By Joe Browne

NL MVP: Manny Machado

Manny came very close to taking home this award two years ago in 2022. Last year he had a down year for Machado’s standard. Manny struggled in the entire first half of the season. He started very slow but as the season went on began to pick it up. Machado got hot in the second half of the year and pulled his numbers up but due to a weak first half, overall it was still a down year. Manny won’t be playing the field to at least start the season. He had surgery on his throwing arm in the offseason. This is a big aid for Manny because his numbers as a DH last year were great. It will also aid Machado in being able to focus solely on his hitting and not have to worry about playing the field. Manny still hit the baseball hard last year but his numbers were down from the year before. I expect Machado to get back to advanced metrics from 2022 again this year. Books have Machado at pretty high odds so he is technically a dark horse. Manny will remind everyone how great he is this season and his team will turn heads in 2024.

AL MVP: Juan Soto

Soto certainly would have been my NL MVP pick but he doesn’t play in that league anymore. Juan Soto is a New York Yankee, it was the headline of the offseason in baseball. Soto has fully embraced being in New York and rocking the pinstripes. He has looked great so far on both sides of the ball. He has propelled the Yankees to a strong 6-1 start. Soto turned down a massive deal from Washington a couple of years ago before he shipped to San Diego. He felt that he could get even more money. Now it is finally his contract year and he is playing in the big apple. Soto lives for the bright lights. The kid was 20 years old carrying a team to a World Series championship in 2019. When he’s on, he is the best hitter in the sport. Soto wants that money this offseason, he is going to be the 2024 AL MVP. 

NL Cy Young: Tyler Glasnow

Another guy who is with a new club this year who I predict will win a major award. Glasnow has always had injury problems that have prevented him from competing for a Cy Young. He made 21 starts last year in Tampa so he was healthier but still missed a significant amount of starts. His fastball is eclectic, always has been and always will be. His big frame creates elite extension with elite velocity. He generated whiffs at an elite rate last year but so far has gotten a significantly less amount of whiffs so far this season. Glasnow is only 3 starts into his Dodgers career so I would not worry about that at all. Glasnow will rack up a big amount of strikeouts again this year which will aid him in his Cy Young chase. The Dodgers have at times lacked the great game 1 starter but Tyler Glasnow will emerge as just that in 2024.

AL Cy Young: Pablo Lopez

Pablo Lopez broke out in a big way for the Twins last year. His sweeper became his go-to pitch and it helped him strike out a whopping 234 batters in 2023. That’s by far the highest number of his career. Lopez has started 32 games in each of the last two seasons. He has an elite repertoire that has developed every year and only gotten better as time has gone on. He gets hitters to chase a whole lot. Lopez has emerged as an elite frontline starter over the last two years. It’s now time for Pablo to get that national attention and become the best pitcher in the American League in 2024. 

NL ROTY: Jackson Chourio

I gave Chourio a more in depth breakdown on mt Brewers writeup so go check that out if you haven’t already. Chourio has gotten off to just about the best start you could ask for in his first 5 big league games. I watched him take professional AB’s all weekend against my Mets last week. Chourio was impressive to say the least. He is already hitting .350 with one homer and one bag. I project Chourio to have a 20 homer 30 stolen base season in his rookie campaign. Also, his defense in right field has been elite in his first 5 games. Chourio is a future superstar and his resume building starts this season by bringing home the rookie of the year. 

AL ROTY: Evan Carter

When a young player has a major contribution to a World Series championship like Carter did last season, they usually fair pretty well. In only 62 AB’s last year, Carter smacked 5 homers and had an OPS at 1.058. Sure it’s a small sample size but for a 21 year old kid that’s pretty damn impressive. Carter continued to absolutely rake in the postseason and helped the Rangers win themselves a championship in 2023. Now, Carter is still hitless this year but don’t panic he is only 15 AB’s into his season. Carter will get it going soon and when he does watch out. The Rangers have so many young outfielders who are going to be elite for a long time and Carter is one of them. Last year was just the trailer for Carter, 2024 is going to be the movie.

NL MOTY: Mike Shildt

In my opinion, Shildt should have never lost his job in St. Louis. After 2 years away from a manager position he is back at the helm now in San Diego. Shildt led some good Cardinals teams and now he will manage a Padres team that I really like this year. He was an internal higher, a promotion from being San Diego’s bench coach. This is going to be a benefit for the Padres already knowing their manager and what he is like. This is definitely a tough award to predict but since I like the Padres this year I think Shildt has a good chance to bring home his second career manager of the year award. 

AL MOTY: Bradon Hyde

The American League version of this award is almost impossible to predict because I don’t see any surprise teams in the AL this year. It’s chalk, but I’ll go with Hyde to take this one home again this year because I think the Orioles are going to be the best team in the American League again this year. They are built almost perfectly and now with Corbin Burnes they finally have the frontline ace they have been looking for. Hyde has done just about as good a job as you can possibly do with the group he has in Baltimore. The only question left is, can Hyde lead the Birds to a World Series Championship ?

Sources:

Baseball Reference

Baseball Savant