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

By Jonah Drew

NL MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr.

I view Fernando Tatis Jr. in a very similar light as 2023 NL MVP, Ronald Acuna Jr. Acuna did not play the better part of the 2021 season due to an ACL Tear. Tatis did not at all in the 2022 season due to a variety of injuries and eventually a controversial steroid suspension. Acuna’s 2022 was not up to his standards at all, posting a 115 WRC+, not bad but not Ronald Acuna. Tatis 2023 was the same story, a .771 OPS is very good but we have seen what Nando is capable of, not to mention he won the platinum glove at a completely foreign position. Once he fully had his legs back under him, Acuna had a record breaking 40/70 season and an undeniable MVP season. I expect a similar plot for Tatis, the man is a freak of nature. It can not be overstated how impressive his 2023 was from a defensive standpoint, Tatis in the Top 6 percent in range, arm strength, and fielding run value, this is not normal for someone still learning the position. Tatis still hit the ball incredibly hard last season, posting a hard hit rate just below 50%. With another year in right field and and another year removed from his hiatus, there is no reason Tatis can’t be an 8+ win player and the NL MVP.

AL MVP: Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge got ample fan fair for his 62 Homer season in 2022 and rightfully so, in some peoples eyes, not mine for the record, Judge broke the single season home run record regardless of league. What if I told you he was equally as good in 2023 and if it weren’t for the chain link fence in Dodger Stadium, he would have showed that 2022 Aaron Judge, is annual Aaron Judge. Aaron Judge led the league in the following offensive metrics-xwOBA(.451), xSLG(.712), Average Exit Velocity(97.6), Barrel Rate(27.5%), Hard-Hit Rate(64.2%) and Walk Rate(19.2). In other words, Aaron Judge is the best hitter in baseball and it is not particularly close at all. I would go as far as to say that Aaron Judge is the best overall player in baseball in 2024, considering Shohei Ohtani is exclusively a DH. The protection for Juan Soto, expect some gaudy gaudy numbers from Judge in 2024. His WAR numbers will be helped by the fact that he playing a premium position, assuming he can play an average center field which he has shown the ability to do.

NL Cy Young: Spencer Strider

Spencer Strider is the heavy favorite win this award and for good reason. Until he does what I expect him to ERA wise, there will always be the Strider deniers that scream about his 3.86 ERA from the mountain tops. To this crowd I say, please consider looking even slightly deeper into his 2023 season, I think you will find that he pitched far better than his ERA. I do not think there is a peripheral anywhere that does not love Spencer Strider, his xERA of 3.09 was a far cry from his 3.86, as was his 2.92 xFIP. It would hardly be a stretch to call Strider the modern day Nolan Ryan, of course its early but that is the way its looking. In 2022, Strider broke the record for least amount of innings to rack up 200 Strikeouts. In 2023, Strider struck out 36.8% of batters, good for the 99th percentile. I am extremely excited about Strider’s new addition to his arsenal, his curveball. Previously strictly a fastball/slider guy, it will be massive for him to have a reliable alternate secondary. Although the Fastball and Slider are easy 70+ grade offering, neither are immune to an off day and if Strider can have a second out pitch on days where he does not have his slider command, it should only help his already unrivaled strike out ability.

AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal

It seems Tarik Skubal has become a popular Cy Young pick, especially now that last year’s winner, Gerrit Cole, will miss significant time. I have to say though, I have had this selection predetermined since about November, long before the Skubal hype train really started to pick up steam. There is a reason Skubal has fallen into favor with the baseball community, by all accounts, he was the best pitcher in baseball in the second half, where 68.1 of his 80.1 Innings came from. Skubal’s peripherals were absolutely fantastic, he posted an xERA of 2.30, an xBA of .197, and a barrel rate of 4.2%. Skubal has a rare combination of Strike out ability and Ground ball ability. Skubal’s 32.9% K rate ranks in the 96th percentile while his 51.8% Ground ball rate ranks in the 87th percentile, not to mention his minuscule 4.5% walk rate. Every pitch in Skubal’sb4 pitch mix is effective but his Changeup is what really stands out, the pitch generates whiff at over a 50% clip and has an xwOBA of .195. Skubal’s numbers in the second half are beyond encouraging, if he can stay healthy which has been an issue in the past, he is fully capable of being the best pitcher in the game, no exaggeration.

NL ROTY: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Fans were quick to pile on Yamamoto after he struggled in his Dodgers debut. Yamamoto pitched on Thursday in the Seoul series, only lasting one inning and allowing 5 to cross. The reaction to this game, as you would expect, was irrational, people making brash takes about one bad inning in the man’s first start in a foreign country. Let’s not forget the Yamamoto sweepstakes, Yoshi had some of the best baseball minds in the world fawning over his abilities. Minds like Brian Cashman, David Stearns, and Andrew Friedman were happy to open up the checkbook, and for good reason at that. Yamamoto features a comfortably plus fastball, sitting mid 90s with some elite ride at the top of the zone. He also has 2 absolutely elite breaking pitches, a Splitter and a Curveball. The splitter sits around 90 MPH with 1500 RPMs and some devastating horizontal break. The heralded “yo-yo” Curve has nearly 3000 RPMs and generates whiff like you would expect, but what you wouldn’t expect is the fact that Yoshi lands it for a strike 70% of the time. The cutter and the sweeper are both solid big league pitches to round out an unbelievable 5 pitch mix. The 3 time NPB MVP has some relatively unprecedented expectations surrounding him and am fully bought in, the expectations are warranted.

AL ROTY: Wyatt Langford

Wyatt Langford absolutely rakes, and he has done nothing but since well his stats have been tracked. Langford only had significant ABs in 2 Collegiate seasons for Florida, he put 1.166 OPS, and then a 1.282 OPS in his Junior season. Langford his 47 HRs in 134 Games at the college level, in the SEC no less. On top of that, Langford can fly, posting run times in the 95th percentile. All this is why I was absolutely floored when the Detroit Tigers passed on him in favor of Max Clark, not that Clark is a bad player by any means but if I were Ben Cherrington of the Pirates, I might just have selected Langford number 1 overall. The Rangers, the world series champions, were more than happy to take him as he fell into their laps. Langford continued his immense success to pro ball, posting an OPS above 1.000 at every stop, from rookie ball all the way to AAA. He even put on a show in spring training, removing any doubt that he would be on the big club from the jump. My only gripe with Langford is that I wish he would use his speed to steal more bases and especially to play quality outfield defense, where he has graded out very poorly, especially for somebody of his athleticism. Langford has as much protection as one could ask for, as he will be in the middle of one of, if not the very best lineup in baseball. Langford could legit hit 40 tanks as a rookie, this is the kind of juice we are looking at.

NL MOTY: David Bell

Manager of the year far and away the hardest award to predict for a variety of reasons. The main one being Manager of the year, more than any other award, is a narrative based award. These narratives are almost impossible to predict but nonetheless there are some story lines you can see from a mile away. This is the case with David Bell, if you read my standings and playoff predictions you would know I believe in the Cincinnati Reds. I had them winning 87 ball games and winning the National League Central division. The youngest team in baseball, the Reds will be a load of fun and I expect the national media to fall in love with this team. It also helps that even though this team is Uber talented, it is not full of household names so this will help play into the “more with less” narrative, even if it is not entirely true.

AL MOTY: A.J. Hinch

As I said in my narrative ball rant above, this award is won and lost on media generated narratives. This may throw a wrench into A.J. Hinch’s American League Manager of the year candidacy. Hinch was the manager of the notorious 2017-2019 Astros, probably the most hated team since the turn of the century due to their trash banging cheating scandal. It remains to be seen whether or not the writers voting on the matter will hold his history against him but I lean on the side that they won’t. If the Tigers do what I expect them to do, which is win 85 games and win the American League Central division, then Hinch will be crowned as the man who brought winning baseball back to the motor city.

Sources

Baseball Reference

Baseball Savant

CBS Sports

Fangraphs

Fanduel

Just Baseball

By Joe Browne

NL East	NL Central	NL West	AL East	AL Central	AL West
Braves (101-61)	Cubs (87-75)	Dodgers (106-56)	Orioles (99-63)	Twins (88-74)	Astros (93-69)
Phillies (92-70)	Reds (82-80)	Padres (93-69)	Yankees (92-70)	Tigers (84-78)	Mariners (91-71)
Mets (86-76)	Brewers (80-82)	D-Backs (89-73)	Rays (88-74)	Guardians (75-87)	Rangers (87-75)
Marlins (77-85)	Pirates (79-83)	Giants (84-78)	Blue Jays (83-79)	Royals (68-94)	Angels (67-95)
Nationals (68-94)	Cardinals (75-87)	Rockies (51-111)	Red Sox (72-90)	White Sox (52-110)	A’s (54-108)

Postseason

National League

• 1. Dodgers
• 2. Braves
• 3. Cubs
• 4. Padres
• 5. Phillies
• 6. D-Backs

Matchups

NL Wild Card

Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs – Arizona (2-1)

Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres – Philadelphia (2-1)

NL Division Series

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Los Angles Dodgers – Los Angeles (3-1)

Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves – Atlanta (3-2)

NL Championship Series

Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers – Los Angeles (4-1)

American League

• 1. Orioles
• 2. Astros
• 3. Twins
• 4. Yankees
• 5. Mariners
• 6. Rays

AL Wild Card

Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins – Minnesota (2-0)

Seattle Mariners at New York Yankees – Seattle (2-1)

AL Division Series

Minnesota Twins vs Baltimore Orioles – Baltimore (3-1)

Seattle Mariners vs Houston Astros – Settle (3-2)

AL Championship Series

Seattle Mariners vs Baltimore Orioles – Seattle (4-3)

World Series

Seattle Mariners vs Los Angeles Dodgers – Los Angeles (4-1)

World Series Champions: Los Angeles Dodgers