Major League Baseball presents a variety of annual awards and trophies to recognize both its teams and its players.
Additionally, various organizations—such as the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) and the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball—present awards for such accomplishments as excellence in batting, pitching performance, fielding prowess, and community service.
The newest award is the All-MLB Team, introduced in 2019 to honor the best players at each position across all of MLB.
[4][5] Additionally, the Commissioner, at his discretion, can present an Historic Achievement Award for any great contribution to the sport that he deems worthy.
The "modern" World Series has been played every year since 1903 with the exception of 1904, which was cancelled when the NL champion New York Giants declined to play the AL champion Boston Americans,[6] and 1994, which was cancelled due to the players' strike.
In addition to the Commissioner's Trophy, each player on the winning team receives an individual World Series ring.
[14] The current holders of the trophy are the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League, who won the 2024 World Series.
[15] The Los Angeles Dodgers are the current holders of the Giles Trophy after beating the New York Mets in the 2024 National League Championship Series.
[17] The New York Yankees are the current holders of the Harridge Trophy in honor of their 2024 American League Championship Series win over the Cleveland Guardians.
"[21] The bestowal of the award is overseen by the headquarters of the Phi Delta Theta in Oxford, Ohio,[22] and the name of each winner is inscribed onto the Lou Gehrig Award plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
The award was first introduced in 1956 by Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955.
[23] Each league's award is voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, with two representatives from each team.
[29] Tony La Russa, Lou Piniella, and Jim Leyland have since won the award in both leagues.
A panel consisting of media members, former players, and baseball officials selects the honorees; fan voting is also incorporated into the selection process, with the collective fan vote having the same weight as a single panel member.
[36] The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National and American Leagues, as voted by the managers and coaches in each league.
[37] Twenty Gold Gloves are awarded each year: one at each of the nine positions, plus one for a utility player, in each league.
It was introduced in 1999 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron surpassing Babe Ruth's 714 career home runs.
[41] Each team's radio and television play-by-play broadcasters and color analysts vote for three players in each league.
The award was originally given by the editors of Sport magazine, but is now decided by a combination of media members and Major League Baseball officials.
The League Championship Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is given annually to the players deemed to have the most impact on their teams' performances in each of the two respective League Championship Series that comprise the penultimate round of the MLB postseason.
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to the most outstanding player in each year's MLB All-Star Game.
[50] In 2003, Garret Anderson of the Anaheim Angels was the first recipient of the newly named Ted Williams Award.
The award was not given in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic postponing the 2020 MLB season for over three months, resulting in the 2020 All-Star Game's cancellation.
In 1973, the award was renamed after Clemente following his death in a plane crash while delivering supplies to victims of the 1972 Nicaragua earthquake.
Teams choose their nominee during the regular season, and the winner is announced at the World Series.
[51] Salvador Pérez of the Kansas City Royals is the 2024 winner and current holder of the award.
The award is voted on by club beat reporters, broadcasters, and public relations departments.
The award is most often presented for breaking a Major League Baseball record; it has been presented three times to players who broke the single-season home run record (Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds).
The Major League Baseball Lifetime Pass is a pass gifted to players, managers, coaches, umpires, and league executives, and various other people of special interest which grants them lifetime attendance to any regular season game for the remainder of their life.
[56] Modern passes are a gold-colored alloy card with the recipients name pressed at the bottom.