Trio of Phillies face stiff competition in MLB's top year-end awards

The MLB postseason has concluded and now the Philadelphia Phillies, along with every other team, will reset for the offseason. As the offseason gets underway, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) has their annual awards to hand out. It's an honor to be recognized, and luckily for Phillies fans, they have three representatives this time around.

Lefty starter Cristopher Sánchez was named an NL Cy Young Award finalist. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber was named an NL MVP Award finalist. Rob Thomson was also honored as an NL Manager of the Year finalist. All three are very distinguished awards to be a finalist for, but the Phillies will have a hard time trying to take them home this year.

Rob Thomson named NL Manager of the Year finalist after leading Phillies to 96-66 record

Thomson has been managing the Phillies since he took over the Phillies mid-season in 2022. He's done a tremendous job and has become the most successful Phillies manager during the regular season, with a 346-251 record and a .580 winning percentage (minimum 500 games managed). Thomson led the Phillies to another successful season in 2025 and their second consecutive NL East title with a 96-66 record.

The problem is, this season he goes against the Cincinnati Reds' Terry Francona and the Milwaukee Brewers' Pat Murphy. Both clubs are considered small-market teams with payrolls in the bottom third of the league. The Phillies had the fourth-highest payroll this season.

Francona has been managing since 1997, starting his managerial career with the Phillies. He just completed his first year in Cincinnati and took the 83-79 Reds to the postseason. Murphy just finished his second season but did secure the best record in baseball, leading the Brewers to their first NLCS appearance since 2018.

The Manager of the Year Award will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

Cristopher Sánchez inserted himself into NL Cy Young race with his rise to ace status

Sánchez's ascension to ace is what makes pitching development worth every second. He's become a true ace in the sport and showed his capability of holding that title when Zack Wheeler went down in August. He finished with a 13-5 record, 2.50 ERA and 212 strikeouts in 202 innings.

Sánchez is up against the Los Angeles Dodgers' recent World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Yamamoto finished with a 12-8 record and a 2.49 ERA, but it was Skenes who broke out in 2025 with a 1.97 ERA and 216 strikeouts across 187 2/3 innings.

Sánchez has a lot going for him, but he could suffer the same fate as Wheeler last year, who finished second to Chris Sale. The baseball world will find out when the Cy Young Award winner is announced on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

Kyle Schwarber a longshot to win NL MVP up against Shohei Ohtani

The last of the BBWAA awards to be announced will be the MVP Award on Thursday, Nov. 13. It's one of the most prestigious awards for an individual player, and for good reason. Only the best of the best can win it, and that's exactly the competition Schwarber faces.

Schwarber had himself a career year, hitting 56 home runs, which led the NL, and driving in a major league-best 132 RBIs. Those numbers were both career highs.

He'll be opposed by three-time winner and Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and the richest man in baseball, New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto. Ohtani hit 55 home runs while driving in 102 RBIs. He did, however, lead MLB in runs scored (146) and ended up leading the NL in SLG (.622), OPS (1.014) and OPS+ (179).

In his first year with the Mets, Soto had a down year by his standards. But he was still among the best in the NL, leading the league in walks (127), stolen bases (38) and OBP (.396).

The Phillies are well represented this year in individual awards, and it's not too surprising given how they performed all season. It's hard to be the best at what you do in MLB, but the Phillies have a shot at some of the biggest hardware in baseball, and that's something to hang your hat on.