It will be because I have declared it to be close enough and with the authority to do so in this place.
Let’s check in on the award races and distribute some phony trophy now that the season is one-fourth over. Even though there is no such thing as a quarter-season award, we nevertheless give them out.
These are not forecasts or statements about what might or even might not occur in the future. I’m calculating the winners of the awards if the season ended right now. There will be multiple changes, but it’s also perfectly conceivable for someone to hold on and go almost wire to wire. Let’s start now.
American League MVP: Angels’ Shohei Ohtani
Look, voter and/or fan weariness shouldn’t exist because he has only ever won this award once, and it wasn’t last year.
Let’s also be careful not to assume that the fact that this pitcher is an ace and one of the league’s greatest hitters with runners up on the bases is a given.
He now has a record of 5-1, a 3.23 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched. He is striking at the plate.303/.377/.555 with nine home runs, eight doubles, two triples, 29 RBI, and 25 runs. He has also stolen six bases.
No one in the AL is delivering the kind of two-way value that Ohtani does, so it would take a historic performance from someone, such to Aaron Judge last year, to even stand a chance against him.
Wander Franco, Rays, came in second.
Rangers’ Marcus Semien, Rays’ Yandy Dáz, Blue Jays’ Matt Chapman, and Rays’ Randy Arozarena are also in the mix.
Gerrit Cole, Yankees, Cy Young
Right now, this is outrageously challenging. I had a different choice at first, but I ultimately decided to go with the volume for the time being.
With 56 and a third innings pitched and most hitters faced, Cole leads the league. He has thrown 62 strikeouts while compiling a 2.22 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in that workload.
One anomaly against that Rays club is reasonable in the one game that threw off his rate figures, which occurred at The Trop. The harder regimen at this early stage actually helps the resume even more.
However, I have no objections to choosing any of the individuals listed below and probably a few others as well. It’s close, as I mentioned, and difficult right now.
Sonny Gray of the Twins, runner-up
In the mix are Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, Tigers’ Eduardo Rodriguez, Twins’ Joe Ryan, and Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan.
Yennier won Rookie of the Year. Orioles, Cano
I find it unbelievable that I chose to take a reliever at this point in the season. Cano has been exceptional. He has pitched 19 2/3 scoreless innings in 15 appearances.
He has 22 strikeouts. He has only given up four hits and has not walked anyone. Go back and read those again, and then pause to consider how serious those statistics are.
They are so excellent it’s ridiculous. He has also pitched in crucial situations, as shown by the fact that he leads the majors in win probability added.
Runner-up: Red Sox pitcher Masataka Yoshida
There are three players involved: Bryce Miller, Josh Jung, and Luke Raley of the Rays.
Kevin Cash, Rays, manager of the year
The Rays achieved 30 wins in one of the quickest times we’ve ever seen. They tied the current record for the fewest teams in history to open the season 13-0.
Although there is fierce competition in this category, I’m not sure if these accomplishments will last the full season. However, with only one-quarter of the season remaining, the winner would be obvious.
Runner-up: Rangers coach Bruce Bochy
Orioles’ Brandon Hyde is a contender.
Ronald Acua Jr., Braves, was named the National League MVP.
Right now, there aren’t many questions. Nobody has been paying attention if they’ve been looking for an explanation. Next!
Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks, Cy Young
This is insanely close, as I discussed with the AL, and that often will be the case with such a small sample of starts here in the early going.
In my opinion, Gallen feels like the best pitcher in the NL right now and has really grown as a pitcher.
He has pitched more than 57 innings and has the best rates in the NL with a 2.35 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. With 70 strikeouts to eight walks, he leads the league in K:BB ratio. In his starts for the D-Backs, they are 7-2.
Runner-up: Giants’ Alex Cobb
Justin Steele, the Cubs’ Justin Steele, the Braves’ Spencer Strider, and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw are also involved.
Rookie of the Year: James Outman, Dodgers Outman was pressed into regular service after Gavin Lux’s injured ACL early in spring training caused a bit of a musical chairs situation on the roster.
He has been fantastic. He is slugging (.544 SLG with eight doubles, three triples, and eight home runs) and reaching base (.359 OBP). In 42 games, he has 26 runs scored and 23 runs batted in.
Diamondbacks runner-up Corbin Carroll
Marlins and Huascar Brazoban are included.
Dodgers’ Dave Roberts is the manager of the year.
I believe we need to take Derek Shelton out of this situation because the Pirates have dropped 11 of their previous 13 games. He would have got it probably a week ago, but it is now lost as the Pirates completely disintegrated.
Many of the potential or actual contenders have had mediocre seasons thus far. The only remaining candidates are Brian Snitker of the Braves and Craig Counsell of the Brewers, two of the typical suspects.
The Dodgers, though, hold the best record in the National League despite losing a number of important players and making few additions during the winter. They likewise got off to a rough start (10-11), but since hitting their groove, they’ve gone 17-4.
