MLB awards finalists: Judge, Soto, Ohtani, Skenes up for hardware

The Baseball Writers' Association of America revealed the American League and National League finalists for Major League Baseball's four major awards Monday.

Winners and full voting results for each league will be announced next week (Rookie of the Year on Nov. 18, Manager of the Year on Nov. 19, Cy Young on Nov. 20, and MVP on Nov. 21).

AL MVP

Judge hit an MLB-best 58 homers with 144 RBIs and a staggering 1.159 OPS for the AL pennant-winning Yankees, He's vying for his second MVP award in three years after leading the majors with 11.2 fWAR. Meanwhile, Witt recorded his second straight 30-homer, 30-steal season and posted 10.4 fWAR to help the Royals make the playoffs following 106 losses in 2023. Soto, who's free agency will be the story of the offseason, went deep a career-high 41 times while scoring an AL-high 128 runs to go along with a .419 on-base percentage.

NL MVP

Ohtani once again left the baseball world in awe with an unprecedented 54-homer, 59-steal campaign en route to winning a World Series. He did this while taking a year off from pitching to recover from elbow surgery. Ohtani could become the second player in MLB history to win an MVP in each league. Lindor, who only trailed Ohtani in fWAR in the NL, led the surprising Mets to a postseason berth thanks to his 33 long balls, 91 RBIs, 29 stolen bases, and outstanding defense at short. Marte rounds out the group. The star second baseman recorded 36 round-trippers with 151 wRC+ for the D-Backs.

AL Cy Young

Skubal is the favorite to win his first Cy Young after capturing the AL Triple Crown. The 27-year-old left-hander led the league in wins (18), ERA (2.39), and strikeouts (228). Lugo is up for the award just two years after transitioning to a starter from a reliever. He finished with the third-highest fWAR among AL hurlers due to a 3.00 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Finally, Clase is the first reliever to be a Cy Young finalist since Francisco Rodríguez in 2008. The Guardians' star closer authored a microscopic 0.61 ERA with an AL-high 47 saves.

NL Cy Young

Sale is positioned to take home the honor for the first time in his stellar 14-year career after capturing the NL Triple Crown by leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.38), and strikeouts (225). His 6.4 fWAR was also the best in baseball for pitchers. Wheeler amassed a career-best 2.57 ERA with 0.96 WHIP, the top mark for qualified NL hurlers. Skenes, who's also up for Rookie of the Year, is the fifth freshman ever to finish top three for Cy Young after bursting onto the scene with a 1.96 ERA and 11.5 K/9 in his age-22 season.

AL Rookie of the Year

Cowser can make the Orioles the first MLB team since 2016-17 to have consecutive Rookie of the Year winners. The 24-year-old led first-year players in his league with 24 homers and 4.0 fWAR. The emergence of Gil stabilized New York's rotation thanks to 15 wins, a 3.50 ERA, and 10.2 K/9. Lastly, Wells went deep 13 times with 55 RBIs and 3.4 fWAR as the Yankees' No. 1 catcher.

NL Rookie of the Year

Skenes exceeded sky-high expectations in Year 1 after he was taken with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. He started the All-Star Game and flirted with multiple no-hitters. However, the pitching phenom finished behind Merrill in fWAR, as the 21-year-old Padres outfielder gained a reputation for being a clutch player with the game on the line. Chourio posted a 20-homer, 20-steal season at age 20 for the NL Central-winning Brewers.

AL Manager of the Year

Vogt led the Guardians to the ALCS in his first year after taking over for longtime manager Terry Francona. Cleveland won 92 games, which was the second-highest total in the AL, en route to securing a division crown. Hinch got the Tigers into the postseason for the first time since 2014. Detroit's memorable second-half run saw the club come within one victory of the ALCS. Quatraro helped the Royals shock many by reaching the ALDS following a combined 203 defeats between 2022-23.

NL Manager of the Year

Mendoza guided the Mets to 89 wins and their first NLCS appearance since 2015 in his rookie season. Meanwhile, Murphy overcame the loss of ace Corbin Burnes and All-Star closer Josh Harder to secure Milwaukee's third division title in four years. Finally, Shildt was responsible for the Padres earning 93 victories, which was the second-highest amount in franchise history. San Diego also came within a game of knocking out the Dodgers in the NLDS.