On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Reds named their 2026 Team Awards. These awards are the Baseball Writers of America Cincinnati Chapter’s 2026 Major League Award winners.

Elly De La Cruz was named the Ernie Lombardi Most Valuable Player, Emilio Pagan was named the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy of the Year Award, and Chase Burns was named the Johnny Vander Meer Outstanding Pitcher. All deserving.

Outstanding Elly

Just four seasons into his career, De La Cruz has already cemented his name in Reds history. He has tons of interesting records already to his name. He's the only player since 1900 to achieve at least 80 extra-base hits, 80 stolen bases, and 80 walks within his first 200 career games, and the first since 1900 to record 115 or more extra-base hits and 115 or more stolen bases through 300 games.

De La Cruz's 2026 season has been the best season of his young career, and a 30/30 season puts a bow on just how great he has been. Barry Larkin is the only other Reds shortstop in the 30/30 club. Now Elly has an Ernie Lombardi MVP award to add to his resume.

Good Guy Emilio

Winning the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award is nothing new to Pagan. He won the award in 2025 at the January 2026 Redsfest.

Pagan is known for being a fantastic teammate, and he has fully embraced Cincinnati in the two years he's been a Red. Pagan has opted out of his deal and is currently a free agent, but one insider thinks he might re-sign with the Reds. It's no surprise he won the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award in the organization. And if he's back with the Reds in 2027, he might win the award again.

Lights Out Burns

Chase Burns was named the Most Outstanding Major League Pitcher in 2026, and he was also named the 2025 Most Outstanding Minor League Pitcher. In a year when the pitching staff as a whole really struggled, Burns put up a 15-3 record, a 2.86 ERA, and 185 strikeouts in 154.1 innings. Burns also signed a 7-year, $105 million deal that buys out his arbitration years and keeps him in Cincinnati until the 2033 season. Burns should also earn National League Cy Young votes in the coming days.

The Reds did not have the best 2026 season, but these three guys were outstanding and deserved the recognition.

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