What is the Golden Spikes Award?
The Golden Spikes Award is presented each summer by USA Baseball to the best amateur baseball player in the United States. First awarded in 1978, it is open in principle to any amateur — college, high school or national team — but in practice it functions as the college baseball player of the year award, and its winners are typically among the first picks in that year's MLB Draft.[1] [2]
How is it decided?
USA Baseball publishes a candidate list during the season, narrows it to a semifinalist and then a finalist group, and decides the winner by a vote combining USA Baseball's own selection, college coaches, media and a fan ballot. The announcement is made on MLB Network at the end of the college season.[1] [3]
Who won it most recently?
Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson won the 2026 Golden Spikes Award. The junior was SEC Player of the Year after leading the conference in all three Triple Crown categories — a .396 average, 31 home runs and 86 RBI — and with 26 stolen bases became the third player in NCAA Division I history, and the first catcher, to combine 30 home runs with 25 steals in a season. UCLA's Roch Cholowsky and Arizona State's Landon Hairston were the other finalists.[2] [4]
Why does it matter?
Because the field is every amateur player in the country — roughly 300 Division I programmes alone — and one is named per year by the sport's national governing body, the same organisation that selects the United States national teams. It sits directly above the All-America and conference player of the year tiers.[1] [3]
References
- USA Baseball — Golden Spikes Award. Accessed August 2026.
- MLB.com — Daniel Jackson of Georgia wins 2026 Golden Spikes Award. Accessed August 2026.
- NCAA.com — 2026 Golden Spikes Award finalists. Accessed August 2026.
- ESPN — Golden Spikes Award: all-time winners. Accessed August 2026.