Post-year fantasy baseball honors and dishonors crown NL and AL standout performers
New York Post names top performers, biggest busts, and playful punishments as the season concludes
As the 2025 fantasy baseball season winds to a close this weekend, the New York Post published its year‑end honors and dishonors, segmenting recognitions by league. The National League selections were compiled by Jarad Wilk of Roto Rage, while Fantasy Alarm’s Howard Bender handled the American League. The feature leans into the humor that permeates fantasy leagues as managers debate last‑minute pickups and whether to punt a category, and it notes that the 162‑game marathon will be over Sunday afternoon. The post‑season snapshot arrives as many leagues finalize champions and draft boards for 2026, with players who delivered breakout seasons and those whose value failed to materialize.
In the NL section, Wilk highlights the season’s standout performers, biggest disappointments, and value plays that emerged late. The selections aim to reflect how the NL slate played out across rotisserie and points formats, with emphasis on players who anchored fantasy rosters, price‑tag busts who underperformed relative to draft position, and surprise contributors who changed the arithmetic of wins, saves, or stolen bases in the final weeks of the year.
In the AL, Bender recounts parallel narratives: top performers who justified early‑round bets, high‑draft busts that derailed rosters, and bargain‑bin players who surged as the season wore on. The AL honors are framed to illustrate how different scoring formats and league rules shaped value, with attention to power production, run prevention, and speed on the bases. The piece also notes how durability and innings counts influenced fantasy outcomes this year.
Beyond the on‑field adjudications, the NY Post feature includes lighthearted punishments and league traditions that often accompany fantasy seasons. The notes describe schemes ranging from humorous public dares to costume challenges, illustrating how the year’s emotional arc can extend beyond the box score. One noted scenario imagines a loser dressing as Timothée Chalamet’s Willy Wonka—complete with a critique of items at multiple Hershey stores, in addition to the famous Hershey factory in Hershey, Pa. Another familiar option involves a staged family photo shoot featuring blow‑up dolls, underscoring the playful penalties leagues sometimes adopt to keep the season memorable.
With the season’s end Sunday, the awards thread together a snapshot of 2025 fantasy baseball, blending performance storytelling with league culture. Wilk’s NL perspective and Bender’s AL perspective reflect how players’ performances translated into fantasy categories across the two leagues and offer a convenient reference as managers prepare for 2026 drafts, refining strategies about when to chase power, how to balance speed, and where durability mattered most across rotations and relievers.
Looking ahead, fantasy managers are expected to pore over the NL and AL lists as they map out draft priorities, waiver strategies, and sleeper picks for next season. The Post’s year‑end package serves as a cross‑league guide to value and risk, while reminding readers that even the most methodical plan can be upended by a late‑season surge or a surprise breakout. As the baseball calendar inches toward spring training, the pieces published by Wilk and Bender offer context for next year’s fantasy landscape and a reminder of the humor that underpins the hobby.