He set up the phone bank used to disseminate information and attended virtually every union meeting. At the most widely attended session, Scott stood up first and crystallized the players’ mission: “I’d like a show of hands. Who among us wants to leave to the players who come after us less than what we received from the players who went before us?” Coming from a universally respected veteran of four work stoppages, that remark cut to the heart of the debate and invoked one of the union’s founding principles -- that the protection of players’ rights spans generations. It was a seminal moment that injected new energy and clarity toward players’ efforts to stop MLB’s attempt to break their union and implement a salary cap. After his retirement, Scott continued advocating for players as a respected agent until his death in 2019.