2022 MLB Awards: AL, NL MVP, Cy Young, Manager of the Year Predictions
This week, the BBWAA award winners will be named live on MLB Network.
Last month, I shared my top five American League and National League candidates for each major award, including Manager of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP.
Here are my predictions for who will be named winner of each award this week:
Monday
American League Rookie of the Year — Julio Rodriguez, Outfielder, Seattle Mariners
National League Rookie of the Year — Michael Harris II, Outfielder, Atlanta Braves
Both Rookie of the Year Award winners were named Monday night, and neither selection came as a big surprise. Harris beat out his teammate Spencer Strider by 14 first place votes.
Tuesday
American League Manager of the Year — Terry Francona, Cleveland Guardians
National League Manager of the Year — Buck Showalter, New York Mets
Both Manager of the Year races should be closes, but Buck Showalter transformed the culture of the New York Mets overnight, winning 101 games in 2022.
Francona's Guardians stole an American League Central title in a year that just about everybody wrote off Cleveland, winning 92 games.
Wednesday
American League Cy Young — Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
National League Cy Young — Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins
I don't expect either Cy Young vote to be close. Alcantara and Verlander should be runaway winners.
Thursday
American League MVP — Aaron Judge, Outfielder, New York Yankees
National League MVP — Paul Goldschmidt, First Baseman, St. Louis Cardinals
Judge put together one of the greatest single-seasons of any player in baseball history, and will be rewarded.
Goldschmidt's race will likely be closer. Goldschmidt led the NL MVP race for much of the season, but cooled off in September, as teammate Nolan Arenado and San Diego Padre Manny Machado may have caught up with him. There is a possibility that Arenado and Goldschmidt could take votes away from each other, in which case Machado could win his first MVP. Keep a close eye on this race Thursday.
Check out our MLB Awards Selections:
- Top 5 American League MVP Award Candidates
- Top 5 National League MVP Award Candidates
- Top 5 American League Cy Young Award Candidates
- Top 5 National League Cy Young Award Candidates
- Top 5 American League Rookie of the Year Award Candidates
- Top 5 National League Rookie of the Year Award Candidates
- Top 5 American League Manager of the Year Award Candidates
- Top 5 National League Manager of the Year Award Candidates
For more from Jack Vita, follow him on Twitter @JackVitaShow, and subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, iHeartRadio, and wherever podcasts are found.
