President of Latino Sports Julio Pabon and 2025 Latino Sports MVP Winner Aroldis Chapman
Photo: Boston Red Sox
By Julio Pabon
Boston, Ma. — The 36th Annual Latino MVP Awards proudly got off to an early start this season when Aroldis Chapman was presented with his second career American League Latino MVP Reliever of the Year Award, this time honoring his outstanding 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox. Chapman finished the 2025 season, an All-Star campaign, with a 1.17 ERA and 32 saves across 67 appearances, once again establishing himself as one of baseball’s elite closers.
The 38-year-old hailing from Holguin, Cuba won his first AL LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year Award in 2019 while pitching for the New York Yankees, a year in which he had a 2.21 ERA with 37 saves. His continued excellence on the mound places him among the distinguished Latino pitchers who have left a lasting mark on Major League Baseball history.
For thirty-six (36) years, the Latino MVP Awards have stood as the oldest and most prestigious awards honoring Latino players in Major League Baseball. Traditionally, the awards are presented the following season so as not to overlap or create confusion with the awards presented by the BBWAA at the end of the baseball season.
Most presentations are usually held during Hispanic Heritage Month in September. However, this year the Red Sox enthusiastically proposed an earlier May 2nd presentation date, recognizing the significance and prestige of the award.
Latino Sports, along with the Latino Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association (LSWBA), were proud to coordinate the early presentation, working closely with acclaimed artist Maz Adams—creator of the Latino MVP Pitcher, Reliever and Rookie of the Year Awards—to ensure the custom artistic award piece would be completed in time for the ceremony.
The award was presented to Chapman before the loyal Red Sox fans at Fenway Park last Saturday afternoon, where he received a warm and enthusiastic ovation from the crowd.
The left-handed Cuban flamethrower appeared genuinely moved upon seeing the beautifully crafted artistic award and expressed how honored and happy he was to receive the recognition.
When reminded that this was his second-career Latino MVP Award—and that he now moves closer to the remarkable record held by legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who earned nine Latino MVP awards as a closer—Chapman smiled and laughed, saying, “Let’s see.”
Editor’s Note: Julio Pabon is the Founder and President of Latino Sports. This article first appeared on the Latino Sports Website (www.latinosports.com) on Monday May 4th.
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