Bounce-back season lands George Springer the Blue Jays player of the year award

The question could have been asked about a number of Blue Jays players after a magical 2025 season, but where the team would have been without a resurgent George Springer has to be right at the top of the list.

And a breakthrough season for the 36-year-old has resulted in him being named both the Blue Jays player of the year and the most improved.

Springer was a near-unanimous choice for the bigger of the two awards in voting conducted by the Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, the results of which were announced on Wednesday.

And the most-improved player award, often given to a prospect on the rise, was a good fit as well given where Springer found himself following a dismal 2024 campaign.

In that sense, the beauty of Springer’s season is that it seemingly came out of nowhere, given his profound struggles in 2024 as he appeared to be in serious decline.

Instead, he was money for the Jays throughout, almost from the outset. Among all qualified hitters in MLB in 2025, Springer ranked second in on base percentage (.399), third in OPS (.959) and fourth in average (.309.)

Not only that, the 12-year veteran put up career-best numbers in both average and OBP, and by mid-season had worked his way back up to hitting leadoff in manager John Schneider’s lineup.

That performance carried into the Jays magical playoff run, where he had six doubles and four homers — the most notable of those a three-run blast in the bottom of the seventh in the Jays dramatic ALCS Game 7 win over the Mariners.

The focus will be to build off of that incredible season, in which the Jays won both the American League East and had the best record in the entire AL.

“I mean, that’s the goal, obviously,” Springer told reporters at a Make-A-Wish charity appearance in Toronto on Tuesday. “But to get to the World Series is hard. Obviously, not to close it outs hard too.

“But I’m excited for what lies ahead for sure.”

In particular, Springer was impressed with the acquisition of Dylan Cease, the starting pitcher whose seven-year, $210-million US deal is the richest free-agent contract in Blue Jays history.

“We’ve all seen Cease pitch,” Springer told reporters. “And we’ve all had to face him. It’s not fun. To have a guy like that in our clubhouse will be great, not just with the stuff he can do on the field, but what I’ve been told he can do in the clubhouse.”

After Game 7 against the Dodgers, Springer expressed optimism of the Jays building off that successful run in 2026, a process Jays management has helped along with a notable start to the off-season.

“I’m excited about what’s (next),” Springer said following the Jays near-miss at the Rogers Centre. “I think we did so much good this year as a team. I think we pushed through a lot of expectations and did what we believed we could do as a team.”

Who won the other awards?

Other winners announced on Wednesday:

Best pitcher: Starter Kevin Gausman, who was steady from the outset, through the end of the season and on to the playoffs captured the honour for the Jays best pitcher.

Rookie of the year: In a tight vote, pitcher Braydon Fisher captured the honour over 22-year-old sensation Trey Yesavage, who was such a force for the Jays during their captivating post-season run and finished second after making just three regular season starts. Voting was based on regular-season performance only, however, which likely gave Fisher the nod.

John Cerutti Award: Ernie Clement, the popular infielder who made such a strong impression with fans and his teammates throughout the 2025 season was this year’s recipient of the Cerutti Award, which is presented by the chapter to “the individual who best exemplifies the goodwill, cooperation and positive character” of the former Jay.

Award voting breakdown

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

George Springer (19 first-place votes) 59 points

Vladdy (1 first-place votes) 35 points

PITCHER

Kevin Gausman (19 first-place votes) 59 points

Chris Bassitt 30 points

Eric Lauer (1 first-place vote) 22 points

ROY

Braydon Fisher (11 first-place votes) 49 points

Trey Yesavage (8 first-place votes) 42 points

Mason Fluharty (1 first-place vote) 29 points

MOST IMPROVED

George Springer (8 first-place vote) 31 points

Ernie Clement (7 first-place votes) 30 points

Addison Barger (4 first-place votes) 29 points

Nathan Lukes (1 first-place vote) 16 points