When talking about the Cleveland Guardians and baseball’s Most Valuable Player, typically the conversation immediately turns to Jose Ramirez and his countless near finishes for the award.

Because of Ramirez’s injury, he didn’t end up in the running to be considered the American League’s MVP. However, there were still a handful of Guardians players who got some recognition.

Parker Messick wasn’t just named a finalist for American League Rookie of the Year, but was also one of the top three players in the Cy Young race, too. The pitcher didn’t win either award, but it still shows what an incredible first big-league season he had.

Messick’s recognition didn’t stop there, though, because the rookie arm also received some consideration on the MVP ballot, too.

The Guardians’ ace received one 8th-place vote, three 9th-place votes, and one 10th-place vote for a total of 10 points. Alvarez won with 420 points.

The MVP is typically viewed more as an award for the best position player, so the fact that Messic, a pitcher, got any votes at all is incredibly impressive.

If someone said that Steven Kwan would get MVP recognition after his horrid start to the year, no one would believe them. However, that was the case when the voting breakdown was revealed.

Kwan finished 15th in the voting after receiving one 7th-place vote and one 10th-place vote, for a total of five points

If anything, Kwan earning any MVP consideration is a testament to his turnaround during the 2026 season. The 29-year-old had a .225/.332/.282 slash line during the first half of the season, but caught fire after the All-Star break to hit .353//443/.432 during the second half of the year. Ultimately, Kwan finished with a .731 OPS, which is actually higher than 2025.

On top of that, Kwan’s elite outfield defense is always going to keep him in the lineup and likely helped earn him some love from the voters, too.

Cade Smith didn’t win either reliever of the year award on Tuesday evening, but he did get votes for Cy Young and also received recognition for MVP, too. Cleveland’s closer ended up with a pair of 10th-place votes.

Smith had the most strikeouts by a reliever in the American League and was tied for the most saves in baseball with 46. A dominant closer brings elite value to a team, and the voters clearly understood this, with Cade appearing on the ballot.