Joyful Opening Day Eve! It’s time for my annual award predictions for the American League and Nationwide League. Will Ronald Acuña Jr. win a second consecutive NL MVP Award? Will the AL Rookie of the Yr Award go to a Ranger or an Oriole? Will the NL Comeback Participant of the Yr be Chris Sale or Frankie Montas, two of my high candidates, or another person? Which managers and executives from every league will probably be honored as the very best?
I’ve by no means been in a position to run the desk on my award predictions — who does? — however they’re all the time a blast to do and much more enjoyable to debate.
Probably the most troublesome predictions for me this time have been AL MVP and NL Cy Younger as a result of these races are loaded with so many robust candidates.
As in earlier years, I’ve included second – and third-place predictions for every award in addition to a dark-horse decide. Let’s hear your winners within the feedback part after which we are able to look again on the finish of the season to see who received probably the most proper.
American League
MVP: Juan Soto
Second place: Julio Rodríguez
Third place: Corey Seager
Darkish horse: Royce Lewis
Being traded to the Yankees put Juan Soto in the very best place to have a profession 12 months. The reasoning is four-fold. First, on most days Soto will probably be batting immediately in entrance of Aaron Decide, which can make it harder for pitchers to stroll him and drive them to pitch to him. Second, the small confines of proper area at Yankee Stadium will assist him for half of the schedule as quickly as he learns {that a} fly ball to proper will probably be a dinger. Third (and perhaps most significantly), he’ll be taking part in for a contract as he’s in his free-agent stroll 12 months. And at last, at 25 years outdated, he’s starting what most algorithms imagine is the beginning of his prime years of efficiency.
I’ve Rodríguez because the runner-up as I imagine he’ll enhance upon his 32-home run, 37-stolen base season from final 12 months. I used to be actually torn between Soto and Rodríguez. Seager ought to have one other massive season and I’ll most likely be predicting him for an MVP award within the LCS and/or World Sequence as a result of that’s when he excels probably the most. If Lewis can keep wholesome for a complete season, he may very well be a darkish horse on this race — he’s that gifted.
Cy Younger: Pablo López
Second place: Corbin Burnes
Third place: George Kirby
Darkish horse: Tarik Skubal
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I used to be going to go together with Gerrit Cole successful back-to-back AL Cy Younger awards, however the early season elbow damage took him off the board. I needed to pivot to Corbin Burnes, however he didn’t end robust with the Brewers final season and didn’t transfer the needle for me in spring coaching both, so I went with López, who struck out 234 and logged a 3.33 FIP in 2023. López has been extraordinarily constant over the previous 4 years. He completed seventh within the AL Cy Younger voting final 12 months and I believe he makes the leap to win the award this 12 months. I’ll go together with Burnes, who will probably be pitching for his subsequent contract and has 4 top-eight finishes in Cy Younger voting, because the runner-up. Kirby will get the third-place nod due to his particular command (of all his pitches), which makes him a shock but legit contender. I’ll take Skubal as my dark-horse decide; I thought of Cole Ragans too.
Rookie of the Yr: Wyatt Langford
Second place: Jackson Holliday
Third place: Evan Carter
Darkish horse: Colt Keith
Langford has flat-out hit in all places he’s been. In 2022, he hit .356 with 26 dwelling runs as a sophomore at Florida, then batted .373 with 21 dwelling runs as a junior in 2023 earlier than being drafted fourth general by the Rangers. Within the minors final 12 months, he slashed .360/.480/.677 with 10 extra dwelling runs and went from rookie ball to A-ball to Double A to Triple A. Then he arrived in spring coaching this 12 months and hit .365 with six dwelling runs. He hits excessive velocity, nasty breaking balls, misleading changeups and all the things in all places within the strike zone. I additionally thought of the Orioles’ Jackson Holliday, one other phenom who can flat-out hit, however I don’t assume he’ll hit for as a lot energy as Langford in his rookie season. Carter will probably be within the race, too, as no younger participant works a depend higher than he does. My darkish horse is Tigers second baseman Colt Keith, who has 20-home run potential this 12 months.
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Comeback Participant of the Yr: Royce Lewis
Second place: Trevor Story
Third place: Carlos Correa
Darkish horse: Carlos Rodón
This is without doubt one of the hardest classes to foretell. I went with Lewis as a result of if he can keep wholesome and play at the least 140 video games, I imagine he would be the Twins’ finest participant and an MVP candidate, which must be sufficient to win this award. Story is wholesome and I count on at the least a 20-home run, 20-stolen base kind season from him. Lewis’ teammate Correa might turn into a candidate too if he can hold his decrease half wholesome. Rodón is a darkish horse however his inconsistent spring coaching makes it robust to select him to win this award.
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Supervisor of the Yr: Joe Espada
Second place: Brandon Hyde
Third place: Rocco Baldelli
Darkish horse: A.J. Hinch
The Supervisor of the Yr Award is the largest joke as a result of it not often goes to the very best supervisor. It sometimes goes to the supervisor who wins with a group that’s not anticipated to win or an inexperienced supervisor who has early success. The AL is loaded with elite managers together with Bruce Bochy, Aaron Boone, Kevin Money and Alex Cora. I’ve none of them successful this award although. As a substitute, I’m going with Espada, a rookie supervisor who has super communication and strategic capabilities, and I believe these will shine by means of as he guides an Astros group with arguably the very best general expertise within the AL. Hyde ought to get a protracted look if a number of the Orioles’ first- and second-year abilities play as much as potential. Baldelli and Hinch will get severe consideration if the Twins or Tigers win their division or seize a wild-card berth. Hinch is a darkish horse as a result of expectations for the Tigers aren’t as excessive.
Government of the Yr: Mike Elias
Second place: Dana Brown
Third place: Erik Neander
Darkish horse: Brian Cashman
Elias’ Orioles landed Burnes from the Brewers with out giving up any of their top-seven prospects within the commerce and his deft drafting through the years ought to bear fruit this 12 months. If Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo and Grayson Rodriguez stay as much as their potential and Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson proceed to grow to be superstars it will likely be onerous for Elias to not win this award. I additionally assume he’ll commerce for one more beginning pitcher between now and the commerce deadline. Astros GM Dana Brown will get consideration due to the Josh Hader signing, Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander is all the time one to observe as a result of he’s the most effective of this period, and Yankees GM Brian Cashman is within the combine due to the Juan Soto commerce and the Marcus Stroman signing.
Nationwide League
MVP: Mookie Betts
Second place: Ronald Acuña Jr.
Third place: Corbin Carroll
Darkish horse: Austin Riley
I nearly picked Acuña to win back-to-back MVP awards however as a result of it’s so troublesome, I went with Betts, who has modified positions to shortstop. There’s nothing Betts can’t do on the baseball area: He can beat you together with his glove, arm, pace, base operating, vary, energy and hit instrument. With Betts hitting in entrance of Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, opposing pitchers must pitch to him, and bear in mind final 12 months he broke the report for many RBIs by a leadoff hitter. Carroll will win an MVP Award sooner or later in his profession, however I simply don’t assume it will likely be this 12 months. Riley has strung collectively three straight seasons with 33 or extra homers, to not point out three consecutive top-six finishes within the MVP voting, so he’s all the time a risk to win.
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Cy Younger: Logan Webb
Second place: Spencer Strider
Third place: Zack Wheeler
Darkish horse: Freddy Peralta
I simply didn’t wish to go chalk with Strider as a result of I believe he’ll lead the league in strikeouts and pile up innings, however determine the Braves will pull again his innings come August and September to get him prepared for the playoffs. Due to this fact, I made a decision to select Webb, who was the runner-up to Blake Snell in final 12 months’s NL Cy Younger voting. Webb posted a 3.16 FIP over 33 begins final season and led the league in innings pitched (216) and walks per 9 (1.3). His command and possession of the decrease a part of the zone are particular. I thought of Wheeler and Peralta as nicely.
Rookie of the Yr: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Second place: Jackson Chourio
Third place: Jackson Merrill
Darkish horse: James Wooden
The Dodgers spent $325 million on Yamamoto and if he doesn’t at the least win Rookie of the Yr, it will likely be a $325 million mistake. I nonetheless assume the Rookie of the Yr guidelines ought to change and depend years performed professionally in Japan (or elsewhere), which might make Yamamoto ineligible for this award. Nevertheless, underneath the present guidelines, Yamamoto needs to be thought of the front-runner. Will probably be fascinating to see who finishes second as a few Jacksons are going to be within the race: Chourio of the Brewers has the power to hit 15 to twenty dwelling runs and steal 20 to 30 bases; Merrill of the Padres is studying to play heart area on the fly and has one of many loudest bats within the sport. Wooden and his ridiculous energy gained’t be on the Nationals for Opening Day however he’ll rapidly turn into a dark-horse candidate if and once they name him up, which most likely will probably be someday in Might.
Comeback Participant of the Yr: Chris Sale
Second place: Frankie Montas
Third place: Tim Anderson
Darkish horse: Kris Bryant
If spring coaching is any indication, Sale has a official probability to be the NL Comeback Participant of the Yr this season with the Braves. He seems to be wholesome and his uncooked stuff is again to an elite degree. If he makes 25 to 30 begins, I believe he have to be thought of the favourite on this class. Montas is hoping to pitch like he did for the A’s three years in the past earlier than his shoulder issues, Anderson is attempting to bounce again from two embarrassing seasons with the White Sox and Bryant is attempting to show to the Rockies that he’s not an entire free-agent bust. I’m rooting for all 4 of those gamers to have comeback kind seasons.
Supervisor of the Yr: David Bell
Second place: Craig Counsell
Third place: Skip Schumaker
Darkish horse: Carlos Mendoza
Dave Roberts of the Dodgers and Brian Snitker of the Braves ought to win probably the most video games of any supervisor this 12 months, however as a result of that’s anticipated neither will find yourself being a candidate for the award. I predict the Reds will win the NL Central, and if that have been to occur, historical past says in all probability Bell would win NL Supervisor of the Yr. The Reds are loaded with gamers 24 to 27 years outdated, within the lineup and the rotation, they usually have extra gamers primed for breakout seasons than any group within the sport. They’ve additionally had some early season setbacks similar to third baseman Noelvi Marte being suspended for 80 video games for violating the league’s coverage on performance-enhancing medication, TJ Friedl struggling a wrist fracture and Matt McLain injuring his shoulder. Nevertheless, I just like the Reds’ depth and assume they will overcome this early adversity. Sticking within the NL Central, if Counsell can win considerably extra video games than David Ross did final 12 months for the Cubs, he’ll get severe consideration, however he has to win the division. Schumaker will probably be within the race if he can discover a method to get the Marlins to the postseason (once more) and the identical will be stated of first-year Mets supervisor Carlos Mendoza.
Government of the Yr: Andrew Friedman
Second place: Mike Hazen
Third place: Nick Krall
Darkish horse: Alex Anthopoulos
I do know Friedman’s Dodgers spent greater than a billion {dollars} this offseason. Nevertheless, in case your group can purchase two top-of-the-rotation starters (Tyler Glasnow and Yamamoto), the very best participant in baseball (Ohtani) and a 25-home run bat (Teoscar Hernández), it’s onerous to not hand over this award whatever the checks that needed to be written. Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen must be on this dialog after signing Jordan Montgomery and Eduardo Rodriguez to bolster their rotation in addition to including the facility bats of Eugenio Suárez and Joc Pederson. Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall did an amazing job in constructing pitching and infield depth to climate accidents. And naturally the Braves’ Alex Anthopoulos, who for my part put collectively the very best general group within the sport the previous two years, must be thought of for this award.
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(High picture: Mookie Betts: David Durochik / Diamond Pictures through Getty Pictures; Juan Soto: Cliff Welch / Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures)