Meet the Award Winners: The Players Behind Today’s Final Gold Series Drop

Some players have great seasons. These six have the hardware to prove it, season after season. Between them: seven MVP awards, five Rookie of the Year awards and a combined 37 All-Star selections.

The 2026 MLB Gold Series: Award Winners reverse auction opens today, Thursday, October 8, at 5 p.m. ET. It’s the sixth and final Gold Series theme of the season. Thirty-six packs. Six ICONs in every pack, one for each player below. The full drop breakdown is in the announcement post. This one is about the players.

Heads up: You must opt in on the Quests page at candy.io/quests before the quest deadline, or you won’t qualify for the reward.

Aaron Judge | New York Yankees

The Pixicon pick.

Career accolades:

• 3x AL MVP (2022, 2024, 2025)
• 2017 AL Rookie of the Year
• 8x All-Star
• 5x Silver Slugger
• 2x Hank Aaron Award
• 2025 AL batting title
• AL single-season home run record (62 in 2022)

Judge joined DiMaggio, Berra and Mantle as the only Yankees to win three MVPs, and Berra and Mantle as the only ones to win them back to back. In 2025 he added a batting title to the power, hitting a career-best .331. Fans voted him an All-Star starter again in 2026, his eighth fan election, which ties him with Derek Jeter for the most in franchise history.

On Candy: The Aaron Judge Pixicon, numbered to /5, is one of two inserts in Award Winners. Any pack that contains it comes with seven ICONs instead of six.

Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies

Two MVPs. Still the heartbeat of Philly.

Career accolades:

• 2x NL MVP (2015, 2021)
• 2012 NL Rookie of the Year
• 9x All-Star
• 4x Silver Slugger
• 2x Hank Aaron Award
• 2022 NLCS MVP
• 2018 Home Run Derby champion

Harper was the youngest position player ever to play in an All-Star Game at 19, then became the youngest unanimous MVP in NL history at 22. His second MVP came in 2021 in Philadelphia, and the following October he sent the Phillies to the World Series with an NLCS-clinching home run. In 2026, with the All-Star Game in his own ballpark, he made his ninth All-Star team.

On Candy: One Legendary 1-of-1 for a player who was “the Chosen One” at 16 and lived up to it.

Yordan Álvarez | Houston Astros

The most feared bat in the American League.

Career accolades:

• 2019 AL Rookie of the Year
• 2021 ALCS MVP
• 2022 World Series champion
• 4x All-Star
• 2022 Silver Slugger
• 2026 MLB batting title (.316)

Álvarez hit .522 in the 2021 ALCS, and in the final two games of that series he out-hit the entire Red Sox roster. A year later he hit the first walk-off home run in postseason history by a team trailing by multiple runs, then won a ring. In 2026, fans voted him the AL’s starting DH for the second time, and he finished the season with the MLB batting title and the best OPS in baseball. Now he’s the favorite to win 2026 AL MVP.

On Candy: Twenty-five Rares, 10 Epics, one Legendary. Good luck pitching around him.

Mookie Betts | Los Angeles Dodgers

Four rings and counting.

Career accolades:

• 2018 AL MVP
• 4x World Series champion (2018, 2020, 2024, 2025)
• 8x All-Star
• 7x Silver Slugger
• 6x Gold Glove
• 2018 AL batting title
• 2025 Roberto Clemente Award

In 2018, Betts became the first player in MLB history to win the MVP, a Silver Slugger, a Gold Glove, the batting title and the World Series in the same season. Since then he’s won three more titles in Los Angeles, moved from right field to shortstop and been honored with the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s top recognition for character and community work.

On Candy: A player who has won at every position he’s played, and one 1-of-1 Legendary to show for it.

Julio Rodríguez | Seattle Mariners

J-Rod, built for the big moment.

Career accolades:

• 2022 AL Rookie of the Year
• 3x All-Star (2022, 2023, 2025)
• 2x Silver Slugger (2022, 2023)
• 2025 All-MLB First Team

Rodríguez was the first player in MLB history with 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in his debut season, and got there faster than anyone, beating Mike Trout’s pace. He was a near-unanimous Rookie of the Year, put on an 81-homer show in the 2022 Home Run Derby and has since added two 30/30 seasons.

On Candy: The youngest player in the lineup, already with a résumé to match the rest.

Ronald Acuña Jr. | Atlanta Braves

The Momenticon moment.

Career accolades:

• 2023 NL MVP (unanimous)
• 2018 NL Rookie of the Year
• 5x All-Star
• 3x Silver Slugger
• 2023 Hank Aaron Award
• 2025 NL Comeback Player of the Year
• MLB’s only 40/70 season (41 HR, 73 SB in 2023)

Acuña is the only player ever to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases in the same season, and he did it on his way to a unanimous MVP. After working his way back from injury, he won NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2025.

On September 2, 2026, at Nationals Park, he hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning for the 200th home run of his career. With 225 career steals already in hand, it made him the fastest player in MLB history to reach 200 homers and 200 stolen bases, in his 904th game, 25 games quicker than Alfonso Soriano.

On Candy: The Ronald Acuña Jr. Momenticon, numbered to /5, captures that 200th home run. Any pack that contains it comes with seven ICONs instead of six.

The Drop, in Brief

• When: Today, Thursday, October 8, at 5 p.m. ET
• Format: Candy Digital Reverse Auction, starting at $1,500 and dropping $100 every 60 seconds
• Packs: 36 total, six ICONs per pack (seven when an insert is included), no limit per transaction
• Rarity: Rares /25, Epics /10, Legendary 1-of-1. At least one Epic in every pack and a one-in-six shot at a Legendary
• Inserts: Aaron Judge Pixicon /5 and Ronald Acuña Jr. Momenticon /5

Every Award Winners ICON counts toward the 2026 Gold Series Collection Quests, which close November 2 at 2 p.m. ET. With this release, all 36 Gold Series players are officially out. Get the full Collection Quest breakdown here.

Hardware on the Board

Seven MVPs. Five Rookies of the Year. Thirty-six packs. Six Legendary 1-of-1s.

The final Gold Series reverse auction opens today at 5 p.m. ET. Pick your spot. Collect the Award Winners.