Another MLB season is coming to a close, and with that comes my annual predictions for the MLB awards. This has been a fun year of baseball, with records being broken (good and bad), clutch plays, and fun moments. That being said, let’s move on to the first award
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:
NL: Paul Skenes-
This is a pick that would have controversy either way. The LSU star flew through the minor leagues, pitching in just 12 games over rookie ball, single, double, and triple A. He sported a 2.12 ERA in the minors, prompting a struggling Pirates team to call him up. He then quickly cemented himself as not just one of the best rookies, but one of the best players in the sport. He had a lower ERA in the Majors then he did in the minors, while playing in 11 more games. The other candidate is Jackson Merrill, a center fielder for the Padres who slashed .292/.326/.500 with 24 home runs across 156 games. Both of these are truly ROTY worthy seasons, but I think Skenes edges Merrill out for the award
AL: Colton Cowser-
Part of the young Orioles core, Cowser lost his rookie status this year batting .242 with 24 homers. This is a campaign you’d be happy with from any veteran player, which makes it all the more impressive it came from a rookie. People also might say Luis Gil, but while a 3.50 ERA with a 117 ERA+ is impressive, I don’t think it tops Cowser’s numbers.
CY YOUNG:
NL: Chris Sale-
In a surprise turn of events, Chris Sale is actually good? It appears that a change of scenery was what he needed, as he went from a 4.30 ERA in Boston in 2023, to a 2.38 in Atlanta. Not only Cy Young, but a comeback player of the year award might be in order too. Despite still dealing with some nagging back issues, he remained mostly healthy the entire season, which just proved he is still elite.
AL: Emmanuel Clase-
This is another very close race between Clase and Tarik Skubal, but Clase was on another level this year. He had five earned runs. Total. Over 74.1 innings, which gives him a season ERA of .61. He’s so good that when he gave up a 3 run home run in the postseason, that was more then half of the runs he gave up the entire regular season. He also led the league in saves, adding another accolade onto this incredible season.
MVP:
NL: Shohei Ohtani-
He DoEsN’t PlAy DeFeNsE- yeah, and he leads the NL in home runs, slugging %, OPS, OPS+, OBP, RBIs, WAR, was .04 points lower then Luis Arraez in batting average, and created the 50/50 club. If making a few diving plays make Francisco Lindor the more valuable player, then I don’t know what kind of ball you’re watching. Ohtani signed the highest ever contract in baseball history, and in his first year he seems to be meeting the expectations.
AL: Aaron Judge-
I hate the Yankees as much as the next guy, but what Aaron is able to do in the pinstripes is undeniable. He led the entire league in home runs with 58, batted .322 (only ten points lower then the AL leader). He also had an absurd 228 OPS+, if you’re not a nerd like me and don’t understand advanced stats, that means he was 128% then a league average player. He even got off to a slow start, on May 1st, he was batting just .200 with six homers.