Early Season Award Predictions

The season is already almost a third of the way done, with the trade deadline approaching. Many players have found themselves having breakout years in the shortened season, as they fight for a playoff spot with their team. Despite it still being early on, it is time for a way too early award prediction.

Rookies of the Year

American League: Luis Robert takes the crown here. To start the year he has gone on a tear, leading the league in stolen bases, and wowing with the bat AND the glove. Not only do his stats say rookie of the year, but some of the highlight reel plays he has found himself in have put him atop of the group.

Honorable Mention: Nobody. Robert will win in a landslide. There is so much hype around him, and he is performing, which combines in a huge victory. Jesus Luzardo likely finishes second, but won't be able to make a run at the crown due to being on a small market team, and only half his appearances coming as starts.

National League: Dustin May finishes atop all NL rookies. He has begun the season on a really good path, picking up where he left off to end the 2019 season. Like Robert, May has a lot of hype, and being in a big market here will be a huge help. Plus, he won't find a full time starting role difficult to maintain (like Luzardo) after David Price opted out of the season.

Honorable Mention: Dylan Carlson. He will make a good run, but won't be able to overcome May. Carlson slugged his way through the minors, and will likely earn himself a full time role considering NL teams have adapted a DH. With a big bat he will find himself close the the ROY, but since he didn't start the year with the team, his late call up might cost him the award in what will likely be a close finish.

CY Young

American League: When looking at all AL pitchers this season, one guy has really stood out. Shane Bieber went on a historic run to start the season, after wowing on opening day with 14 strikeouts and no runs allowed. He has been able to stick to form, and has been really impressive since. With a 60 game season, that spurt of games was huge for the 25 year old, and another short burst could secure him some serious hardware.

Honorable Mention: Lance Lynn. After turning heads with a resurgence in 2019, he has been incredible in 2020. Although he likely won't be able to maintain his elite form, his strong start to the year could easily keep him in Cy Young talks.

National League: Who else other than the reigning back to back CY Young winner himself, Jacob DeGrom. After coming into the season as the best pitcher in the league, he has only gotten better by hitting career highs in fastball velocity in his age 32 season. In past years he averaged 96 MPH on his fastball, but brought that up to almost 99 MPH, hitting 100+ several times on the season. If he can maintain a low 2.00 ERA on the season, he is the most likely candidate to win it for his third consecutive victory.

Honorable Mention: Trevor Bauer has been an elite pitcher for quite some time now, but he has really broken out to start the 2020 season. The current league leader in ERA has made the necessary adjustments to take the step into the elite range of pitchers, and if it weren't for a future hall of famer in DeGrom, the award will likely be his, as a close second place finish is expected.

MVP

American League: Going with the ole' reliable here in Mike Trout. After starting the year on a tear, the 3 time MVP winner will be hunting for his 4th award, and his 2nd consecutive. Trout has hit the cover off the ball in 2020, finding himself among the league leaders in almost every significant category. Many other players have found themselves in similar spots, but ultimately Trout will win the award simply because he is Mike Trout. Many undecided voters are likely to select him simply because of his history, and the general consensus surrounding him as the best player in baseball. When in doubt, choose Trout.

Honorable Mention: Aaron Judge. The current league leader in Home Runs, RBI, and Slugging % has undoubtedly been incredible. The main issue for Judge is the Trout effect (when in doubt, go with Trout), and consistency. Judge has battled injuries for the last two years, and has been unable to remain in the game long enough to gain consistency. There is the risk that he will slow in the second half of the season, which is why he will likely come up just short of the award in 2020.

NL MVP: Fernando Tatis is the choice, but isn't an obvious/clear candidate. Despite an incredible start to the season, he is just in his second year, and could easily experience a sophomore slump, or a second half crash. Plus, despite many highlight reel defensive plays, his defensive metrics really aren't too impressive. However, he has one major factor in his favor, and that is that he is the poster boy for the league. With so much attention surrounding him, he has a serious chance to run with it and contend for MVP. He might not be the best player in the league, but if he can continue to perform at a high level, he very well could take the MVP home.

Honorable Mention: Mookie Betts. Another player that started the season hot. Betts has a serious chance to win the award considering that he has won it before, and because he is a big player on a big market team. Chances are that he finishes as the best player in the league, but it isn't always the best player that win the award. Just ask Christian Yelich.

It is still very early to precisely pick the award winners, but from what the players have been able to do, many of these picks seem very possible. Anything could change in such a short season however, so one can never know what could unfold.