MLB Awards: Predicting a Winner and a Wildcard

When making award predictions, it’s not necessarily “new” information to pick one of the top 10 preseason favorites to go home with one of the awards.

Shohei Ohtani is one of the greatest baseball players to ever live, so naturally, it would be fine to write a prediction saying he could just win it again.

On the other side of that, predicting someone entirely out of nowhere because freak results happen just makes you sound like a lunatic before the season starts.

It’s all about naming candidates that you not only have confidence in but also have a PATH.

So, with our award predictions, we’ll give you not only a winner but a wild card for which you could make the case.

AL Rookie of the Year

Winner: Jackson Jobe, Detroit Tigers P

Last season, we saw Tarik Skubal win AL Cy Young in Detroit, cementing himself as THE ace of the AL, and taking Detroit to the postseason with a team in which the manager just said the rest of the staff was “Skubal and pitching chaos.”

Rookie Jackson Jobe is so highly touted that he was even called up for that miraculous postseason run. He’s only 22, and he’s adding two more pitches to his repertoire this year. He will get a full season pitching in a pitcher’s park with an even better Tigers roster than Skubal had when he won. His workload was small last season, so he may not get as much popularity as an everyday rookie, but he had an ERA under 3 and could join a contending team and make all the difference as the second option for the Motor City Kitties.

Wild Card: Jac Caglianone, Kansas City Royals 1B

Jac Caglianone was the two-way stud out of Florida that fell to the hands of the Royals at 6th and has been making waves this year already in spring with 3 homers in 12 at-bats. He could easily just be the 6 ‘5 hoss called up to hit homers next to Bobby Witt Jr. and get a ton of highlight real pop similar to what we thought of Wyatt Langford last year.

NL Rookie of the Year

Winner: Dylan Crews, Washington Nationals OF

PHOTO: Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images

Out of LSU, Crews is talked about as one of the most complete hitters in baseball. While the likelihood that he and the other brickhouse rookie, James Wood, carry the Nationals to a winning season in the NL East is slim, Crews was once debated to be taken over college teammate and winner of this award PAUL SKENES. We caught a glimpse of him last year learning the ropes, but his speed with pure, intelligent plate discipline makes him feel like the safe pick.

Wild Card: Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies P

Andrew Painter is THE wild card, especially for a Phillies team that already has maybe the best National League rotation. Painter hasn’t pitched in around two years due to Tommy John, but the 21-year-old prospect that has been “untouchable” for a team ready to win now was compared to young Justin Verlander this spring and routinely hits 99 mph. That’s scary, and that’s wild card stuff.

AL Manager of the Year

Winner: Alex Cora, Boston Red Sox

Manager of the year is entirely narrative driven- “who had a bounce back year to help a team win more with less unexpectedly?” That’s going to be Alex Cora for the Boston Red Sox. Cora’s past with Bregman was already a big reason as to why he joined the Sox, he’s known as a player’s coach, and for Boston to go from the frugal irrelevant big market team to potentially winning the AL East after their spending and the downswing of the remainder of the division gives him the story.

Wild Card: Mark Kotsay, Sacramento/Vegas/THE Athletics

Don’t rule out Mark Kotsay! If the A’s rally around playing in a minor league park and get to winning ways with both a rag tag team and a roster that spent a bit of money finally this offseason, they could come out of nowhere as the underdog story in the AL West with Kotsay as the centerpiece of some rare good vibes after a franchise was literally unrooted due to a greedy billionaire ownership.

NL Manager of the Year

Winner: Craig Counsell, Chicago Cubs

Ironically, this is the award that Counsell was supposed to win last year after Chicago paid him the highest managerial contract ever to come in and fix everything before they only won 83 games.

It’s time for round two here- if Chicago wins a muddied central after their big-spending free agency trading for Kyle Tucker to finally go all-in, and they make the postseason with some juice, Counsell will get the credit.

Wild Card:  Terry Francona, Cincinnati Reds

The Reds have a bit of a puncher’s chance at the NL Central despite being deemed a step below the Cubs and Brewers, but don’t rule them out as an unlikely postseason story with Tito Francona coming out of retirement SPECIFICALLY for the Reds and superstar Elly! That has feel-good narrative success written all over it.

AL Cy Young

Winner: Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners

There’s a reason that the Mariners still are tied for 5th in highest odds to make the World Series out of the American League despite having the 29th ranked offense in baseball last season that didn’t do anything different heading into this year: they have a starting rotation that is so rock solid and producing at a young age that fans are actively angry that they’re not doing anything to capitalize. Logan Gilbert is at the forefront of that- he’s got incredible swing-and-miss stuff as the young ace entering his prime for the staff that they didn’t want to part ways with any piece of for good reason. His record has been lackluster in the win column, and that’s solely because he hasn’t been able to have any run support in outings.

There were only two games where he didn’t go into the 6 as a workhorse. That doesn’t mean he’ll get more run support this time unless somehow the Mariners offense surges, but he’ll be pitching in the Coors equivalent but for pitchers in Seattle that deters hitters from even wanting to sign there!

Wild Card: Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers

Jacob deGrom has permanently looked like the best pitcher on the mound at all times when he’s healthy and actively on the mound. The problem? It rarely happens, and he’s been a tragic story in the MLB storybook so far. That being said, what if we DO finally see him put it all together and control his availability for a full year? It’s been 5 years. He’s the ultimate mystery box that you want to keep believing in but will feel like a fool if he burns you again.

NL Cy Young

Winner: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

It’s the boring pick. But it’s the right pick. He’s must-see television, the starter of the all-star game and following up Rookie of the Year, and you’re telling us he’s adding two new pitches this year? Bob Nutting and the Pittsburgh front office should be serving time for treason, depriving the baseball-watching community of watching Paul Skenes and his routine stone-cold killer-faced 100 mph fastball have a competent offense behind him.

Wild Card: Justin Steele, Chicago Cubs

Justin Steele put up Cy Young-contending numbers in 2023, then started off all of 2024 either injured or recovering from injury at just a 5-5 record. That being said, he finished the year strong once finally back, healthy, and in a rhythm in August and September, going 3-0 and looking like the Steele of old that has command with a deceiving fastball that doesn’t even light up the plate. He’ll have better run support on a Cubs team that likely will have an offense that is no longer inept and the best outfield defense in baseball. Steele’s personality command alone deserves star recognition on a big market team.

AL MVP 

Winner: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals SS

PHOTO: Kevin Sousa/Imagn Images

Witt came up just short last year if it weren’t for a historic, unanimous MVP by Aaron Judge. Still, he’s the ultimate five-tool player that clearly is not only going to be seen as a face of the league but is already just beginning to have that awareness as a star. He’s locked up on his deal for the next decade in KC as the man, he’ll have a great infield partner with Jonathon India on the defensive end this time, and don’t rule out his run numbers to increase even more with Vinnie Pasquantino capable of being back from injury to back him up in the lineup this season. Witt did the unfathomable last season at just 23 and will only get better as a five-tool player still learning his superpowers, and quite frankly, that’s scary.

Wild Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays 1B

Contract year Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in a standoff with his team trying to get paid after batting .323 with 30 bombs last season? Vladdy is on a revenge tour to prove his worth in free agency after narrowly missing out on an MVP to a guy named Shohei Ohtani in 2021. No, he’s not going to get the defensive stats, but he’s become one of the most pure, all-around hitters in baseball that could go scorched Earth, especially after the division rival Rays will be playing in a minor league stadium and the Yankees are getting injured left and right. The Blue Jays might have all-time low vibes currently, but the new additions to the lineup and Vladimir (Vladdy) Guerrero entering his age-26 season smells like a formula for personal success on or off of Toronto.

NL MVP

Winner: Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres SS/OF

Any time Fernando Tatis Jr. has been either healthy or not getting disciplined for something entirely immature, he has had not only the aura and play that captivates us all that is so charming you can’t help but try and look past those previous mistakes. In a year where the Padres have taken a step back in their team-building and the division only got stronger, this could be the year where we see Fernando be the mature hitter in his prime that leads San Diego to some surprising success.

His slugging, which has gradually progressed despite his long and lanky build, has made him the reason that the Dodgers considered their NLDS win over San Diego their “World Series” last season and has increased gradually in each season. He’s now 26, and we want to see Fernando be Fernando, no distractions, just winning ways in his prime.

Wild Card: Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds SS

The Cincinnati Reds were once THE story of baseball when Elly De La Cruz burst onto the scene as the man built like a literal alien NBA basketball superstar that runs with the speed of a gazelle and is just plain faster and stronger than everyone else simultaneously. Terry Francona came out of retirement and could’ve easily gotten a managerial job in almost any location and has no reason to work, but it was to manage the REDS! That’s the power of Elly.

We’ve seen the raw flash, but this season, the Reds could possibly take the Central out of nowhere with Elly taking the lead through striking out less and hitting with a more mature approach. At just 24, that’s the next step to winning MVP.

PHOTO: Kevin Sousa/Imagn Images