OK, we know we’re a little late here. Baseball season started a couple of weeks ago. In our defense, we were busy covering all things March Madness. But as we turn our focus on April, we wanted to break down the MLB award races. Which players will come to define the season?

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Check back in the fall to see how we did. We’ll have baseball coverage here in the newsletter all season and on the NBC News website.

MVP

By Andrew Greif, NBC News sports reporter

Every year, we seem to have the same two names atop the MVP races: Aaron Judge in the AL, and Shohei Ohtani in the NL. When Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh crashed the party last season, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Will we get any new entrants this year?

American League: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s sensational postseason was a reminder that he has all the talent in the world. After Toronto’s devastating World Series loss, he’ll have more than enough motivation, too. Coming off a regular season that saw him produce his fewest home runs and RBI since 2019, Guerrero should by now be more comfortable as the $500 million face of his team, and will be looking to produce his first 40-home run season since 2021. If voters want an alternative to Judge, the winner in three of the past four seasons, they could turn to Guerrero.

National League: To become the first player since Barry Bonds to win three consecutive NL MVP awards, Ohtani will have to overcome voter fatigue, enmity aimed at his big-spending team and even the ridiculously high standard he’s set for himself; his consistently outlandish statistics have normalized seeing him produce outlier performances. But Ohtani, who also won AL MVP in 2023 and 2021, will again have an advantage because of his dual hitter-pitcher roles. He appeared in 14 games last season as a pitcher while returning from arm surgery, but that number will go up this season, giving him even more opportunities to impress.

The rest of our experts’ picks:

Rohan Nadkarni: Yordan Alvarez (AL), Ohtani (NL)

Tim Rohan: Bobby Witt Jr. (AL), Ohtani (NL)

Greg Rosenstein: Judge (AL), Ohtani (NL)

Cy Young

By Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News sports reporter

A few starts into the MLB season and already a few pitchers have surprised (the Padres’ Randy Vasquez is your NL pitching leader in WAR as of April 7) while some have disappointed (the Pirates’ Paul Skenes has a 9.53 ERA!). With that in mind, what if we went ever so slightly off the board with your Cy Young picks?

American League: The Tigers’ Tarik Skubal has won this award in back-to-back seasons, and is the prohibitive favorite to win again, which is why I’m picking … the Yankees’ Max Fried. The lefty is already cooking, with 14 strikeouts and only three earned runs through three starts. Fried is a workhorse and he’ll have an opportunity to make his case in a number of high-profile starts.

National League: Do not sleep on Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara. After he spent last season working back into form following Tommy John surgery, Alcantara has regained the dominance that earned him this award in 2022. He’s already thrown one complete-game shutout and didn’t give up a run in each of his first two starts. With Alcantara seemingly in perpetual state of auditioning to play for a contender, he will be very motivated after coming off a down season. Also, his stuff is filthy.

The rest of our experts’ picks:

Andrew Greif: Garrett Crochet (AL), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (NL)

Tim Rohan: Fried (AL), Skenes (NL)

Greg Rosenstein: Fried (AL), Yamamoto (NL)

Rookie of the Year

By Tim Rohan, NBC News sports editor and reporter

Every year, it seems, a handful of rookies arrive playing like veterans, like they were always meant to be big leaguers. Last year, it was the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz, also known as the Big Amish, who slugged 36 homers on his way to becoming the AL Rookie of the Year. Who will be this year’s Kurtz?

American League: During last year’s postseason, the Cleveland Guardians called up rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter to make his big-league debut during the wild card round. That experience, he told MLB.com, “kind of helped me just relax a lot” coming into 2026. Now DeLauter, an outfielder who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 235 pounds, has started this season on a tear, hitting five home runs in his first seven games. If he keeps this up, he could tilt the AL Central race.

National League: Sure, on paper, Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin looks like a future star. A 6-foot-3, 222-pound shortstop? With power? He might be the next A-Rod. But I’m picking Mets starter Nolan McLean. He throws six different pitches, each one nastier than the next. He also got some experience last year, starting 8 games down the stretch and posting a 2.06 ERA. He might be the Mets’ best or second-best starter by season’s end.

The rest of our experts’ picks:

Andrew Greif: Carter Jensen (AL), McLean (NL)

Rohan Nadkarni: Munetaka Murakami (AL), Griffin (NL)

Greg Rosenstein: Kevin McGonigle (AL), JJ Wetherholt (NL)

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What We’re Reading

With the Buffalo Bills moving to a new stadium next season, fans have the chance to buy pieces of Highmark Stadium.

Base-brawl! Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez and Angels slugger Jorge Soler got into a fight.

‘Tense’ and ‘toxic’ vibes in Milwaukee all point to the end of the Giannis Antetokounmpo era.

What was on the menu for Rory McIlroy’s Masters dinner?

Mike Malone was introduced as the new North Carolina men’s basketball coach.

Cubs ace Cade Horton is out for the rest of the season.

What We’re Watching

The reigning AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz and the Athletics take on the reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees. Think Kurtz will enjoy that short porch in right field? A home run derby might break out. We’re going to be tuning in.

All times are Eastern:

• 7 p.m.: Atlanta Hawks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, on ESPN
• 7:05 p.m.: Athletics vs. New York Yankees, on Amazon Prime
• 9:30 p.m.: Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs, on ESPN

That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.