Amid glitz, All-MLB Awards Show connects stars of past, present

LAS VEGAS -- Having grown up an hour and a half away in Kingman, Ariz., Tarik Skubal is no stranger to Las Vegas. But this visit was unlike any other.

Standing on the red carpet at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Thursday, Skubal was about to accept his selection to the All-MLB First Team presented by MGM Rewards at the second iteration of the All-MLB Team Awards show in Las Vegas.

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“It’s a select group, it's pretty special,” Skubal said. “It's an honor [to be recognized for] kind of what you did for the last seven months, eight months of what you put into the season. So it's an honor. And then to share it with the caliber players that are right here, it's pretty cool.”

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Seated on the floor level of a gold and black Chelsea Theater, current and former players and their guests were treated to a surprise musical performance by fellow big leaguer Jose Iglesias. The former Mets infielder and current free agent came out in bright pink pants and serenaded the crowd with his hit single “OMG!” to open the festivities.

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Iglesias turned the mic over to comedian and avid baseball fan Roy Wood Jr., who hosted the event and took full advantage of having a hot mic and a pocket full of jokes about the big leaguers filling the room. Nobody was safe from Wood’s jabs except for Gary Sheffield, who was shown holding a bat while seated in the crowd.

“Sometimes I get the itch,” Sheffield said when asked about the bat. “I think about facing [these] guys throwing 100 [mph], and I’d love to see how I would do.”

Sheffield was among a number of former players from the Commissioner’s Ambassador Program who were in attendance, joining CC Sabathia, Dexter Fowler and Nick Swisher. The former players were seated alongside young current Major Leaguers, including Mason Miller, Paul Skenes, Skubal and Emmanuel Clase, making for a room full of talent spanning multiple generations.

“Just to be able to meet them, and [now] being here with CC and Swisher and those guys … meeting guys that I've looked up to as I've been growing up, it's cool,” Skenes said. “Kind of keeping the brotherhood going I guess.”

Aside from giving current and former players the opportunity to come together, the event allowed players to connect with guys across divisions and leagues. Though the bright lights, live band and occasional drumline didn’t make for a relaxed environment, it offered the chance for the big leaguers to connect outside of a game setting.

Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, who was named to the Second Team, arrived late Wednesday night, but said he planned to seek out Skubal at some point during the week’s events.

“I think I was gonna talk to him and tell him to take it easy next year on the left on left,” Duran said.

Following Thursday’s show, the All-MLB Weekend continues with a golf tournament at Shadow Creek on Friday morning. Some former players, such as Justin Upton, were pretty confident in their golfing ability, while others were feeling a bit more humble.

“I played about six times in the last two weeks,” Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley said. “When I found out I made it, I was like, ‘I got to practice, so I don’t embarrass myself out there.’ So hopefully it's not too bad.”

Helsley accepted his Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year Award to AC/DC’s “Hells Bells,” a Vegas recreation of Busch Stadium when the Cardinals’ closer walks out to close the door. Prior to the announcement, a video of Hoffman congratulating Helsley was played on the big screen.

During his acceptance speech, Helsley said that he FaceTimed with Hoffman after finding out he had won the Award, and used the opportunity to ask the NL all-time saves leader for an autographed jersey which he plans to hang in his house.

The event concluded with the presentation of the Hank Aaron Award, with the 2024 recipients, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, announced by Aaron’s wife, Billye. On stage alongside Billye were Commissioner Rob Manfred and Dodgers star Mookie Betts. Wearing a maroon suit and a matching turtleneck underneath, Betts had earlier in the show been dubbed by the audience as the best dressed of the evening, narrowly beating out Tommy Pham and his all black glitter Louis Vuitton suit.

A valiant attempt by Betts, but Billye’s sparkly golden suit unseated the World Series champ, perfectly capturing the glitz and glam of the Vegas setting and putting a bow on the All-MLB Awards show.

That is, until next year.