MLB awards schedule and predictions: Cy Young, MVP, Rookie of the Year

With the World Series now in progress, the countdown to the offseason as well as the Major League Baseball awards season has officially kicked into high gear.

MLB awards season will officially kick off on November 1 when finalists for both the American League and National League Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and Manager of the Year awards will be announced.

What happens after that? What are some key dates to know? Who are some of the favorites in the race for three of the biggest categories? Let’s take a look, but let’s start with what could be an interesting Gold Glove discussion.

When are the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards winners announced?

Who takes home the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards at each position? We’ll know the answer to that on November 7 at 8:30 p.m. (Eastern) when they are announced on ESPN.

Some important things to know about the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards are that the votes are from MLB managers and coaches, who can not vote for their own players. There is also a factor of statistics from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) that is a part of the selection as well. However, just because a player leads a category in a certain defensive metric does not ensure he will win a Gold Glove.

Interesting Gold Glove decision to watch: Will St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado win his ninth consecutive Gold Glove at third base in the National League? His biggest challenge could come from the man who replaced him at third base in Colorado, Ryan McMahon. McMahon led Major League Baseball with 21 Defensive Runs Saved (McMahon had 12 DRS at third base while Arenado had 6 DRS) and McMahon’s 2.5 dWAR was the second-highest mark in MLB.

As a side note, the Wilson Defensive Players of the Year awards are also scheduled to be announced in this same time period. According to MLB.com, these awards are “determined by a formula that balances scouting information, sabermetric analysis and basic fielding statistics.”

UPDATE: Here is a list of the American League and National League Gold Glove winners.

When are the American League and National League Cy Young Awards announced?

The winners of the American League and National League Cy Young Award will be announced on November 17. Finalists will be announced on November 8.

Who will win the American League Cy Young Award?

Robbie Ray will complete one of the strongest turnarounds in recent pitching memory by winning the 2021 American League Cy Young Award. After going just 2-5 in 12 starts for Arizona and Toronto in 2020, Ray returned to the Blue Jays on a one-year, $8 million deal in 2021 and proved that that contract was a bargain.

Ray made an AL-high 32 starts and 193.1 innings last season, going 13-7 and leading AL starters with a 2.84 ERA and striking out a Major League-best 248 batters. His ERA+ of 154 and WHIP of 1.045 are also the best in the American League.

Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees and Lance Lynn of the Chicago White Sox will likely comprise the other two spots in the AL top three.

UPDATE: Ray won the award, earning 29 of the 30 first-place votes, followed by Cole and Lynn. You can see the ballots and results here.

Who will win the National League Cy Young Award?

The National League Cy Young will likely be given to Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies. A 2.78 ERA in a Major League-best 213.1 innings (with an MLB-best three complete games with two shutouts in there) should be enough to get him the nod. Only Ray struck out more batters this season than Wheeler, who finished one behind his AL counterpart with 247.

Max Scherzer certainly deserves consideration, especially for what he did for the Los Angeles Dodgers after being traded at the deadline by the Washington Nationals, but will likely finish second to Wheeler. Scherzer’s teammate, Walker Buehler, and Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes round out the top NL pitchers of the year.

UPDATE: Burnes was named the winner of the award, edging out Wheeler by just 10 points. Each earned 12 first-place votes in an incredibly close race. You can see the ballots and results here.

When are the American League and National League MVP awards announced?

The winners of the American League and National League Most Valuable Player Awards will be announced on November 18. Finalists will be announced on November 8.

Who will win the American League MVP award?

Shohei Ohtani kicked off the award season by being given a rare Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award just before the World Series began. The award was founded in 1998 and was last presented in 2014 (to Derek Jeter and Vin Scully). According to a release from MLB, the award is to “recognize accomplishments and contributions of historical significance to the game.”

Now, with that in mind, is there any way that Ohtani doesn’t win the AL MVP award? It’s possible, but improbable.

Ohtani slashed .257/.372/.592 in 639 plate appearances (46 homers, 100 RBI, and 26 stolen bases were offensive highlights) while logging a 3.18 ERA with 156 strikeouts in 130.1 innings on the mound. Two-way numbers even close to that haven’t been seen in MLB since the days of Babe Ruth.

Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would be the MVP in other seasons, but his MLB-leading 48 homers and AL-leading OPS+ of 169 will likely give him a second-place finish, ahead of teammate Marcus Semien and his incredible 86 extra-base hits this season (39 doubles, two triples, and 45 homers) and 102 RBI.

UPDATE: Ohtani won the award with a unanimous decision. Click here to see the balloting.

Who will win the National League MVP award?

This will likely be the closest of any major postseason award, but expect Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper to edge Washington’s Juan Soto for the honor.

Harper led all of Major League Baseball with an OPS of 1.044 and an OPS+ of 179. For those who believe team success plays a role in the MVP discussion, Harper’s Phillies were in the playoff chase until the last week of the season. That’s more than can be said for Soto’s Nationals, an argument that could hurt the just-turned-23-year-old phenom who walked an MLB-high 145 times this year, helping him lead the league in on-base percentage (.465).

Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres will likely finish third in the NL MVP race.

UPDATE: Harper won the MVP, with Soto and Tatis finishing behind him. You can view the final tally here.