BBWAA Awards: Meet the Finalists

NEW YORK – With the crowning of a new World Series champion, the Atlanta Braves, the time for awards has arrived.

On Sunday the Golden Glove winners, and on Monday the nominees for the awards from the Baseball Writers Association of North America (BBWAA) were announced.

The Rookie of the Year winners will be announced on Monday, November 15, followed by the Managers of the Year (Tuesday 16), Cy Young (Wednesday 17) and Most Valuable Players (Thursday 18). In each case the announcement will be made during a special MLB Network broadcast starting at 6:00 pm

Los Angeles Angels sensation Shohei Ohtani is one of the finalists for the AL Most Valuable Player award in the BBWAA vote.

Ohtani is in the final shortlist of the American League voting with two Toronto players: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Marcus Semien.

Ohtani, 27, had a .257 batting average with 46 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .965 OPS as the Angels’ designated hitter, while going 9-2 with a 3.81 ERA. in 23 starts. It was his first full season in both roles, after he won the 2018 Rookie of the Year award even after an elbow injury kept him back on the mound after 10 starts.

Former St. Louis Cardinals head honcho Mike Shildt was nominated for the NL Manager of the Year award less than a month after he was fired. The other finalists are: Craig Counsell, from Milwaukee, and Gabe Kapler, from San Francisco.

The Cardinals won 17 straight games at the end of the season and entered the postseason for the third time in four years under Shildt, but the 2018 Manager of the Year was fired because what general manager John Mozeliak described as “ philosophical differences ”. Bench coach Oliver Marmol will replace Shildt.

Meanwhile, the finalists for AL Manager of the Year are: Dusty Baker of the Astros, Kevin Cash of the Rays and Scott Servais of the Mariners.

The contest for the MVP award of the National is between Bryce Haper of Philadelphia, and the Dominicans Juan Soto of Washington and Fernando Tatis Jr. of San Diego. Harper is the only one of the three who has already won the accolade, earning the honor in 2015 with the Nationals.

Max Scherzer is a finalist for a fourth Cy Young Award after splitting the season between the Nationals and the Dodgers, but for the other finalists it would be the first time they have earned the distinction.

Corbin Burnes of Milwaukee and Zack Wheeler of Philadelphia are the other two finalists in the National League, while in the American League the contest was reduced to Gerrit Cole of the Yankees, Lance Lynn of the White Sox and Robbie Ray of the Blue Jays. who is now a free agent.

Postseason star Randy Arozarena and his teammate Wander Franco of the Tampa Bay Rays are finalists for the AL Rookie of the Year award alongside Astros right-hander Luis Garcia.

Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson, Reds second baseman Jonathan India and Marlins left-hander Trevor Rogers are the finalists for NL Rookie of the Year.

Here is the list of the three finalists in each category:

National League
Corbin Burnes, Brewers
Max Scherzer, Nationals / Dodgers
Zack Wheeler, Phillies

American league
Gerrit Cole, Yankees
Lance Lynn, White Sox
Robbie Ray, Blue Jays

National League
OF Dylan Carlson, Cardinals
INF Jonathan India, Reds
P Trevor Rogers, Marlins

American league
OF Randy Arozarena, Rays
INF Wander Franco, Rays
P Luis Garcia, Astros

Gabe Kapler, Giants
Mike Shildt, Cardinals
Craig Counsell, Brewers

American league
Dusty Baker, Astros
Kevin Cash, Rays
Scott Servais, Mariners

Bryce Harper, Phillies
Juan José Soto, Nationals
Fernando Tatis Jr., Parents

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
Shohei Ohtani, Angels
Marcus Semien, Blue Jays