The Rookie of the Year winners are the first awards announced, on Monday, November 9.
American League Rookie of the Year finalists
- Kevin McGonigle, Tigers: .278/.376/.430 with 18 home runs and 12 steals. His exclusive rookie card #697 comes with the 2026 Topps Tigers team set plus McGonigle exclusive rookie.
- Parker Messick, Guardians: 186 1/3 innings with a 2.56 ERA, and he is a Cy Young finalist too. See the 2026 Topps Guardians team set.
- Payton Tolle, Red Sox: 171 strikeouts in 148 2/3 innings. See the 2026 Topps Red Sox team set.
National League Rookie of the Year finalists
- Carson Benge, Mets: 20 home runs, 22 steals and a .282 average. See the 2026 Topps Mets team set.
- Sal Stewart, Reds: 112 RBI, leading all NL rookies in home runs, RBI and total bases. See the 2026 Topps Reds team set.
- JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals: 17 home runs and a .704 OPS. See the 2026 Topps Cardinals team set.
The BBWAA announced the finalists on November 2. Winners are revealed the week of November 9: Rookie of the Year on Monday, November 9, Manager of the Year on November 10, Cy Young and Reliever of the Year on November 11, and MVP on November 12. Voting closed before the postseason, so these are regular season awards.
