BBWAA finalists announced tonight on MLB Network (6 ET)

It's officially awards season, a two-week celebration of amazing accomplishments by Major Leaguers, culminating in a grand finale that pulls it all together Nov. 18.
Tonight at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network, the finalists for the highly coveted Baseball Writers' Association of America honors in each league will be announced.
That will pave the way for the most prestigious individual honors in the game to be given out. Baseball's best and brightest will take home their well-earned hardware in several categories, including the Most Valuable Player, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Awards, as well as a host of Esurance MLB Awards that concentrate on achievements on and off the field.
It's two weeks of reflection on a 2016 season that was 162 games of greatness. Here's a handy calendar for all the upcoming awards:
• 2016 Awards coverage
BBWAA Finalists Show: Tonight, 6 p.m. ET, MLB Network
Let the water-cooler debating begin. The finalists for the four BBWAA Awards -- MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year -- for each league will be announced here in a one-hour special. The four honors are determined from votes by two BBWAA members in each league city. The votes were counted before the postseason began.

Rawlings Gold Glove Awards:Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET,ESPN
The Cubs didn't win only because they have great pitchers and a terrifying lineup. They also happened to be the best defensive team in the Majors this year, and it showed when it counted the most. The Gold Gloves, the most prestigious annual defensive awards, are selected based on votes that combine input from MLB managers and coaches, plus statistical analysis. The winners could feature a few Cubs, but there are usual suspects, too. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has won eight consecutive Gold Gloves, the longest current streak, and several American League players, such as Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, are perennial contenders.
Players Choice Awards:Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET,MLB Network
This is the 25th annual edition of the awards that feature the added intrigue of being voted on by the peers of MLB's best. The Players Choice Awards were voted on in September, and the headlining honor, Player of the Year, has three finalists, all from the AL -- Jose Altuve of the Astros and David Ortiz and Mookie Betts of the Red Sox. Otherwise, there are multiple awards for both leagues, plus the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award.

Louisville Silver Slugger Awards:Thursday, 6 p.m. ET,MLB Network
Managers and coaches are heard as the Silver Sluggers are handed out. Offensive prowess in each league, and at each position on the diamond, is the main qualification here, and Mike Trout of the Angels could get top billing here considering he's shooting for his fifth Silver Slugger in the first five years of his already astonishing career.
Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards: Friday, 6 p.m. ET, MLB Network
These awards differ from the Gold Gloves because since 2012, they've been determined using a formula that considers basic fielding statistics, but also adds sabermetric analysis and input from scouts. There are also team honors here.

BBWAA Rookie of the Year Awards:Monday, Nov. 14, 6 p.m. ET,MLB Network
Will it be Michael Fulmer of the Tigers, or can Gary Sánchez of the Yankees sneak in and take the AL Rookie of the Year Award? In the National League, can anyone top Corey Seager, or will the sensational Dodgers shortstop win it unanimously? It could be safe to assume these players will be in the mix once the finalists are announced Tuesday, but there's still a lot of anticipation for the actual awards.
BBWAA Manager of the Year Awards:Tuesday, Nov. 15, 6 p.m. ET,MLB Network
Joe Maddon of the Cubs and Terry Francona of the Indians just helped orchestrate one of the great World Series in recent memories, and both should certainly be viewed as legitimate contenders for this honor. But Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, Jeff Banister of the Rangers, Dusty Baker of the Nationals and a few other under-the-radar skippers might have a say in this outcome.
BBWAA Cy Young Awards:Wednesday, Nov. 16, 6 p.m. ET,MLB Network
Once again, the conversation has to turn to the Cubs, who have two solid candidates for this honor in veteran left-hander Jon Lester and right-handed marksman Kyle Hendricks. But is it possible they split the vote and Nationals righty Max Scherzer walks away with the hardware? In the AL, Rick Porcello of the Red Sox, Corey Kluber of the Indians, Justin Verlander of the Tigers, J.A. Happ of the Blue Jays and Orioles closer Zach Britton put in stellar seasons worthy of consideration.

BBWAA Most Valuable Player Awards:Thursday, Nov. 17, 6 p.m. ETMLB Network
It wasn't difficult to figure out who the Cubs fans thought should win the NL MVP Award in 2016. Every time third baseman Kris Bryant stepped up to the plate, they chanted those three magical letters. But while Bryant might be the favorite, there are other deserving contenders, including Seager. And in the AL, Betts and Altuve should get competition from Trout, plus last year's AL MVP Award winner, Toronto third baseman Josh Donaldson.
Esurance MLB Awards:Friday, Nov. 18, 8 p.m. ETMLB Network
The Esurance MLB Awards annually honor Major League Baseball's greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process that includes five groups, each of which accounts for 20 percent of the overall vote: media, front-office personnel, retired MLB players, fans at MLB.com and Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) voters.

The MLB Awards are an all-inclusive program, encompassing the top players and performances from both the AL and the NL from Opening Day through the end of the postseason.
Individual awards will go to the Best Major Leaguer, in addition to the winners in categories such as Best Hitter, Pitcher, Rookie, Defensive Player, Manager, Executive and Postseason Performer.
Winners will also be recognized for the year's Best Offensive Play, Defensive Play, Regular-Season Moment, Postseason Moment, Single-Game Performance and more.
Voting began on Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. ET on MLB.com/awards, one hour after the inaugural Esurance MLB Fans of the Year winners were announced.
Voting for the MLB Awards will remain open until 2 p.m. ET on Friday by visiting MLB.com/awards.