ISJ MLB Awards Predictions

By Billy Fallon

AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
If only Dodger Stadium didn’t have a concrete slab on the bottom of their wall, we would have seen another AL MVP race for the ages between Ohtani and Aaron Judge, but with Judge missing over 50 games, he is out of the race, even though his 37 homers with a 1.019 ops is no small feat. The runner-up, in my opinion, should be Corey Seager, who blasted 33 homers while slashing .327/.390/.623 and leading the Rangers back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Yet, he won’t win because we have never seen a season like Shohei Ohtani had this year. He crushed 44 homers, slashed .304/.412/.654, not to mention he also missed the last 27 games due to an oblique injury in addition to tearing his UCL in August. Oh, he also went 10-5 with a 3.14 era on the mound, just to add on top. He was on pace for some astronomical numbers before he tore his UCL, requiring surgery for the second time in his career. With his free agency looming, this might be the last accomplishment he has for the Angels, and all of baseball wishes him a speedy recovery.

NL MVP: Ronald Acuna Jr.
To his credit, Mookie Betts made this much closer than it should have been. Slashing .307/.408/.579 with 39 homers on a Dodgers team that went 100-62 is nothing to sneeze at. However, Ronald Acuna Jr. was brilliant, slashing .337/.416/.596 with 41 homers on the best team in baseball in the Atlanta Braves. Do I need to mention he also stole 73 bases? The first player to ever go 40/70 in the history of the MLB to do such a feat? The answer is clear, Ronald Acuna takes home the MVP.

AL Cy Young: Gerrit Cole
This year Gerrit Cole might have had his finest season yet. He completely carried the Yankees pitching staff to a tune of a 15-4 record with a 2.63 era and 222 strikeouts. He was the only thing going for them when Judge got hurt and he was the only pitcher keeping them in the playoff hunt. The next best option is Luis Castillo, who had a 14-9 record with a 3.34 era with 209 strikeouts, but with the Mariners failing to make the playoffs, he does not have that advantage on Cole either. Despite a disappointing Yankees season, Cole was brilliant, leading almost every AL pitching stat, earning him what should be his 1st Cy Young Award.

NL Cy Young: Blake Snell
Snell really was in a class of his own this year. Sporting a 14-9 record with a 2.25 era with 234 strikeouts, Snell stood out on a disappointing Padres team. Like Cole, he was carrying the Padres staff in a year where they missed the playoffs like the Yankees. Like Castillo in the AL, the next best candidate of Justin Steele of the Cubs, who sported a 16-5 record with a 3.06 era and 176 strikeouts, saw his only possible advantage slip away as the Cubs missed the playoffs. I’d also be remiss if I were to not point out the 20-game winner for the Atlanta Braves Spencer Strider, who struck out a whopping 281 batters, but his inflated 3.86 era does not hold a candle to Snell’s mark. So, in a turbulent Padres season, Snell shined and earned himself what should be his 2nd Cy Young Award.

AL ROTY: Gunnar Henderson
In the AL this year, there was not a true clear-cut winner for this award. There were many potential candidates, but I believe it narrowed down to a race between Josh Jung of the Rangers and Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles. After a cup of coffee in the big leagues in 2022, Jung came back with a purpose, making the all-star team while slashing .266/.315/.467 with 23 homers while helping the Rangers back to the playoffs much like the aforementioned Corey Seager. While a strong candidate, in comparison the edge has to go to Gunnar Henderson. Henderson slashed .255/.325/.489 with 28 homers and 10 stolen bases to help lead the Orioles to the top seed in the AL, returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. While their output was similar, being one of the best players on the best team in the AL with slightly better numbers edges out the win for Henderson in my opinion. But, Jung gets the last laugh as the Rangers eliminated Henderson and the Orioles in the ALDS.

NL ROTY: Corbin Carroll
Wow did Corbin Carroll stun baseball this year. Sure he was a top prospect last year, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted him slashing .285/.362/.506 and having a 25/50 year with 25 homers and 54 stolen bases to go along with an all-star appearance, and more importantly, a playoff appearance for the Diamondbacks since 2017. In addition, there was nobody else really in his class this year. Elly De La Cruz looked like he was going to make this a race in June, but as pitchers began adjusting to him he saw his numbers dip way below the marks Carroll set. So, the choice is easy, Corbin Carroll runs away with the NL Rookie of the Year.