MLB awards finalists: Judge, Ohtani, Machado highlight MVP candidates

The Baseball Writers' Association of America revealed each league's three finalists for Major League Baseball's four major awards on Monday night: Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year.

Winners and full voting results for each league will be announced next week.

AL MVP

Alvarez slugged .613 with 37 homers and a .406 OBP, serving as the rock of Houston's dynamic lineup. Though primarily a designated hitter, he also played some surprisingly solid defense in left field when called upon. Judge electrified New York by hitting an American League-record 62 homers while also chasing a Triple Crown. The 30-year-old led the majors in RBIs, runs scored, and every slash-line category except average. Judge also posted plus defense at two outfield spots. Ohtani is looking to win a second straight MVP after another unprecedented two-way season as a DH and pitcher. His 34 homers and .875 OPS this year took a backseat to his work on the mound, posting a sparkling 2.33 ERA and 2.40 FIP with 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 166 innings.

NL MVP

Arenado, an MVP finalist for the second time in his career, enjoyed a stellar all-around season for the Cardinals. In addition to his usual Gold Glove defense at the hot corner, the 31-year-old slugged 30 homers and 40 doubles and struck out just 72 times. Goldschmidt makes it two Cardinals MVP finalists and will try to win this award after finishing top three on three previous occasions. The 35-year-old came up short in his pursuit of a Triple Crown but led the NL in slugging and OPS while finishing top 10 in a slew of other important categories. Machado, a finalist for the second time in three years, was the Padres' heartbeat all season. He ranked among the league leaders in most categories while posting his best all-around campaign since arriving in San Diego.

AL Cy Young

Cease posted the AL's second-lowest ERA and was second in strikeouts during a dominant season on the South Side of Chicago. Manoah, who's trying to make it back-to-back Cy Young winners for the Blue Jays, broke out as an ace with an All-Star campaign that saw him finish top four in the Junior Circuit in innings pitched, WAR, ERA, and ERA+. Verlander, 39, proved age is but a number with a season for the ages. After missing most of the last two years due to Tommy John surgery, the two-time Cy Young winner returned to lead the AL in wins, ERA, WHIP, and ERA+ for the World Series-champion Astros.

NL Cy Young

Three first-time finalists will vie for the NL Cy Young. Alcantara, looking to become the first Marlins pitcher to win this award, broke out as a dominant workhorse this year, completing six of his 32 starts while finishing top five in multiple categories. Fried turned in a brilliant season for Atlanta, finishing third in the NL in ERA+ and fourth in WAR. Urias led the NL in both ERA and ERA+ as a stabilizing force atop the 111-win Dodgers' rotation.

AL Rookie of the Year

Kwan was one of the best stories in the AL, coming out of nowhere to become a Gold Glove outfielder and an on-base, contact-hitting machine for the Guardians. Rodriguez made good on his promise as a top prospect by leading rookies in most offensive categories and becoming just the third freshman ever with a 25-homer, 25-steal season. Rutschman was the key to the Orioles' resurgence, emerging as a force behind the plate and a presence among the league's rookie leaders for most of the season.

NL Rookie of the Year

Donovan was a literal Swiss army knife for the Cardinals, starting games at six different positions en route to winning the inaugural NL utility player Gold Glove. He also got on base at a .394 clip at the top of St. Louis' lineup. Harris, 21, solidified center field for the Braves, coming one homer shy of a 20-20 campaign while channeling Andruw Jones with his glove in center field. Strider, armed with an electric fastball, was the first Braves rookie pitcher since 1890 to record 200 strikeouts, at a clip of 13.8 per nine innings. He also posted a sparkling 0.99 WHIP in 131 2/3 innings.

AL Manager of the Year

Francona, who guided the Guardians to a surprising AL Central title, is looking for his third Manager of the Year honor since arriving in Cleveland in 2013. Hyde presided over an incredible turnaround season in Baltimore, taking the young Orioles from 110 losses last season to a winning record and playoff contention in the tough AL East. Servais, the runner-up for this award last year, led the Mariners to a second straight 90-win season and their first playoff berth in 20 years.

NL Manager of the Year

Roberts pushed all the right buttons during the regular season, leading the Dodgers to a franchise-record 111 wins, the most victories by a National League team in 113 years. Showalter's first season with the Mets was a great one, as the 66-year-old guided the club to 101 wins and its first playoff berth since 2016. A three-time winner of this award, he's looking to become just the third skipper ever to win four Manager of the Year honors. Snitker, who took home this award in 2018, helped the Braves to a fifth straight NL East title and the franchise's first 100-win campaign since 2003.