BBWAA Career Excellence Award

The BBWAA Career Excellence Award has been voted upon annually since 1962.

The award honors a baseball writer (or writers) "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing" and is presented during Hall of Fame Weekend by that year's President of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).

The award is voted upon annually by the BBWAA.

Each award recipient (not to be confused with an inductee) is presented with a certificate during Hall of Fame Weekend and is recognized in the "Scribes & Mikemen" exhibit in the Library of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

This award was originally named for J.G. Taylor Spink, the longtime editor and publisher of the Sporting News. Weeks before his death in 1962, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America created the award in his honor, naming him the first recipient. It is issued annually to select writers for “meritorious contributions to baseball writing.” Due to Spink’s troubled history in supporting segregated baseball, the BBWAA voted to remove his name from the award in 2021. It remains the most prestigious prize in baseball journalism.

Starting in 2008, the BBWAA Career Excellence Award bears the year in which it was presented at Induction.

1962 - 1969

1962 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner J.G. Taylor Spink

1963 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Ring Lardner

1964 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Hugh Fullerton

1965 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Charles Dryden

1966 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Grantland Rice

1967 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Damon Runyon

1968 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Harry Salsinger

1969 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Sid Mercer

1970 - 1979

1970 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Heywood Broun

1971 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Frank Graham

1972 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Dan Daniel

1972 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Fred Lieb

1972 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner J. Roy Stockton

1973 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Warren Brown

1973 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner John Drebinger

1973 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner John Kieran

1974 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner John Carmichael

1974 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner James Isaminger

1975 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Tom Meany

1975 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Shirley Povich

1976 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Harold Kaese

1976 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Red Smith

1977 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Gordon Cobbledick

1977 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Edgar Munzel

1978 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Tim Murnane

1978 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Dick Young

1979 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Bob Broeg

1979 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Tommy Holmes

1980 - 1989

1980 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Joe Reichler

1980 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Milton Richman

1981 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Allen Lewis

1981 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Bob Addie

1982 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Si Burick

1983 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Ken Smith

1984 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Joe McGuff

1985 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Earl Lawson

1986 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Jack Lang

1987 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Jim Murray

1988 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Bob Hunter

1988 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Ray Kelly

1989 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Jerome Holtzman

1990 - 1999

1990 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Phil Collier

1991 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Ritter Collett

1992 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Leonard Koppett

1992 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Bus Saidt

1993 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Wendell Smith

1995 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Joseph Durso

1996 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Charley Feeney

1997 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Sam Lacy

1998 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Bob Stevens

1999 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Hal Lebovitz

2000 - 2009

2000 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Ross Newhan

2001 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Joe Falls

2002 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Hal McCoy

2003 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Murray Chass

2004 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Peter Gammons

2005 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Tracy Ringolsby

2006 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Rick Hummel

2008 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Larry Whiteside

2009 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Nick Peters

2010 - 2019

2010 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Bill Madden

2011 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Bill Conlin

2012 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Bob Elliott

2013 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Paul Hagen

2014 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Roger Angell

2015 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Tom Gage

2016 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Dan Shaughnessy

2017 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Claire Smith

2018 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Sheldon Ocker

2019 BBWAA Career Excellence Award winner Jayson Stark

2020 - present

2020 BBWAA Career Excellence Award winner Nick Cafardo

2021 BBWAA Career Excellence Award winner Dick Kaegel

2022 BBWAA Career Excellence Award winner Tim Kurkjian

2023 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner John Lowe

2024 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Gerry Fraley

2025 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Thomas Boswell

Thomas Boswell, who covered baseball for more than half a century at the Washington Post, is the 2025 recipient of the BBWAA Career Excellence Award.

Hall of Fame Awards

Hall of Fame Awards

Frick (broadcasters), BBWAA Career Excellence (writers) and O'Neil (lifetime achievement)

Ford C. Frick Award

For broadcasters' contributions to baseball.

Buck O'Neil Award

For lifetime achievement.

Hall of Fame Awards

Hall of Fame Awards

Frick (broadcasters), BBWAA Career Excellence (writers) and O'Neil (lifetime achievement)

Ford C. Frick Award

For broadcasters' contributions to baseball.

Buck O'Neil Award

For lifetime achievement.