It’s the end of the year, and it’s time for MLB awards to be given out. MVPs, Cy Youngs, Rookie of The Years, Silver Sluggers, and all the rest. We will start with Coach of the Year and work our way down to the MVPs.
AL Manager of the Year—Stephen Vogt, Cleveland Guardians
Vogt has taken a team that seemed to be on its way to a rebuild to a team that has clinched the division. With great bullpen management and his prior playing experience, he was one of the best options that the Guardians could have chosen to take over for Terry Francona.
NL Manager of the Year—Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets
It would be difficult to not pick the manager that has taken a 75 win team to a team that has 89 wins and a pitching rotation that can be hit or miss. This year was not supposed to be a competitive year for the Mets, but Carlos Mendoza has helped them become a strong postseason team.
AL Platinum Glove—Andres Gimenez, 2B, Cleveland Guardians
A clear favorite for this award with 20 defensive runs saved in 2024.
NL Platinum Glove—Patrick Bailey, C, San Francisco Giants
Also with 20, Patrick Bailey has been a strong catcher for the Giants, with an elite arm and excellent blocking.
AL Hank Aaron Award—Aaron Judge, CF, New York Yankees
An easy choice this year, leading the league in on-base percentage, on-base plus slugging, and home runs. His OBP was at .458, his OPS was at 1.159, and he hit 58 home runs.
NL Hank Aaron Award—Shohei Ohtani, DH, Los Angeles Dodgers
Another easy choice, as Ohtani hit 54 home runs, and led the NL in slugging percentage, OPS, and OBP. His slugging percentage was .646, his OPS was 1.036, and his OBP was .390.
AL Comeback Player of the Year—Garrett Crochet, SP, Chicago White Sox
Coming back from an elbow injury that sidelined Crochet for the majority of last year, Crochet has put up a 3.58 earned run average and 209 strikeouts in only 146 innings pitched.
NL Comeback Player of the Year—Chris Sale, SP, Atlanta Braves
The Braves players have been hit hard with injuries this year, but surprisingly Chris Sale was not one of them. After having injury after injury for the past two seasons, Sale has finally put together a full season of work. Sale put up a 2.38 ERA and has 225 strikeouts in only 177.2 innings pitched.
AL Reliever of the Year—Emmanuel Clase, Closer, Cleveland Guardians
Clase has been sensational this year, only giving up five runs in the regular season. He had a 0.61 ERA and 47 saves, which led the American League
NL Reliever of the Year—Ryan Helsley, Closer, St. Louis Cardinals
Helsley has been amazing this year too, leading the league with 49 saves and only having a 2.04 ERA.
AL Rookie of the Year—Luis Gil, SP, New York Yankees
Gil started his rookie season with a streak of amazing starts, but then fell off in the middle of his campaign. Looking like the ROTY was becoming out of reach, he picked it up towards the end of the season. Finishing with a 3.50 ERA, and 172 strikeouts in 151.2 innings, those numbers will surely be good enough for Gil to win ROTY.
NL Rookie of the Year—Paul Skenes, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
It was between Jackson Merrill and Skenes, and in the end I went with Skenes, purely because of his dominance. Skenes posted a 1.93 ERA, and had 170 strikeouts in only 133 innings. And he struck out Shohei.
AL Cy Young—Tarik Skubal, SP, Detroit Tigers
Leading the AL in ERA and strikeouts, plus his pure stuff, Skubal was an easy pick for the Cy Young. Skubal’s ERA is at 2.39, and has 228 strikeouts in 192 innings.
NL Cy Young—Chris Sale, SP, Atlanta Braves
Sale was clearly the best pitcher in the NL. Coming off an elbow injury, Sale has shown that he can return to his Cy Young form.
AL Most Valuable Player—Aaron Judge, CF, New York Yankees
As mentioned earlier, Judge has been exceptional this year, continuing his streak of insane home run hitting years. Coming in at 3rd in the AL in average, and having four DRS in the outfield, Judge is the clear standout in the AL.
NL Most Valuable Player—Shohei Ohtani, DH, Los Angeles Dodgers
The newest member of the 50-50 club, Shohei has had the best hitting year of his career. With 54 home runs, 59 stolen bases, and 130 runs batted in, Shohei should be the first DH to win MVP in MLB history.
