Yordan Alvarez won the 2026 Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award on Wednesday night, ending Shohei Ohtani's five-year streak with the honor. The Houston Astros star is the first Astros player to receive the award.
What the award win means
The recognition matters because the same player had taken the award in each of the past five years before Wednesday night. Alvarez breaking that run gives the award a new winner and puts his season in sharper focus.
Alvarez's 2026 campaign also made him a finalist for American League MVP, which adds another layer to what was already a strong year. For the Astros, the result is a notable individual milestone for one of their biggest stars.
Shohei Ohtani had won the award for five straight years before Alvarez took it this time. That stretch made the change at the top especially significant, even if the award itself still reflects the same elite offensive standard.
For Alvarez, the takeaway is straightforward: he turned a standout season into a major individual honor, and he did it by ending one of the most recognizable streaks in recent MLB award history.
