The nominees for the BBWAA four major awards were revealed on Monday night. In each league, an MVP, Cy Young, Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year will be named. Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is among the finalists for the top award, the American League MVP.
It was always a likelihood that Ohtani would be nominated for this award, and possibly win it. His historic 2021 was arguably the greatest individual season by a player in MLB history, and he has already been awarded with several Player of the Year honors, including at the Players Choice Awards.
He was named a finalist alongside two members of the Toronto Blue Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Marcus Semien. Guerrero was an expected choice to be named with Ohtani, but Semien is a bit of a surprise. He had a remarkable season with the Blue Jays, but there was more momentum for players like Salvador Perez.
In some other surprises, L.A. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was not a finalist for Manager of the Year despite the Dodgers’ 106 wins, second best in all of baseball. Meanwhile, zero of the six MVP finalists made the playoffs, signaling a huge shift in the qualifications of the award.
Below, we’ll take a look at each of the major award nominees. The award winners will be announced each day of next week at 3:00 p.m. PT:
Monday, November 15: Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award
Tuesday, November 16: Manager of the Year Award
Wednesday, November 17: Cy Young Award
Thursday, November 18: Most Valuable Player Award
Full Award Finalists
Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year
American League:
OF Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays
SS Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays
RHP Luis Garcia, Houston Astros
National League:
OF Dylan Carlson, St. Louis Cardinals
2B Jonathan India, Cincinnati Reds
LHP Trevor Rogers, Miami Marlins
Manager of the Year Award
American League:
Dusty Baker, Houston Astros
Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays
Scott Servais, Seattle Mariners
National League:
Craig Counsell, Milwaukee Brewers
Gabe Kapler, San Francisco Giants
Mike Shildt, St. Louis Cardinals
Cy Young Award
American League:
RHP Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
RHP Lance Lynn, Chicago White Sox
LHP Robbie Ray, Toronto Blue Jays
National League:
RHP Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers
RHP Max Scherzer, Los Angeles Dodgers
RHP Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
Most Valuable Player Award
American League:
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
2B Marcus Semien, Toronto Blue Jays
National League:
OF Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
OF Juan Soto, Washington Nationals
SS Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres