The Reds and the Cincinnati chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America have announced their 2026 Major League Award winners.
Elly De La Cruz was named the winner of the Ernie Lombardi Award as the team’s Most Valuable Player.
He hit .283 with 30 home runs, five triples, 30 doubles, 99 runs, 79 RBIs, 72 walks, and 30 stolen bases.
In 2026, De La Cruz posted the fourth 30 home run/30 stolen base season in franchise history, also achieved by Reds Hall of Famers Brandon Phillips (2007), Barry Larkin (1996), and Eric Davis (1987).
His 30 home runs marked a new single-season club record for a switch hitter, surpassing the previous mark of 25 he set in 2024, and were second-most by a shortstop in club history. Larkin clubbed 33 in 1996).
For his efforts during the 2026 campaign, De La Cruz was named a finalist for the Hank Aaron Award.
De La Cruz, who also received the Ernie Lombardi Award following the 2024 campaign, is the 12th Red to earn the honor multiple times since it was introduced in 1955. The last was Eugenio Suárez in 2018 and ’19.
Chase Burns was voted the unanimous winner of the Johnny Vander Meer Award as the club’s Most Outstanding Pitcher.
He was 15-3 with a 2.86 earned run average in 29 games, with 154 innings pitched, 54 earned runs/49 earned, and 185 strike outs.
Burns was recognized as a National League All-Star and a finalist for the All-MLB Team during his first full season at the Major League level, finishing the year ranked among National League leaders in both wins (15, fourth) and strikeouts (185, ninth).
Cincinnati’s 1st-round selection (2nd overall) from the 2024 first-year player draft, Burns joined Scott Williamson (1999) as the only Reds to ever earn an All-Star nod within two years of being drafted.
He won a career-high 12 consecutive decisions from April 21 to August 2, tied for the fifth-longest streak in franchise history, trailing Ewell Blackwell (16 in 1947), Brooks Lawrence (13 in 1956), Ted Breitenstein (13 in 1897), and Frank Dwyer (13 in 1896).
Burns, who agreed to terms on a new seven-year contract extension through the 2033 season on July 18, became the first Reds pitcher since at least 1900 with at least 15 wins and three or fewer losses in a single campaign.
Emilio Pagán was voted the winner of the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award for the second consecutive year.
He went 5-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 42 games with 42 2/3 innings pitched, 16 runs/all earned, 33 hits, 11 walks and 45 strikeouts.
Pagán joins Bronson Arroyo (2006, ’09, ’11-12) and Tucker Barnhart (2016, ’19) as the only Reds to earn the honor multiple times since its inception in 1991.
In 2026, he posted his second straight season with at least 25 saves, becoming the 10th Cincinnati pitcher to collect 25-plus saves in back-to-back years since the stat became official in 1969.
Following a stint on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain between May 6 and June 29, Pagán notched a 3-0 record with a 1.88 ERA over his final 30 appearances, going a perfect 19-for-19 in save opportunities during that time.
His 19 saves from July 1 through the end of the regular season were tied for second-most among all Major League pitchers, behind only Tampa Bay’s Bryan Baker, who had 20.