You know the headliners: Shohei Ohtani. Aaron Judge. Cal Raleigh. Paul Skenes.
These household names are on the shortlists for baseball’s top individual awards. That’s not, however, what we’re here to discuss.
Today, we hand out the second annual Sports Illustrated alternative MLB awards. The goal here is to give some shine to the players and accomplishments that might have been overlooked over the past six months—or, at least, ones that lack formal hardware in the real world.
There are plenty of standouts to get to and acceptance speeches to prepare, so let’s get right to it and hand out some hard-earned fake awards.
Best bargain signing: Ramón Laureano, Padres/Orioles
A productive start to his career with the A’s appeared to have Laureano on a path set for a windfall of cash in free agency. Instead, injuries and ineffectiveness made him a bit of a nomad: he played for three different organizations from 2023 to ‘24, posting a 98 wRC+ over 203 games. That led the veteran outfielder to sign a one-year, $4 million deal with the Orioles this offseason, which ended up being a boon for a Baltimore squad that saw little go right this season. Laureano played his way into being a desirable trade asset, and ended up with San Diego at the deadline. He has set or tied career highs in wRC+ (141), home runs (24) and RBIs (76) and helped bolster the Padres’ playoff hopes down the stretch.
Honorable mention: Harrison Bader, Phillies/Twins; Kyle Finnegan, Tigers/Nationals; Phil Maton, Rangers/Cardinals
Best trade deadline acquisition: Harrison Bader, Phillies
Both Bader and Laureano were the top two candidates for our first two awards, so it’s fitting that they split them. Bader signed a one-year, $6.25 million contract with the Twins, who shipped him to Philadelphia in their deadline fire sale. He has taken control of the Phillies’ everyday center field job, bringing elite defense to the table while enjoying a career-best 128 wRC+ at the plate. Bader looks primed for a bigger payday this winter.
Honorable mention: Josh Naylor, Mariners; Mason Miller, Padres
Best utility player: Zach McKinstry, Tigers
McKinstry has been Detroit’s Swiss Army knife for several years, but he’s paired his diverse defensive skill set with a breakout year at the plate. After posting a career 79 wRC+ prior to 2025, McKinstry has hit .261/.336/.439 (114 wRC+) this year, with 11 homers and 19 stolen bases. That earned him his first All-Star nod, and has made him among the Tigers’ most valuable hitters. The 30-year-old has made at least 15 appearances at four different spots this season (third base, shortstop, right and left field) while also making cameos at first and second base.
Honorable mention: Ernie Clement, Blue Jays; Josh Smith, Rangers
Historic.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 16, 2025
Paul Skenes is one of just seven Pirates pitchers all-time to reach the 200 strikeout mark in a season.
It’s a Skenes Day at PNC. pic.twitter.com/RkT3rJOwha
Most tough-luck pitcher: Paul Skenes, Pirates
Should we name this award after Skenes? The odds-on favorite to win the National League’s Cy Young Award leads the league in ERA (2.03) and strikeouts (209), yet has a mere 10–10 record to show for it. Unsurprisingly, Skenes has received the fifth-lowest run support among qualified starters this year. With perhaps just one more start scheduled for the season, he could possibly become the first starting pitcher to win the Cy Young Award with a losing record.
Honorable mention: MacKenzie Gore, Nationals; Mitch Keller, Pirates; Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays; Kyle Freeland, Rockies
Most tough-luck hitter: Salvador Perez, Royals
The nine-time All-Star has kept up his power output this season (28 home runs), but his slash line leaves a lot to be desired. His batting average (.237) and on-base percentage (.277) are his lowest marks since 2018. But the 35-year-old’s skills don’t seem to be the issue: the gap between his xwOBA (.363) and his wOBA (.308) is the second-highest among qualified hitters, and his expected slugging percentage (.543) would rank seventh-best in the majors. Perez’s .251 BABIP is well shy of the .295 mark he posted from ‘21 to ‘24.
Honorable mention: Josh Bell, Nationals; Ben Rice, Yankees; Otto Lopez, Marlins; Luis Garcia Jr., Nationals
Mr. Clutch: Nathaniel Lowe, Red Sox/Nationals
The term “clutch” is obviously subjective, but can be used to describe players who rise to the occasion—”occasion” meaning the game’s biggest moments. If we focus on the word “rise,” there, then what we’re looking for is a player who took his game up a level when his team needed it the most. Enter Lowe, who has put up a -0.5 fWAR and an 88 wRC+ in 142 games for Washington and Boston this year. In high leverage situations, though, he’s been a different player, with a .292/.375/.583 slash line in such moments. That line has him ranked ninth among 144 qualified hitters in FanGraphs’ clutch metric.
Honorable mention: Ty France, Blue Jays/Twins; Spencer Steer, Reds; Joey Ortiz, Brewers; Cam Smith, Astros
Best late-bloomer: Trevor Rogers, Orioles
Rogers is perhaps this season’s best reclamation project. The Orioles traded for him last July in hopes of bolstering their rotation in time for the playoffs. The move didn’t pay off, at least right away: Rogers put up a 7.11 ERA over four starts before getting optioned down the stretch. He began 2025 in the minors, and after a spot start for half of a doubleheader on May 24, he was called up again on June 18. Since then, Rogers has arguably been the best pitcher in the league, posting an 8–2 mark with a 1.53 ERA over 15 starts. Baltimore’s season has long been over, but Rogers’s return to form is giving the organization hope for a brighter ‘26 campaign.
Honorable mention: Andrew Vaughn, Brewers; Willy Adames, Giants; Trevor Story, Red Sox
NICK KURTZ FOUR HOME RUNS IN ONE GAME! 🤯
— ESPN (@espn) July 26, 2025
First rookie in MLB history with four home runs in a single game! 💪 pic.twitter.com/Xip6UyFo0K
Best hitting game: Nick Kurtz, A’s vs. Astros, July 25
What a season when two other players with four-homer games get left on the sidelines. With apologies to Eugenio Suárez and Kyle Schwarber, Kurtz’s breakout game gets the nod. The rookie sensation made history with his 6-for-6 clinic in which he tallied 19 total bases (also tying a record). He joined Shawn Green as the only two players to have six hits and four home runs in the same game. The fact that Kurtz was able to pull this off in what was his 66th career game makes this feat all the more impressive.
Best pitching game: Tarik Skubal, Tigers vs. Guardians, May 25
There were plenty of other options to consider here, but it just felt right to give the honor to the pitcher who has been baseball’s best over the past two years. Skubal was nearly untouchable on this afternoon, taking a no-hit bid into the sixth and facing only 29 hitters. He finished his first career shutout with 13 strikeouts, two hits allowed and no walks, needing only 94 pitches. Skubal generated an eye-popping 26 whiffs on 58 swings, with 14 of them coming on his changeup alone.
Edwin Jackson Journeyman of the Year: Jose Ureña
Named after the patron saint of well-traveled ball players (Jackson pitched for 14 different teams in his 17-year career), Ureña earns this award going away. He has made appearances for five different organizations in 2025—the Mets, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Twins and Angels—after getting designated for assignment four different times. While Ureña has been open about how challenging this nomadic season has been (“It’s not fun,” he shared with The Athletic’s Sam Blum recently), he’s maintained solid production, posting a 3.94 ERA across 48 innings as a long reliever/occasional spot starter. Maybe Ureña’s next team will be the one that sticks. In the meantime, though, he’ll have a permanent place in SI’s 2025 alternative awards.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alternative Awards and Superlatives for the 2025 MLB Season.
