The American Baseball Writers Association has announced a new award that begins in 2026, and writers will now vote on the rescue pitcher of the year in the United States and the National League. RPOY will join the MVP Awards, CY Young Awards, Rookie of the Year Awards and Manager of the Year Awards, becoming the most outstanding year-end honor for the BBWAA vote.
This is not the first time I have won my own trophy. The old “Rolaids Relief Man Award” was established from 1976-2012, and the winners were determined by the points system rather than the voting system. Since 2014, Major League Baseball has Relief for the Trophy of the Year, which is decided by a previous group of relief pitchers and named after the Al version of the awards Mariano Rivera and NL versions Trevor Hoffman. According to Steve Berman of Track and Field, Rivera and Hoffman awards are expected to continue, although the league seems likely to retire if the BBWAA trophy becomes the most public standard for relief pitching achievement.
Jayson Stark is one of the driving forces to create the Relief Pitcher of the Year award, and Stark outlines the thought process of the BBWAA to compete. In short, “Now, relief pitching now dominates the sport – the way it plays, how it manages, who sprays champagne every fall – in a way that has never been before.”
While the rescuer is naturally eligible for other awards, he has not received the Cy Young Award since the relief pitcher Eric Gagne In 2003. Stark notes that it is becoming increasingly rare that rescuers have won any number one vote in CY Young or MVP competitions, and even Rivera/Hoffman awards are often focused on close range (as a former player on the voting committee admitted). Created a prestigious award for rescuers and added some historic weight to their profession, which helped future Hall of Fame votes and how good it would be for a particular relief pitcher in any given year or any given era.
It is safe to think that Closers will still win the Relief Pitcher of the Year award in most cases, but the wider scope allows BBWAA voters to consider all types of rescuers who can be even more overlooked in terms of recognition. Pitcher likes Abner Uribe,,,,, Garrett Whitlock,,,,, Randy Rodriguez,,,,, Bryan Abreuor (from the priest alone) Jeremiah Estrada,,,,, Jason Adamor Adrian Morejon is an example of 2025 pitchers who dominate the set-up or firefighter role.
From a trading perspective, high scores in RPOY voting don’t necessarily mean a big deal for free agent rescue pitchers, because even if the RPOY award is more praised for players, the team will still prioritize statistics and predictions. As far as contract bonuses are concerned, the creation of this award may mean additional expenses, just as batsmen and starters often receive any TOP-3, TOP-5, TOP-5, etc., completed with MVP or CY Young Award voting.
