Every year I roll out a column where I try and predict the awards for the upcoming MLB season. With the Super Bowl over, and pitchers and catchers starting to report for Spring Training, what better time to lock in my picks for the year?
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
NL: Dylan Crews
I got burned on my Yamamoto pick last year, and I think Roki Sasaki- the newest phenom out of Japan- needs more development before he can be elite, especially with command. Crews, drafted 2nd overall by the Nationals in 2023 out of LSU, played in 31 games in the bigs last year. He has been highly touted as a prospect, with a 60 grade in hitting, power, arm, and fielding, as well as a 70 grade in running. The Nats are loaded with young talent like James Wood and C.J. Abrams, and Crews adds on to that stacked list.
AL: Coby Mayo
This would make it 2 years in a row the Orioles would have had the ROTY, almost three if Adley Rutchman had won it. The O’s are full of young talent, and Mayo tops their prospect list. Hitting .319 across the minors, most of the Orioles talent has debuted league ready, with the exception of Jackson Holiday, and even he was doing alright by the end. The O’s know how to transition their prospects, and I think this will carry over to Mayo
CY YOUNG AWARD
NL: Paul Skenes
He arguably could have won it last year, with a 1.96 ERA in 23 games. Paul had a record of 11-3, and the Pirates as a whole only had 76 wins. This means that Skenes was responsible for 14% of all Pirates wins in 2024. Incredible stuff, and he’s only going to get better. His primary pitch is his fastball, which can touch triple digits, along with a slider that has a 42% whiff rate, and a “splinker.” The splinker is a mix between a splitter and sinker. ““It’s tough to scout for a little bit,” Skenes said. “I think that’s why they started calling it a splinker. It’s not like any other sinker, and it’s not like any other splitter. It’s a hybrid pitch. … Call it whatever you want.” (MLB.com)
AL: George Kirby
The pitching factory they call T-Mobile Park must put something in the water, because I could have had my pick here. I ended up going with Kirby because of his command. He only walked 23 people in 2024. He boasts a sinker, four-seamer, slider, split-finger, knuckle curve, and he’s been known to use a knuckleball every now and then.
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
NL: It’s almost obvious, it’s going to be Ronald Acuña Jr. If he comes back off of his ACL tear 75% as good as he was before it, he has this award locked up. He wasn’t playing to his usual caliber before the tear, however, batting 87 points below his average in 2023. He also was averaging a home run every 55 at bats, as opposed to every 17 in his MVP season.
AL: Felix Bautista
People forget he’s one of the best relievers in baseball before he got injured. In 2023 he had an absurd 277 ERA+, which means he was 177% better than the league average pitcher. Accompanied by a 1.48 ERA, a .918 WHIP, and his first All Star appearance, he is poised to return and dominate again.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
NL: Shohei Ohtani
I mean I feel like I have to go Shohei here, he is easily the best player in baseball. He opened the 50/50 club last year (50 home runs and 50 stolen bases). Now he’s going to be having this production along with his potential to be a top ten pitcher in the league? He really can’t be topped.
AL: Bobby Witt Jr.
Aaron Judge can’t have magical unheard of stretches every year, and Witt is fantastic at consistency across the season. Batting .332 last year with 32 bombs, along with Gold Glove caliber defense, Witt can do it all. He put up 9.4 WAR last year and is only 24, so we aren’t at his peak yet.