My 2026 Major League Pickleball Player Awards Ballot — Vote Now!

Jul 30, 2026 08:45 PM - 3 hours ago 1

Voting for Major League Pickleball (MLP)’s season awards is unfastened now to fans, pinch the voting closing connected July 31st 2026 astatine 5pm EST. This twelvemonth we’re voting connected 2 awards:

Most Valuable Player
Most Improved Player

The convention does not separate betwixt “Rookie of the Year” and “Most Improved Player,” truthful voters person to prime betwixt players who whitethorn autumn into 1 aliases the different category.

Click present to vote. When you vote, you’ll prime 1 subordinate for each category. At the extremity of voting, the convention will state 1 victor from each category.

Disclosure: arsenic a personnel of the MLP media, I helped the convention prime its candidates by offering a action of nominations for the awards earlier this month. I’ve included my original nominations successful each section.

(Records beneath are arsenic of Week 8 successful the MLP play and do not see immoderate Orlando events, if you’re reference this aft the arena starts).

My picks for MVP and MIP for 2026 Season

2026 Most Valuable Player: Anna Leigh Waters, New Jersey 5’s.

Who other would it be, than the champion subordinate successful the game. Waters is simply a league-best 25-1 successful Women’s Doubles, 23-3 successful Mixed (where she’s ever playing Mixed-1), and is simply a ascendant 25-9 successful DreamBreaker points (good for No. 6 successful the league).

If I were to besides prime a antheral MVP, I’d astir apt spell pinch Gabriel Tardio of St. Louis. He’s 23-3 successful Men’s and 17-2 successful Mixed this year. That’s beautiful dominant.

My original nominations: Anna Leigh Waters, Anna Bright, Gabriel Tardio, and Ben Johns.

Sofia Sewing has been a revelation connected circuit this season.

MLP

2026 Most Improved Player: Sofia Sewing, Palm Beach Royals.

Sewing has burst onto the scene, having been a prima connected the APP for astir of the past 2 seasons. In MLP this play she’s been beautiful dominant; she’s 22-4 successful Women’s, 14-9 successful Mixed, and a respectable 26-22 successful DreamBreaker points contempt usually playing 1st female. Palm Beach sits comfortably successful playoff position successful its first year, and Sewing is simply a large portion of it.

If I had to besides prime a Male player, it would person to beryllium Nico Acevedo, who has exploded onto the segment successful MLP this year, his first successful the league. Another Johnny Goldberg find, since moving to Texas he’s mixed to spell 19-8 successful Men’s, 13-11 successful Mixed, and 43-41 successful DreamBreaker singles.

My original nominations: Sofia Sewing, Danni-Elle Townsend, Eric Oncins, Nico Acevedo

For past years, spot present for my 2025 ballot explained, and present for my 2024 ballot explained.

Here’s a speedy history of MLP grant winners.

Most Valuable Player Award Winners, 2021-Present

2025 Premier: Jorja Johnson, Dallas Flash. She led the convention successful some W/L grounds (51-7) and successful points won (an astounding 70.24%).
2025 Challenger: Brooke Buckner, Las Vegas Night Owls. She was the prima connected the league-winning Night Owls, going 45-20 for the season.
2024 Premier: Anna Leigh Waters, New Jersey 5’s. ALW went 55-6, starring NJ to the regular play title.
2024 Challenger: Jaume Martinez Vich, Atlanta Bouncers. Vich went 35-8, including 14-0 successful Mixed, to lead the Challenger convention statistically for the season.

Before 2024, location were nary charismatic season-long MVP awards, truthful these MVPs were those that I captured on the way. Prior to 2023, The convention gave retired individual arena MVPs, which helped guideline these picks.

2023 Season 2 Premier: Jackie Kawamoto, DC Pickleball Team. Kawamoto was the leader of the regular play champion DC team.
2023 Season 2 Challenger: CJ Klinger, SoCal Hard Eights. SoCal went undefeated, and Klinger won 2 arena MVPs on the way.
2023 Season 1 Premier: Julian Arnold, LA Mad Drops. Arnold was an absolute unit this season, winning 2 arena MVPs and making a large sanction for himself successful the sport.
2023 Season 1 Challenger: Ewa Radzikowska, Bay Area Breakers. Won 2 of the arena MVPs and was tied for 1st statistically for the season.
2022: Parris Todd, BLQK. BLQK made each 3 arena finals. Parris was the MVP of Columbus arena and was the No. 1 subordinate successful stats for the season.
2021: Lee Whitwell, Chimera. Whitwell was named MVP of the inaugural MLP event, moreover arsenic the Chimeras mislaid successful the last to the Ben Johns-led BLQK team.

Most Improved Player Award Winners, 2024-Present

2025 Premier: Kate Fahey, St. Louis Shock. Fahey went from a awesome liability successful doubles (she went conscionable 6-24 successful Mixed successful 2024) to a unit this twelvemonth (27-8), and was a large logic St. Louis became a convention favorite.
2025 Challenger: James Delgado, Las Vegas Night Owls. The rookie of the twelvemonth vanished the play 22-13 successful doubles and was an integral portion of the Las Vegas DreamBreaker onslaught successful his debut MLP season.
2024 Premier: Rachel Rohrabacher, DC Pickleball Team. Rohrabacher was amended known arsenic the “Anna Bright discovery” successful 2023, but erstwhile she divided up pinch Anna for the 2024 season, she took awesome steps guardant towards being the apical 10 subordinate she is today.
2024 Challenger: Eric Oncins, Miami Pickleball Club. Oncins was 1 of the first “Johnny Goldberg” typical finds successful MLP, starring Miami into the playoffs successful his debut season.

There are nary “most improved players” anterior to 2024; possibly a nosy intelligence workout would beryllium to spell backmost into those seasons to effort to sanction the champion newcomer aliases astir improved player. I’ll put it connected my todo list.

All stats present are courtesy of Picklekey.com . They’re the champion root of MLP data.