Award season in Major League Baseball is always a bittersweet time of year. The playoffs have concluded and there is a long wait until pitchers & catchers report for spring training. As the Hall of Famer and 2x MVP Rogers Hornsby once said “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”
When the Baseball Writer’s Association of America (BBWAA) votes and announces the awards for the previous season it gives all the baseball fans something to discuss and debate.
Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year Award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected the winner from 1940-1946, originally named after Chicago White Sox owner J. Louis Comiskey, and it kept that name through 1987. In 1947 the award became national and was awarded to Jackie Robinson. In 1987 the Rookie of the Year Award was renamed to honor Robinson and his career both on and off the field, being named the Jackie Robinson Award and given to the top outstanding rookies in the American & National League.
In 2023 the National League Rookie of the Year was awarded to Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks. A former first round draft pick in 2019, the Diamondbacks had high expectations for the potential five-tool player. Carroll excelled at every level of the minor leagues, showing off all of his tools, notably in 2022 hitting .307 with 24 HR and 31 SB across 3 levels of the Minor Leagues, giving the Diamondbacks reason to call him up for his Major League debut on August 29th.
In 2022 Carroll showed signed of being a potential star, taking the field in 32 Games hitting well with a .260 AVG and .330 OBP with 4 HR and 2 SB, for an OPS+ of 132, meaning as a rookie his OPS was 32% than league average. Due to his late debut in 2022 he did not exceed rookie limits in his first season and still had rookie status in 2023.
Carroll would be in the heart of the Diamondbacks’ lineup throughout the 2023 season which ended in a defeat in the World Series to the Texas Rangers. The tools he once flashed in MiLB came to life in 2023 at the Major League level hitting for a .285 AVG & .362 OBP, alongside 25 HR, 30 2B, 10 3B, and 54 SB. Carroll posted a 134 OPS+, cementing himself as star within the National League, even finishing 5th in MVP voting.
The vote for Carroll was unanimous among the BBWAA, and Mets Starting Pitcher Kodai Senga finished behind him. Senga likely would have won the award in any other season, posting a 12-7 record with a 2.98 ERA and 202 K across 166.1 IP. The 30 year old Senga played his first season in the MLB after a successful 11 year career in Japan’s NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball). In the NPB Senga accumulated a 2.59 ERA and 1252 strikeouts in 224 games pitched, showing that the transition to the MLB was no challenge for him.
Similar to Carroll, Gunnar Henderson was selected in the 2019 Draft, but by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2nd round out of high school. Scouted to have both plus hitting and power tools, Henderson was expected to perform at the minor league level and the Orioles were hopeful that he would make an impact in the Major Leagues in the near future.
Throughout his journey in the minor leagues Henderson showed off his power totaling 17 HR and a .350 OBP in 105 games in 2021, while also successfully stealing 16 bases. Henderson was emerging as a potential offensive threat at the plate and on the bases. He repeated this success in the minor leagues in 2022 improving in all categories with 19 HR and a .416 OBP in 112 games across AA & AAA, stealing 22 bases along the way. This performance would earn the chance to make his Major League debut for the Orioles on August 31st.
Originally drafted as a shortstop, Henderson played most of his games at third base in 2022, but that did not impact his hitting ability. Henderson maintained the success he had in the Minor Leagues hitting for a .259 AVG and .348 OBP in 34 games for the Orioles, generating a 126 OPS+. As a 21 year old Henderson’s OPS was 26% better than league average. Due to his late debut in 2022 he did not exceed rookie limits in his first season and still had rookie status in 2023.
In 2023 Henderson entered the season with a starting position for Orioles, splitting time between Shortstop & Third Base. Throughout the successful 101 win season for the Orioles Henderson showed his hitting ability with 28 HR, 29 2B, & 9 3B, picking up 82 RBI & 10 SB along the way. Henderson’s OBP wasn’t as strong as his Minor League stats, reaching base safely at a rate of .325, giving him a clear area to grow in the future.
The BBWAA’s vote for Gunnar Henderson’s ROY was unanimous and he also picking up a Silver Slugger Award and finished 8th in MVP voting. Finishing behind the Orioles potential future third baseman were Cleveland Guardians’ starting pitcher Tanner Bibee and Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas, who equally deserved recognition as outstanding rookies. The 24 year old Bibee boasted a 10-4 record on the Guardians with a 2.98 ERA and 141 strikeouts across 25 games and 142 innings and Casas, 23 years old, generated a .263/.367/.490 slashline with 24 HR for the Red Sox. The future is certainly bright for all three young stars, but the BBWAA decision for Henderson seems like the correct choice.
CY Young Award
The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitcher in both the American League & National League. Introduced in 1956 after the 1955 death of Hall of Famer Cy Young there was originally one award issued for both leagues, but in 1967 the award was split to award a pitcher in each league. Roger Clemens holds the record for most Cy Young Awards with 7, winning the award in both the American League and National League with the Red Sox (AL), Blue Jays (AL), Yankees (AL), and Astros (NL).
Clemens was the last Yankee pitcher to win the Cy Young Award, when he was given the honor in 2001, until Gerrit Cole unanimously won the award this past season in 2023. The 32 year old Cole has found success as a pitcher throughout his career flirting with the award several times, finishing top 5 in voting five other times while pitching for the Pirates, Astros, and Yankees.
The skillful Cole was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 1st overall pick in 2011 out of UCLA. He would make his debut for the Pirates in 2013 and post a 3.22 in 19 starts. Over the course of 5 seasons with the Pirates, Cole had established himself as an effective starting pitcher able to pitch deep into games and keep runs at a minimum, generating a 112 ERA+ in 127 games, averaging 6.15 IP per start.
In the 2017 offseason Cole was traded to the Houston Astros to become teammates with two former Cy Young Award winners, Justin Verlander & Dallas Keuchel. This transition would prove to be pivotal in Cole’s career as a pitcher, with the coaching in Houston and perhaps pitching alongside the future Hall of Famer Verlander lead him to have his 2 best seasons to date. Notably in 2019 Cole led the AL with a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts in 212.1 IP, emerging as a completely different pitcher from his days on the Pirates. He finished 2nd in Cy Young voting to his teammate Verlander. In the 2019 offseason Cole would sign a 9 year/$324M contract with the New York Yankees.
In four seasons with the Yankees Cole has been everything the team has asked for, making 30+ starts a season (12 in shortened 2020 season) and keeping runs at a minimum, finishing 4th in Cy Young voting in 2020 and 2nd in 2021 behind Blue Jay’s Robbie Ray.
2023 was the season Cole was able to channel the level of performance he showed with the Astros. In 33 starts the right hander lead the league with 209 innings pitched and a 2.63 ERA. Leading the league in strikeouts the year prior with 257, Cole punched out 222 batters in 2023, effective for a 9.6 K/9.
Finishing behind Cole in the voting were two deserving candidates for the honors in Sonny Gray of the Minnesota Twins and Kevin Gausman of the Toronto Blue Jays. Gray pitched to success across 32 starts and 184 IP with a 2.79 ERA and 183 Ks, leading the Twins to a playoff birth. Gausman followed up Robbie Ray’s great season for the Blue Jays with a 3.16 ERA and league leading 237 Ks in 31 starts and 185 IP, also leading the Blue Jays to the playoffs. Both great seasons on their own, the BBWAA were correct with choosing Cole as their Cy Young winner in the American League.
In the National League LHP Blake Snell took home the Cy Young Award as a member of the San Diego Padres. Originally drafted out of high school by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 1st round of the 2011 draft, Snell made his Major League debut in 2016. Snell spent 5 seasons in the minor leagues learning how to pitch from the same organization that produced 2012 Cy Young winner David Price.
Snell showed signs of greatness in his first 2 seasons with the Rays starting 43 games across 2016 & 2107 with a 3.83 ERA and 8.9 K/9 going about 5.08 innings per start. In 2018 Snell took a giant leap forward boasting a 21-5 record and 1.89 ERA across 31 starts and 180.2 IP, racking up 221 strikeouts along the way. He would be awarded his first Cy Young Award in 2018 beating out Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros.
From 2019-2022 Snell would have varying levels of success, but would often be inconsistent. In the shortened 2020 season he helped the Tampa Bay Rays earn a trip to the World Series, but would eventually end in defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a bit of controversy for being pulled from the final game of the World Series after 5.1 innings of 1 run baseball and just 73 pitches, Snell would be traded to San Diego Padres in the 2020 off season.
The Padres would get a glimpse of the pitcher that Snell was in 2018 in his first 2 seasons. In his first season he posted a 4.20 ERA in 27 starts and 128.2 IP, following that up in 2022 with a 3.38 ERA in 24 starts and 128 IP, it appeared Snell was trending in the right direction.
In 2023 Snell channeled the success he had 5 seasons prior going 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA making 32 starts across 180 IP and racking up 234 Ks along the way. Leading the league with a 2.25 ERA was key to the BBWAA voting for Snell, finishing 63 points lower than any other finalist. Snell is currently a free agent and will likely be pitching somewhere other than San Diego in 2024.
Finishing behind Snell were Logan Webb of the San Francisco Giants and Zack Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Both racking up more innings than Snell, Webb pitched to a 3.25 ERA making 33 starts with 216 IP, and Gallen posted a 3.47 ERA across 34 starts and 210 IP. Webb’s contributions to the Giants were for naught finishing 4th in the NL west, but Gallen was able to lead the Diamondbacks rotation to a wildcard spot and eventually the World Series, where they lost to the Texas Rangers. The BBWAA picked the right pitcher for the NL Young Award.
Most Valuable Player
The Most Valuable Player Award is among the oldest and most controversial awards the MLB has presented to its players. In 1910 Hugh Chalmers of Chalmers Automobile announced that the player with the highest batting average would be awarded an automobile. The race came down to Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers and Nap Lajoie of the Cleveland Indians. Nap Lajoie won the race on the last day of the season with 7 bunt hits, but a recalculation of the batting averages showed that Cobb had won. Chalmers awarded automobiles to both players. The following season Chalmers announced a committee of baseball writers will choose the winner based on the most important and useful player to their club. After the award was not very effective at advertising the automobile, Chalmers discontinued the award in 1914.
League Awards were created for the American League from 1922-1928 and 1924-1929 in the National League. The award would be given by to the player who provided the greatest all-around service to his club and be selected by a committee of 8 baseball writers. In 1931 the BBWAA formed the MVP award. One writer in each city with a Major League team would fill out a ballot with 10 ranked nominees for the award, with position on the ballot determining the number of points they’d receive. Although voting being tweaked over the years, the MVP award has stood from 1931 to present day.
Born in La Guairá Venezuela, Ronald Acuna Jr. was signed as an amateur free agent by the Atlanta Braves as a 16 year old in 2014. Acuna would quickly rise up the ranks within the Braves organization going straight to the United States for his pro debut, and first making the Braves top 30 prospect list in 2016 at #23. There was no question in his ability, being attributed with tools that can be applicable at the plate, on the bases, and in the field. Just 4 years after signing with the Braves Acuna would make his Major League Debut at the age of 20 in 2018, after proving all the scouts correct with a brilliant career in MiLB.
After his Major League debut on April 25, 2018 Acuna would post a specular rookie campaign. Over the course of 111 games and 487 plate appearances the rookie would hit 26 home runs and 26 doubles with a .293 AVG and outstanding .366 OBP, all while stealing 16 bases. With a 143 OPS+ Acuna would beat out another future Star Juan Soto for the ROY honors.
Ronald Acuna Jr. would follow up his rookie campaign with an incredibly productive 2019 season. He would join the 30/30 club hitting 41 home runs and stealing 37 bases, leading the league in the latter. In addition to his power and speed combination he put together a .280/.365/.518 slashline to continue to show his dominance as the plate. He would finish 5th in MVP voting.
The 2020-2022 seasons would be a mix of success for Acuna. The 2020 season would be shortened and Acuna would only appear in 46 games, followed by 2021 & 2022 riddled by injuries. Although not taking the field as often as he would have liked, when Acuna was on the field he was producing and making the Braves better. Over the course of 2020-2022 the outfielder played in 247 games and put together a 135 OPS+, boosted by 53 home runs, 54 doubles, and a .375 OBP, while stealing 54 bases along the way.
In 2023 Acuna would play his first full season in good health since 2019, taking the field for 159 games. Over the course of 735 plate appearances Acuna posted new career highs in ever single offensive category. Eclipsing the 200 hit mark for the first time in his career, the All Star had 217 hits inclusive of 41 home runs, 35 doubles, and 4 triples. Drawing 80 walks and reaching base with a .337 AVG and a league leading .416 OBP, gave Acuna the opportunity to steal 73 bases, also leading the league in that category. Acuna was voted the NL MVP unanimously by the BBWAA and there was no question about it, he deserved every vote.
The only player in the National League to generate a higher WAR than Acuna in 2023 was Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Betts edged out Acuna’s 8.2 WAR with an 8.3 WAR of his own, primarily attributed to his incredible defensive abilities. In any other season Betts, the 2018 AL MVP, would have been a clear winner. Following Betts in the voting was his teammate and former Atlanta Brave, Freddie Freeman. Another former MVP (2020 with the Braves), Freeman was a great compliment to Betts in the lineup for the Dodgers, putting together a season worthy of MVP consideration as well. The Braves have Acuna signed to a team friendly 8 year/$100M contract through 2026 with team options for 2027 & 2028. Making him not only statically the MVP, but financially the most valuable player.
Shohei Ohtani was born in Oshu Japan and before making the jump to Major League Baseball he earned international recognition as a star in the NPB. Referred to as the Japanese Babe Ruth he started his career in professional baseball as a member of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters out of high school at the age of 18 as both a hitter and a pitcher. Ohtani would quickly rise up the ranks and be recognized as a top star in the NPB.
Featuring a fastball that could reach 100 MPH, and a devastating slider/splitter combination, Ohtani was scouted as having 3 plus pitches. He could have made it in the MLB as just a pitcher, pitching 85 games and 543 innings in the NPB to a 2.52 ERA, striking out 624 batters. In addition to the skill Ohtani featured on the mound, he was also a force at the plate, scouted with a 70 power tool. All while pitching to success in the NPB, Ohtani was also one of the leagues greatest hitters. In his 5 seasons he played 403 games and hit 48 HR and 70 2B along with a slashline of .286/.358/.501, but most of that production came in just 2 seasons (2016-2017).
Out of respect for the star, the Nippon Ham Fighters allowed Ohtani to seek out a career in Major League Baseball. He would be subject to internal national signing rules and not the usual posting system MLB has in place with the NPB and KBO (Korean Baseball Organization). After touring the United States and meeting with several Major League Clubs, Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels to play alongside superstar and then 2x MVP Mike Trout.
In his first season with the Angels, Ohtani’s usage was kept conservative, resting him often and keeping him to an innings limit. Even with the conservative effort there were likely many fans alive who have ever seen his level of performance as both a hitter and a pitcher since Babe Ruth himself pitched 133.1 innings with a 2.97 ERA and hit 29 HR with a 217 OPS+ for the Boston Red Sox in 1919. 1919 would be Ruth’s last full season as both a hitter and a pitcher, but 99 years later, 2018 would be Ohtani’s first. The rookie played in 104 games as a DH and hit 22 home runs with a .285 AVG, .361 OBP, generating a 151 OPS+ at the age of 23 years old. Ohtani would also take the mound for 10 starts, rack up 51.2 IP and post a 3.31 ERA with 63 strikeouts. He would beat out Miguel Andujar for ROY honors in 2018.
Ohtani’s rookie campaign on the mound would be cut short in 2018 due to injury and that would also keep him from pitching all of 2019. While nursing an elbow injury he would continue to hit, taking the DH spot in the Angels lineup 106 times and generating a 121 OPS+. The shortened 2020 season would be a disappointing season for Ohtani, not able to pitch after another injury, and his performance at the plate leaving fans to question if his rookie season was fluke.
In 2021 Ohtani would answer to all the people who doubted him by putting together his first full season as both a hitter and pitcher. In 155 games as a hitter the superstar would hit 46 home runs and steal 26 bases alongside a .257 AVG and .372 OBP. His offensive numbers alone would have given him MVP consideration, but he was also able to make 23 starts and rack up 130.1 IP with a 3.18 ERA and 156 Ks. In 2021 Ohtani was named AL MVP for the 1st time.
Fans around the league were in awe of what Ohtani was doing and in 2022, he did it again. Taking the mound 28 times and pitching 166 IP to a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts, all career highs as a pitcher. Not only would he be in MVP conversations that year but he would finish 4th in Cy Young voting. At the plate Ohtani slugged 34 HR and hit .273 with a .356 OBP for the Angels, only to finish as the runner up for MVP to Aaron Judge who hit an American League high 62 HR.
With two consecutive seasons as both an exception hitter and pitcher Ohtani took on 2023 without any doubt in his abilities. In 135 games as hitter ‘The Unicorn’ hit a league leading 44 home runs and reached base with a .412 OBP, also leading the league in that category, stealing 20 bases throughout the season as well. He also lead the league with a 184 OPS+. Ohtani’s season on the mound was cut short once again due to injury, but was able to take the mound 23 times and accumulate 132 IP to post a 3.14 ERA and strikeout 167 batters. The BBWAA awarded Ohtani his 2nd MVP, and a case can be made that it should have been his 3rd consecutive.
The two players who finished runner up to Ohtani in MVP voting were a pair of Texas Rangers: Corey Seager & Marcus Semien. Both Seager and Semien put together great seasons receiving selections to the All Star Game and taking home Silver Slugger Awards, in addition to leading the Rangers to a World Series Championship. Each of them deserve the recognition for their amazing seasons both offensively and defensively, but never stood a chance against Ohtani.
Ohtani is currently a free agent and will not be able to pitch in 2024, but will surely make an impact on any team he joins. Thinking about the future for Ohtani, if he can continue his career at this level of success, there may be a generation of baseball fans that look back on Babe Ruth and say he did what Ohtani did, rather than calling Ohtani “The Japanese Babe Ruth”.
Hayes Craze Baseball 