Padres closer Mason Miller won the inaugural 2026 BBWAA National League Reliever of the Year award on November 11. He received all 30 first-place votes, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Source Source Source
Miller finished with 210 points, 100 ahead of Phillies runner-up Jhoan Duran. Brewers closer Trevor Megill placed third with 66 points, just ahead of the Padres’ Adrian Morejón with 64, the Union-Tribune reported. Source
Miller led NL relievers with a 1.67 ERA and a 47.3% strikeout rate, and his 38 saves tied the Cardinals’ Riley O’Brien for the league lead. Nearly half the batters he faced struck out—a fairly rude way to greet opposing hitters. Source
One important bit of trophy bookkeeping: this is the new BBWAA award, not the separate Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award. As the Union-Tribune explains, former relievers vote on the Hoffman award. The BBWAA introduced its own honor to recognize relievers, who have rarely been rewarded in Cy Young voting. Source
Louis Varland won the inaugural BBWAA American League Reliever of the Year award, MLB announced. Source
“You don’t necessarily play this sport for individual awards. I’d trade it for a World Series championship in a heartbeat,” Miller said, as reported by Acee. Source
The Union-Tribune described Miller’s NL Division Series as rough. “I don’t look at this year as a year I’m satisfied with,” Miller said. Source
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