Predicting MLB Award Winners
Aaron Judge will look to win another AL MVP award with a monstrous season this year (Courtesy of Mike stobe/Getty images).
With the Major League Baseball (MLB) season just recently getting underway, now is as good a time as ever to predict this year's award winners. In this article, I will predict both the American League (AL) and National League (NL) Most Valuable Players, Cy Young winners, and Rookie of the Year winners.
AL Most Valuable Player: Aaron Judge
New York Yankees’ outfielder Aaron Judge won this same award back in 2022 with an American League record 62 home runs. Sure, newly acquired outfielders Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham may take a couple of starts from the notoriously injury-prone Judge; however, the bigger picture is that these new additions can take some attention off of the Yankees’ captain. The team’s biggest problem in recent years has been their depth, leaving Judge, at times, as the only bright spot in the New York Yankees lineup. Adding depth pieces like Grisham and Verdugo can take some weight off of Judge’s chest, along with the huge acquisition of star outfielder Juan Soto. If Judge can play a somewhat full season, watch out for him taking home the award a second time.
AL Cy Young: Luis Castillo
Seattle Mariners’ starter Luis Castillo has been pitching very well since being traded to the team in 2022. Following the trade, Castillo has a total record of 18-11, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.26. Castillo’s 3.34 ERA last season was the 12th lowest in the MLB and the sixth lowest in the American League. With Yankees’ starter Gerrit Cole sidelined for an extended period of time, the AL Cy Young race is wide open, and Luis Castillo is a candidate to look out for.
AL Rookie of the Year: Wyatt Langford
Texas Rangers’ outfielder Wyatt Langford was drafted just last year by the now-defending World Series champion Texas Rangers with the fourth overall pick. Langford cruised through the Minor Leagues this past year and was moved up to the Majors for Opening Day after having a stellar Spring Training. Langford batted .365 with six home runs and 20 runs-batted-in (RBI) through only 21 games. The 22-year-old will be the Rangers’ designated hitter to start the season, and it is likely that Langford is only going to make the defending champions lineup even more dangerous.
NL Most Valuable Player: Mookie Betts
Mookie Betts, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ current shortstop, finished second in MVP voting after a fantastic season in 2023. The best thing about Betts is that he fills up a stat sheet. Last year, Betts finished fourth in runs scored, sixth in total hits, seventh in home runs, sixth in RBIs, and fifth in walks. On top of the fact that Betts is an extremely consistent player, the Dodgers also had a huge offseason, acquiring big-time players like two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. If Betts can transition well into his new shortstop role, there is no question that he can win his third MVP trophy.
NL Cy Young: Zack Wheeler
Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies have a bit of work to do after last season. In 2022, Wheeler had a record of 12-7 in 26 starts with a 2.82 ERA, a number that would have put him fourth on last year's leaderboard. Wheeler didn’t have a bad season last year by any means, however, his ERA did rise by almost a whole number. If the Phillies can possibly regain the magic of their 2022 season when they reached the World Series, Wheeler could certainly provide the statistics necessary to be considered a NL Cy Young candidate.
NL Rookie of the Year: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Similar to Wyatt Langford from the American League, Los Angeles Dodgers’ starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a pretty clear favorite to win this award. Yamamoto is coming over from Japan with a ton of success already under his belt. The 25-year-old was lighting up Japan’s professional scene, and even competed in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he tallied a 2.45 ERA in the tournament. Yamamoto steps into what could be considered the best situation possible, so don’t be surprised if Yamamoto is raising the Rookie of the Year trophy at the end of the year.
It is pretty challenging to predict MLB award winners from the start of the season. 162 games is a long time where anything can and will happen throughout the course of the season. With that being said, these guys have as good a shot as any to take home some awards following the regular season.