MLB Awards predictions

The Major League Baseball regular season came to an end Monday. That means the postseason is now upon us, but also award season. Who will take home the top awards in baseball later this month?

American League MVP: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Two years ago, Judge set the American League single-season record for home runs, and he was arguably better this year. He had the best batting average of his career at .322 and led the majors again with 58 home runs. He also led the league in RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.

National League MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Ohtani’s stardom continued in his first season with the crosstown Dodgers. He hit .310 with 54 home runs, both of which are career bests. His season will go down in MLB history for his 59 stolen bases, making him the first player in history with a 50/50 season.

American League Cy Young: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

Skubal had displayed his talent over the last couple of years but was unable to put it together for a full season. This year was his first full season since 2021, and he won the American League Triple Crown. He finished the year with 18 wins, a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts.

National League Cy Young: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

Like Skubal, Sale had missed a chunk of time in recent years due to injury, and there were questions about whether he was past his prime years. This year, he had his best season at age 35 and won the National League Triple Crown with 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts.

Skubal and Sale both winning the Triple Crown marks the first year a pitcher from both leagues won the Triple Crown since 2011 when Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw won for the AL and NL respectively.

American League Rookie of the Year: Luis Gil, New York Yankees

This award looked to come down to two Yankees: Gil and Austin Wells. In the last couple of weeks, it has looked as if Gil’s performance will be enough to pull away and take home the award.

Gil particularly had a strong start to the year in which he led the majors in ERA after May. While his performance dipped since then, he still finished with a solid 15-7 record and a 3.50 ERA. If his control can improve, he could be an important starter for the Yankees for the next few years.

National League Rookie of the Year: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

Missing over a month of the season might hurt Skenes as he wasn’t called up until May 11, but his performance this season should push him over the top. Since being called up, Skenes has been named the starting pitcher for the All-Star Game and has arguably been the best pitcher in baseball.

The 22-year-old finished with an 11-3 record and a 1.96 ERA with 170 strikeouts and 133 innings pitched in just 23 starts.

Jacob Rudy is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jar7371@psu.edu.