Red Sox left-hander Aroldis Chapman enjoyed a remarkable season, turning back the clock to emerge as one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball.
Thursday night, he was recognized with one of the sport’s top honors.
Chapman received the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award during Thursday’s MLB Awards festivities in Las Vegas. He and left-handed starter Garrett Crochet were also named All-MLB First Team selections, which recognize the best players in baseball at each position across both the American and National Leagues.
The two are the first Red Sox pitchers to ever earn All-MLB honors, as well as the fifth and sixth to earn the nod since the award’s inception in 2019. The club’s past winners include Xander Bogaerts (2019), Mookie Betts (2019), Rafael Devers (2021) and Jarren Duran (2024).
Chapman signed with the Red Sox on a one-year, $10.75 million contract in December of 2024, and after winning the closer job in spring training he re-established himself as one of the game’s most overpowering relievers. Chapman maintained his elite velocity while significantly cutting down his walk rate, ultimately posting a 1.17 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 61.1 innings and 32 saves in 34 opportunities.
The veteran wound up signing a $13.3 million contract extension for 2026 in August, ensuring he’ll remain at the back of Boston’s bullpen into next season.
Chapman previously won AL Reliever of the Year in 2019 and becomes the fourth closer in franchise history to earn the award, joining Craig Kimbrel (2017), Tom Gordon (1998) and Bill Campbell (1977). The award is selected by a panel of six all-time great relievers and focuses solely on regular season performance.
In addition to Chapman, Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran was the other reliever named All-MLB First Team. Crochet was joined in the starting rotation by Detroit’s Tarik Skubal, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, New York Yankees ace Max Fried and Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.