by It’s that time of year again when multiple significant sports leagues are on simultaneously. We have the NFL, College Football, NWSL, MLS, and WNBA playoffs, and let’s remember the MLB. Baseball has always held a special place in my heart, and going to games has comprised most of my childhood memories. As we near the end of the MLB season, everyone has one question: who will win the World Series? The MLB postseason is wild and unpredictable, but something a little easier to guess is who will win the postseason awards. Before we get into anything, I would like to state that I am a Guardians fan, and some of my predictions will show this. With this being said, let’s get into my predictions for the 2024 MLB awards.
American League MVP
Starting strong, we have the AL MVP. My prediction for this award is Aaron Judge. Judge is hitting .323 with 138 RBI and 55 home runs. This season, he became the fastest player in the league to hit 300 home runs. Aaron Judge, also known as the Bronx Bomber, has yet another dominant year on both sides of the ball. The center fielder currently has a 1.154 OPS and is the -3000 favorite to win MVP. Bobby Witt Jr. is in second place, and Judge’s teammate Juan Soto is in third. I know most Cleveland fans want to argue that José Ramírez could win. While he is on pace for a 40-40 season, he isn’t playing with the same consistency as Aaron Judge.
National League MVP
I think the NL MVP is a lock in Shohei Ohtani, but I know some people would disagree. Last week, Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. Honestly, I would not be surprised if he ended up in the 60/60 club by the end of the season. He has won MVP twice in his career, in 2021 and 2023. The Dodgers DH has 53 home runs, 123 RBI, and 55 stolen bases. Ohtani is batting .301 with a .383 OBP and 1.023 OPS. Some people would disagree because he is strictly the designated hitter for the Dodgers this year. He had Tommy John Surgery in the offseason and took a season off from pitching. Despite this, he is still the most dominant hitter in the National League and is my prediction for NL MVP.
American League Cy Young
As much as I want to say Emmanuel Clase, I don’t think he’ll get enough votes to win. Instead, my prediction for AL Cy Young is Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. The left-hander has recorded 17 wins and only four losses this season. He leads the American League with a 2.48 ERA and has 221 strikeouts in only 185 innings. He holds a .94 WHIP and averages 6.5 strikeouts per walk. Opponents are only batting .205 against the Tigers pitcher. He has been the most dominant pitcher in the AL and is my pick for the Cy Young award.
National League Cy Young
I had trouble making a prediction for NL Cy Young because it was such a tight race between Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler. However, if I had to pick Chris Sale, he found a career resurgence in Atlanta. Sale holds the highest win percentage among starting pitchers with 18 wins to only three losses. The lefie is currently toting a 2.38 ERA with 225 strikeouts. He averages about 5.8 strikeouts per walk and holds a 1.01 WHIP. Opponents are batting .216 with an OBP of .269. The eight-time all-star has never won a Cy Young, but he is my prediction for the 2024 NL Cy Young.
American League Rookie of the Year
I’m not going to spend too much time on the AL Rookie of the Year because I haven’t been following this race very closely. My pick for the American League Rookie of the Year is the catcher for the New York Yankees, Austin Wells. He’s batting .244 with 13 home runs. Wells bats in the Yankees’ clean-up position, which is no easy job. Overall, it was a good season for the rookie catcher.
National League Rookie of the Year
I won’t spend much time on the NL Rookie of the Year, either. I knew from when Paul Skenes was called up to the Majors that he would at least be the National League rookie of the year if the Pirates managed him correctly. Skenes went 10-3 with a 2.07 ERA through 21 starts. He even started for the National League in the All-Star game. Some argue that Jackson Merrill or Jackson Chourio deserves the award, and while they each had an impressive season, neither of them was just drafted in April.
Remaining Awards
- Mariano Rivera Award (AL Reliever of the Year)- Emmanuel Clase, Guardians
- Trevor Hoffman Award (NL Reliever of the Year)- Raisel Iglesias, Braves
- AL Comeback Player of the Year- Tyler O’Neill, Red Sox
- NL Comeback Player of the Year- Jesse Winker, Mets
- AL Manager of the Year- Stephen Vogt, Guardians
- NL Manager of the Year- Carlos Mendoza, Mets
Conclusion
As I stated before, I am a Guardians fan. You won’t like some of my picks if you favor another team. I understand there may be a better candidate for AL manager of the year, but not many people could lead a team this well in their first year as an MLB manager. We are on the cusp of October baseball but are not quite there yet. As the season ends, my opinions may change depending on how these players finish the year.
*All Stats from ESPN and MLB
Luis Gil for AL ROY