Awarding Angels' MVP, Cy Young, ROY After 100-Loss Season

There wasn’t a ton of winning for the Los Angeles Angels in 2026, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any performances worthy of some extra attention. A recent Bleacher Report article by Joel Reuter did just that, selecting each club’s MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year.

The Halos lost 100 games for the first time in franchise history, but there is finally some optimism regarding the future of the club. A big part of that is Reuter’s selection for MVP of the Angels: shortstop Zach Neto.

Neto had himself another 5.0+ bWAR season in 2026, reaching that mark in each of his three full seasons in the majors. The 25-year-old slashed .239/.330/.436 with a .766 OPS while playing defensively at the premier position in the infield. Neto smashed a c career-high 27 homers while tying a previous career-high with 77 RBIs.

Though his batting average was the lowest of his career in a full season, he more than doubled his walks from 2025. Neto still has some trouble chasing and isn’t the mold of defender you’d prefer at shortstop, but his production on the field for 157 games last season undoubtedly makes him deserving of the team’s MVP award.

In the summer months, there were serious doubts about whether Neto would be on the Angels past the trade deadline. Ultimately, the Halos kept their young star, but there is still a chance he could be on the move before the start of next season. Despite the uncertainty, there is no doubt that the Angels are a better team with Neto in the lineup.

It’s a similar story for Reuter’s pick for the team’s Cy Young Award: Left-hander Reid Detmers. Detmers returned to the starting rotation after a year in the bullpen and certainly did enough to cement his spot as a starter.

His 3.36 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across 32 starts are both career bests for the 27-year-old. Detmers dropped his walks per nine innings from 3.5 to 2.3 last season while striking out 10.3 batters per nine innings, contributing to one of the best FIPs in the league at 3.01.

The southpaw still has two years of team control left, making him one of the most sought-after names of last year’s trade deadline. Much like Neto, however, the Angels decided to keep Detmers in Anaheim beyond the deadline, but his future is still a little murky, only because of how great he was on the mound for a 100-loss team. The Angels finally have their ace – you can only hope they keep him around.

The Rookie of the Year choice was unsurprisingly given to right-handed starter Walbert Urena after he burst onto the scene in 2026. The Halos rookie posted 3.8 bWAR in his rookie season thanks to a 2.97 ERA across nearly 150 innings on the mound.

While Urena was just the No. 17 prospect in the Angels’ system in 2025, his impressive numbers on major league mounds last season made waves across the baseball world. In a scenario in which the Angels sell high on Detmers, Urena will be looked at to take that ace role.