{"id":170847,"date":"2025-09-26T17:30:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T17:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/170847\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T17:30:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T17:30:13","slug":"mlb-awards-2025-mvp-and-lvp-cy-young-and-cy-yuk-top-rookies-managers-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/170847\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB awards 2025: MVP and LVP, Cy Young and Cy Yuk, top rookies, managers of the year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thank you for that lovely introduction. You\u2019re a great crowd. And it\u2019s a thrill to be here, to hand out those awards you\u2019ve been waiting all season to tell me I got wrong.<\/p>\n

I look forward to this column every year. You look forward to disagreeing with every word of this column every year. So, as usual, this is going to be special.<\/p>\n

As is also the case every year, it looks like this annual baseball awards extravaganza will not\u00a0be hosted by Nate Bargatze, Nate McLouth, Nate Newton, Wayne Newton, Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Paul McCartney or Sir Paul Konerko. Which means I\u2019ll just have to do it myself.<\/p>\n

So here they come, my annual year-end awards.<\/p>\n

AL MVP: Aaron Judge, Yankees\"\"<\/p>\n

Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh are both making history. There are no wrong answers in this debate. (Ishika Samant \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a voice in my head screaming:\u00a0You\u2019re not picking Cal Raleigh? You\u2019re such a dope!<\/p>\n

Then again, that voice knows how much I wrestled with this. There haven\u2019t been many years in the history of this award where any of us could look at a catcher who \u2026<\/p>\n

\u2022 Has hit 60 freaking homers<\/a> \u2026<\/p>\n

\u2022 While leading his team to its first division title in 24 years<\/a> \u2026<\/p>\n

\u2022 And putting his stamp on one of the best (and most important) pitching staffs in baseball \u2026<\/p>\n

And still come away thinking someone else is the MVP.<\/p>\n

But I somehow did that, for one overpowering reason:<\/p>\n

The catcher for the Mariners isn\u2019t the only man in this debate who\u2019s making history.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s hit you yet that Aaron Judge is having another one of those seasons. It\u2019s easier to lock in on when all you have to do is count home runs. But just because Judge isn\u2019t going to make that kind of history this year, we shouldn\u2019t overlook the staggering season he\u00a0is\u00a0having, while reviving his team from an August funk and leading it back to October<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unless something weird happens this weekend, he\u2019s going to lead his league in average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, runs scored, total bases, walks, most times on base, Win Probability Added and wins above replacement. Does that seem good?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how good it is. The MVP award has existed, in its present form, since 1931. If Judge wins, this will be the complete list of players who have led either league in all those categories in a season since 1931:<\/p>\n

Ted Williams, 1942
Ted Williams, 1947
Aaron Judge, 2025<\/p>\n

OK, now just for kicks, let\u2019s take walks and WPA out of it. That adds these three names:<\/p>\n

Stan Musial, 1948
Frank Robinson, 1966
Carl Yastrzemski, 1967\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

What a list. And you might be interested in knowing that every one of those guys won an MVP election that year. But that\u2019s not all, because \u2026<\/p>\n

Judge is orbiting a whole different planet \u2014 And by that, I mean this: Check out the distance between him and the next best hitters in his league in the three categories that define the greatness of modern hitters: OBP, slugging percentage and OPS.<\/p>\n

OBP \u2014 by 63* points (over George Springer).
Slugging percentage \u2014 by 83* points (over Raleigh).
OPS \u2014 by 177* points (over Raleigh).<\/p>\n

(*through Wednesday)<\/p>\n

What a landslide. Or is that three landslides? Again, let\u2019s go back to 1931, when the MVP was born. Here are all the hitters in the 95 seasons since then who have led their league in OBP by 50-plus points, in slugging by 80-plus points and in OPS by at least 100 points:<\/p>\n

Ted Williams, four times (1941-42-47-49)
Barry Bonds, four times (2001-02-03-04)
End of list!<\/p>\n

He\u2019s twice as good as everyone else \u2014 Just because Judge\u2019s Adjusted OPS+ is more than 200 over the last four seasons combined\u00a0(at 208) doesn\u2019t mean we should be allowed to take it for granted. So let\u2019s not, OK?<\/p>\n

A 200 OPS+\u00a0literally\u00a0means that a player\u2019s OPS is twice as good as the average player\u2019s OPS in his league. It seems hard to do that in\u00a0one\u00a0year. But the captain of the Yankees now does that every year.<\/p>\n

So once again, since Judge is currently rocking a ridiculous 214 OPS+ this season, I looked back at everyone in the MVP era who finished a season at 204 or higher (just to factor in some wiggle room in case he goes, say, 0-for-the-weekend). Here\u2019s what I found:<\/p>\n

\u2022 That\u2019s been done 23 times (over a full season) since 1931. Everyone who has done it in that span is a Hall of Famer \u2014 except for Judge and two PED era exiles, Bonds and Mark McGwire.<\/p>\n

\u2022 You might think having a season that good guaranteed all those guys an MVP award. Ha. Are you familiar with the tortured logic MVP voters once used, back when they all wore straw hats? So naturally, eight of those seasons did not lead to an MVP trophy. But most of those happened a long, long time ago \u2014 four times just to Ted Williams,\u00a0plus once each to Babe Ruth (1931) and Lou Gehrig (1934).<\/p>\n

\u2022 In the expansion era, however, it\u2019s a different story. Only twice, in the last 65 seasons, has anybody had a season that good and not\u00a0been the MVP. Once was 1961, when Mickey Mantle finished second to Roger (61 Homer) Maris. The other was 1998, when Mark (70 Homer) McGwire was the runner-up to Sammy Sosa.<\/p>\n

The funny thing is, both Mantle and McGwire lost\u00a0to a man who joined the 60-Homer Club.\u00a0And maybe that tells you that since Raleigh has now charged into that club, precedent is saying he should be the MVP. But I disagree. Here\u2019s what I think history is actually telling us:<\/p>\n

There are no wrong answers in this debate! I wish I could cast this imaginary vote for the catcher for the Mariners. But it\u2019s not an insult to Raleigh to say he finished second to the greatest right-handed hitter of the last 100 years<\/a>: Aaron J. Judge.<\/p>\n

My AL MVP top 10: 1. Judge; 2. Raleigh; 3. Bobby Witt Jr.; 4. Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez; 5. Tarik Skubal; 6. Julio Rodr\u00edguez; 7. George Springer; 8. Garrett Crochet; 9. Jeremy Pe\u00f1a; 10. Nick Kurtz.<\/p>\n

NL MVP: Sorry, I vote on this!\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Shohei Ohtani could win his fourth MVP award in five seasons. (Chris Coduto \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Time for my annual apology in this space. In a few days, I\u2019ll be casting an official vote for this award, so I\u2019m not permitted to reveal what my ballot will look like.<\/p>\n

But I can tell you I\u2019ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. I can tell you I think that 56 homers<\/a> doesn\u2019t come close to describing Kyle Schwarber\u2019s\u00a0value to the Phillies. And I\u2019ve decided that Juan Soto is having a power\/speed\/patience season that has been matched only by some guy named Barry Bonds. And I\u2019m pretty sure that Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo is now the answer to the question: Who\u2019s the most underrated player in baseball?<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s that man named Ohtani, who is putting on another one of those Shohs only he could unleash. So I think there\u2019s something you need to know about Ohtani\u2019s latest, greatest season. Which is that \u2026\u00a0only the legends of baseball do the stuff this man is doing. You understand that, right?<\/p>\n

He\u2019s leading the league in \u2026 OPS (1.010), slugging (.619), runs scored (144), times on base (280), total bases (373), extra-base hits (87), Win Probability Added (5.9) and FanGraphs\u2019 version of WAR (7.2). He has also bopped 54 homers, which means he could still lead the league in that, too.<\/p>\n

So how many players have ever reached those thresholds in OPS and slugging \u2014 and piled up that many runs, homers, times on base, total bases and extra-base hits in the same season? Here\u2019s the list. You won\u2019t need to ask ChatGPT who these guys were:<\/p>\n

Babe Ruth, 1920-21-27-28
Hack Wilson, 1930
Jimmie Foxx, 1932
Hank Greenberg, 1938
Sammy Sosa, 2001
Alex Rodriguez, 2008<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s four Hall of Famers \u2014 from the 1920s and \u201930s \u2026 but only two PED-shaded dudes in the nine decades since. Let\u2019s just say that got my attention. But also \u2026<\/p>\n

Have you heard Ohtani also has this super-cool hobby, where he pitches once a week? It\u2019s true. And there seems to be this narrative out there that he isn\u2019t that good at that cute hobby of his anymore. Except \u2026<\/p>\n

His ERA is 2.87. That\u2019s better than Bryan Woo! His WHIP is 1.04. That\u2019s better than Max Fried! His strikeout rate is 11.9 per nine innings. That\u2019s better than Paul Skenes!<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m not saying I\u2019m voting for the man who did all that. I would never fully decide anything until this regular season is in the rear-view mirror. But when I notice stuff, I enjoy passing it along, because that\u2019s what this column is for.<\/p>\n

Names on my potential NL MVP list (in alphabetical order):\u00a0Pete Alonso, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Freddie Freeman, Nico Hoerner, Francisco Lindor, Ketel Marte, Ohtani, Matt Olson, Freddy Peralta, Perdomo, Cristopher S\u00e1nchez, Schwarber, Skenes, Soto, Will Smith, Fernando Tatis Jr., Kyle Tucker, Brice Turang, Trea Turner, Christian Yelich.<\/p>\n

AL Least Valuable Player (LVP): Javier B\u00e1ez (second-half edition), Tigers\"\"<\/p>\n

Javier B\u00e1ez and the Tigers have had second halves to forget. (Michael Reaves \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cPerennial LVP candidate Javy B\u00e1ez\u201d is not an expression I ever expected to find myself uttering. Not in the good old days anyway. Not when this whirling dervish was the most entertaining, free-swinging, wacky-tag-applying infielder on the North Side of Chicago.<\/p>\n

But hey, here we are. Again. I didn\u2019t see this coming when the Tigers\u2019 suddenly revived shortstop was somehow starting in the All-Star Game \u2026\u00a0in center field\u00a0\u2026 as recently as two months ago. But has anything changed in Detroit since then?<\/a> Just checking.<\/p>\n

So as this beautiful Tigers season has dissolved into a terrifying episode of Nightmare on Montcalm Street, the job responsibilities that go with handing out Least Valuable Player awards meant I had to look at this second half way too closely.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when it hit me: All-Star Game starter Javy has turned into Perennial LVP candidate Javy right before our eyes. And hard as I tried, I was unable to look the other way.<\/p>\n

So here\u2019s what this man\u2019s fun little All-Star revival season has turned into:<\/p>\n

A .205\/.213\/.288 slash line (entering Thursday) since the break! That translates to an OPS+ of 38! If you\u2019re thinking that\u2019s not good, you\u2019re a shrewd judge of LVP credentials. B\u00e1ez ranks dead last in the AL in OPS+ and OBP in that period. And I haven\u2019t even mentioned the numbers inside those numbers.<\/p>\n

But now here they come!<\/p>\n

In more than two months of baseball since that All-Star Game, B\u00e1ez had \u201cproduced\u201d one home run \u2026 and four doubles \u2026 and 40 strikeouts \u2026 and one walk.<\/p>\n

In games away from Detroit, he\u2019s slashing .176\/.184\/.203, which FanGraphs translates into a wRC+ of (gulp) minus-1.<\/p>\n

And have I mentioned his strikeout\/walk rate is a little messy? His last walk came on Aug. 24. That was 25 games ago. The walk before that came on June 24. Since then, he\u2019s been firing off a slash line of .199\/.206\/.284, with (deep breath now) 51 strikeouts and one walk.<\/p>\n

His last home run was on Aug. 2. That was 47 games ago. His last double was Aug. 15. That was 35 games ago.<\/p>\n

Normally, in these LVP deliberations, I don\u2019t tend to cancel out good first halves just because they\u2019ve been overpowered by grizzly second halves. But this is an unfortunate special case. The Tigers might be about to finish off the worst collapse of all time. So it\u2019s only natural to connect the dots between collapses and LVP awards.<\/p>\n

And when I followed those dots, they led me to \u201cPerennial LVP candidate Javy B\u00e1ez.\u201d So what choice did I have? Somebody had to be the symbolic face of this slide. I think we found our man.<\/p>\n

My AL LVP \u201ctop\u201d three: 1. B\u00e1ez; 2. Tyler O\u2019Neill (and many other Orioles, to be honest); 3. Luis Robert Jr.<\/p>\n

NL LVP: The Marcell, Ozzie & Michael Show, Braves\"\"<\/p>\n

A trio of LVPs are bringing home the hardware for the Braves. (Christopher Hanewinckel \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk for a moment about what a Least Valuable Player is and isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

What it isn\u2019t:\u00a0A dumping ground for the ugliest stats of the year, as compiled by players you\u2019ve barely heard of, for teams that were mathematically eliminated on, say, Easter Sunday.<\/p>\n

What it is, on the other hand: A place where we can look at teams that watched the world turn upside-down and say: Oof, this\u00a0guy was right in the middle of all that.<\/p>\n

Except sometimes, on some teams, it isn\u2019t just one guy. I\u2019ve decided the 2025 Braves were one of those teams.<\/p>\n

Michael Harris II was my first-half LVP<\/a>. Marcell Ozuna was the June-through-September LVP. And somewhere in there was Ozzie Albies, who pretty much never bore any resemblance to that energizer who played second base for the Braves from 2018-23.<\/p>\n

So is it legal to present this award to the three of them? Wait, I just realized this is my column, so I make up all those rules. In other words, of course it is. So here\u2019s why these three culprits got dragged into this.<\/p>\n

Harris \u2014 I\u2019ve always been a big fan of his. So what the heck happened? First Half Michael was pretty much the worst offensive player in the sport.<\/p>\n

His .234 on-base-percentage ranked dead last among qualifying hitters. His 54 OPS+ also ranked last \u2014 and meant an average replacement player was twice as good a hitter as he was.<\/p>\n

He went 49 straight games without a walk in May, June and July \u2026 then had another stretch where he drew one walk in 49 games in July, August and September. So he\u00a0still\u00a0has the lowest walk rate in the National League and still ranks last in OBP among all qualifying hitters.<\/p>\n

I know his first-half LVP award clearly inspired him to pick it up in the second half \u2014 to the tune of .295\/.312\/.520, with 13 homers. So I almost bumped him off this list. But that first half is when the Braves\u2019 season crashed and burned. So even though I\u2019m sure he has a bright future, this is a 2025 award. Sorry, Michael!<\/p>\n

Ozuna \u2014 Ozuna, on the other hand, was actually one of the Braves\u2019 most productive hitters early. On June 1, he was hitting .284\/.427\/.474\/.901 with 10 homers \u2026 whereupon (regrettably) the season forgot to end there.<\/p>\n

Since then, he\u2019s hitting .199, which ranks second to last among the 81 NL hitters with 300 plate appearances \u2026 and slugging .359, which ranks 74th \u2026 and has been worth minus-0.4 WAR, according to FanGraphs, which seems not that valuable.<\/p>\n

He hit .188 in June, .167 in July and .145 in August. You get the idea.<\/p>\n

Albies \u2014 This dude was one of the Braves\u2019 most lovable players through their run of division titles. But he, too, had a disastrous first half (.220\/.290\/.316). And he was so un-clutchy, his minus-2.7 Win Probability Added was tied for the second worst in baseball.<\/p>\n

Like Harris, he also picked it up in the second half before fracturing a hamate bone this week. But when you\u2019re having a season like the Braves were having (before the last two weeks), there\u2019s nothing more hollow than saying about anybody:\u00a0At least he was good for a few weeks.<\/p>\n

The story of the Braves\u2019 season was shocking under-achievement. And I think we just pointed out the three biggest poster boys. Which is what LVPs are made of.<\/p>\n

My NL LVP \u201ctop\u201d three: 1. Harris\/Ozuna\/Albies; 2. Oneil Cruz; 3. Jordan Walker.<\/p>\n

AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal, Tigers\"\"<\/p>\n

Tarik Skubal could become just the fourth lefty to win back-to-back Cy Youngs. (Jamie Squire \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

As long as our standard for the Cy Young Award doesn\u2019t include auditioning to be the long snapper for the Lions<\/a>, Tarik Skubal has mostly managed to absolve himself of blame for the Tigers\u2019 historic cliff dive. Which means he\u2019s closing in on rarified Cy Young repeater territory. I\u2019ll tell you just how rarified momentarily.<\/p>\n

Maybe, if you don\u2019t live in the 313 area code, you\u2019re already grumbling:\u00a0Hey, how \u2019bout those spectacular seasons of Garret Crochet, Max Fried, Hunter Brown and Bryan Woo, you knucklehead.<\/p>\n

Listen, those guys can pitch for my team as soon as I remember to buy one. And if there were no such human as Skubal, I\u2019d be cool with delivering a Cy Young trophy to any one of them. But when I watch the ace of the Tigers pitch, I always think he\u2019s floating at a different altitude than everyone in this sport not named Paul Skenes.<\/p>\n

I laid out my reasons in my midseason awards column. Honestly, nothing has changed, other than one surreal, bunt-a-palooza inning in Cleveland this week. So I\u2019m going to do something I\u2019ve never done \u2014 and just update all the stuff I said about him in July.<\/p>\n

I wrote in July that Skubal is so dominating, he makes me wonder how many hitters would rather rake the infield with a salad fork than hit against him. I have an update: I now wonder how many hitters would rather cook hot dogs for the entire ballpark on Dollar Dogs Night than hit against him. Either way, here\u2019s what still makes me think that:<\/p>\n

Nobody hits him!\u00a0Hitters have a sub-.250 OBP against Skubal, whether they\u2019re left-handed, right-handed, playing at home or on the road. Cleanup hitters have hit .131, \u201cslugged\u201d .214 and hit one homer against him. No. 3 hitters? They\u2019re batting .182, with a .217 OBP and two extra-base hits. Leadoff men have a .271 OBP and have scored 10 runs in 31 starts. You know what the Guardians would say to all that? Bunt more!<\/p>\n

Left-on-left crime! Skubal has faced 148 left-handed hitters this season. He has allowed exactly five to score a run. He has served up one home run to those guys. And his strikeout\/walk ratio is a picturesque 44 to 2! That\u2019ll work!<\/p>\n

He just finished the streak of the century!\u00a0The Tigers lost the first two games Skubal started this year. Over his next 26, which took him all the way into September, he went 13-2, with a 1.86 ERA, 212 strikeouts and 24 walks. You know who else has had a 26-stretch like that one \u2014 with 200 K\u2019s, less than 25 walks and an ERA under 2.00? According to Baseball Reference, nobody would be a good guess!<\/p>\n

He has no fear of the bat!\u00a0I\u2019ve been thinking the same thing for two years when I watch Skubal work his magic. Nothing \u2014 and nobody \u2014 scares him. He pours one pitch after another into that strike zone \u2014 and no one hits them.<\/p>\n

According to Sports Info Solutions, Skubal has thrown the highest percentage of pitches inside the zone (48.3 percent) of any full-time starter in baseball this season. Yet his swing-and-miss rate on those pitches is also the highest in baseball (22 percent). Who does that?<\/p>\n

I went back more than 20 years, as far back as Sports Info Solutions\u2019 data exists. You know who else had an in-the-zone percentage\u00a0and\u00a0a swinging-strike percentage that good in any of those seasons? As usual, that answer is nobody.<\/p>\n

The next-closest left-handed starter I could find? That would be the 2002 edition of Randy Johnson. Whatever happened to that guy?<\/p>\n

Speaking of Randy!\u00a0If this vote goes how I think it\u2019s going to go, Skubal is going to pull off a feat that will elevate him into yet another stratosphere \u2014 because that will make it two Cy Youngs in a row. Let\u2019s now reveal how rarified that airspace would be:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Only three left-handed starters have won Cy Youngs back to back: Sandy Koufax (in 1965-66, before there was one in each league), the Big Unit (four in a row, beginning in 1999) and Clayton Kershaw (2013-14).<\/p>\n

\u2022 And the only starters, from the left or right side, to do that in American League history are these three nobodies: Pedro Martinez (1999-2000), Roger Clemens (twice) and Jim Palmer (1975-76). None of them are left-handed by the way.<\/p>\n

So don\u2019t let one bizarre evening in Cleveland, or the Tigers\u2019 gruesome death spiral, make you think any nutty thoughts about this Cy Young race. Thanks to Skubal, at least one trophy is going to head for Detroit this fall.<\/p>\n

My AL Cy Young top five: 1. Skubal; 2. Crochet; 3. Brown; 4. Fried; 5. Woo.<\/p>\n

NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes, Pirates\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Paul Skenes had a spectacular season \u2014 you have permission to ignore his won-lost record. (Justin Berl \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

For the last 70 seasons, we haven\u2019t asked much of our Cy Young heroes. Just put a slew of zeroes on the board every time you pitch \u2026 oh, and also \u2026 maybe try to have a winning record?<\/p>\n

But then along came the 2025 Pirates \u2014 a team perfectly content to look over the stuff we used to think was routine for the average Cy Young winner and say: Ha. Get over it.<\/p>\n

So thanks to the fine work of the Pirates\u2019 mostly dysfunctional lineup and no-lead-is-safe bullpen, we\u2019re about to witness a feat never before performed by any Cy Young starter in history:<\/p>\n

Paul Skenes is probably going to win this award unanimously\u00a0without having a winning record.<\/p>\n

At least his won-lost record for this season isn\u2019t\u00a0below\u00a0sea level. He finished up at exactly .500: 10-10. So it could have been worse. Heck, considering Skenes was somehow 4-8 at the All-Star break \u2014 because his team was so good\u00a0at wasting his great work \u2014 it\u2019s a miracle he even made it to 10-10.<\/p>\n

So why will the voters not care about the \u201cwins\u201d (or lack thereof)? Let\u2019s count the ways.<\/p>\n

Because it sure wasn\u2019t Skenes\u2019 fault!\u00a0You know how hard it is to have an ERA as low as Skenes\u2019 (1.97) and as many innings as he pitched (187 2\/3) and not\u00a0have a winning record? It\u2019s so hard that in the entire live-ball era (1920-present), no qualifying starter had ever done it \u2026 until now!<\/p>\n

Because it sure wasn\u2019t Skenes\u2019 fault 2.0!\u00a0So how the heck did this happen? C\u2019mon. Are you familiar with the Pirates at all?<\/p>\n

It happened because his offense scored one run or none for him 14 times (while he was in the game) in 32 starts. \u2026 It happened because his bullpen blew six saves in games he left with the lead (including his last start, Wednesday in Cincinnati). \u2026 It happened because he only earned a win in two starts all season in which he allowed more than zero\u00a0earned runs \u2014 and won no games in which he allowed more than one\u00a0earned run.<\/p>\n

Because have you noticed we don\u2019t care about wins anymore?\u00a0In truth, we\u2019ve been trending in this direction for 15 years now. So three previous Cy Young starters won this thing even though they were only one game over .500: F\u00e9lix Hern\u00e1ndez (13-12 in 2010), Jacob deGrom (10-9 in 2018) and Trevor Bauer (5-4 in the shortened pandemic season of 2020).<\/p>\n

And as recently as 2018-19, deGrom won the NL Cy Young two seasons in a row, even though he went 10-9 in 2018 and 11-8 in 2019. So wins, schmins. Us savvy Cy Young voters are now smarter than you give us credit for.<\/p>\n

Because when your ERA starts with a \u201c1,\u201d we get what that means!\u00a0In the 15 years since King F\u00e9lix kicked off the Wins Are Overrated era, 11 qualifying starters have finished a season with an ERA under 2.00. The only two who didn\u2019t win the Cy Young \u2014 Zack Greinke (1.66) in 2015 and Dallas Keuchel (1.99) in 2020 \u2014 had the misfortune of losing to a guy who also had a sub-2.00 ERA (Jake Arrieta in 2015 and Shane Bieber in 2020).<\/p>\n

Because guys who have seasons like this\u00a0always\u00a0win a Cy Young!\u00a0In the six decades since we began handing out Cy Youngs in each league, here\u2019s the complete list of qualifying starters who have had a season with \u2026<\/p>\n

A sub-2.00 ERA \u2026 a sub-1.00 WHIP \u2026 at least 200 strikeouts \u2026 and at least 10 strikeouts per nine innings:<\/p>\n

Jacob deGrom, 2018
Blake Snell, 2018
Clayton Kershaw, 2014
Pedro Martinez, 2000
Pedro Martinez, 1997
And now Skenes, 2025<\/p>\n

Guess what all of those men (pre-Skenes) have in common? They all won a Cy Young award in those seasons. What else?<\/p>\n

So look, I understand and appreciate the special seasons of Cristopher S\u00e1nchez, Freddy Peralta, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Logan Webb and everyone else who\u2019s in the argument here. But there\u2019s a generational talent in Pittsburgh who has outpitched them all \u2013 no matter how few wins he got out of it.<\/p>\n

My NL Cy Young top five: 1. Skenes; 2. S\u00e1nchez; 3. Peralta; 4. Yamamoto; 5. Webb.<\/p>\n

AL Cy Yuk: Charlie Morton, Orioles\/Tigers\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Charlie Morton had brutal stretches with two teams. (Kevin Sousa \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Charlie Morton is one of my favorite humans on Planet Baseball. So I tried to talk myself out of presenting him with this prestigious Cy Yuk award. In the end, it just didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

I surveyed a bunch of friends and executives in the game. They tossed out other names, but many of those exchanges kept coming back to a guy who, unfortunately, played a role in torpedoing the October dreams of\u00a0two\u00a0AL teams in a very strange season.<\/p>\n

An April for the birds \u2014 Who was the biggest-name free-agent pitcher the Orioles signed last winter? Morton was the name. It all felt so right. Then the season started.<\/p>\n

By the end of April, their favorite free agent was 0-6 with a 9.45 ERA. The Orioles had been outscored in his six starts, 56-16. Hoo boy.<\/p>\n

He ranked last in the AL in ERA, WHIP (2.18), runs allowed (29) and opponent OPS (.981). I\u2019m leaving out a few other messy statistical lowlights, but you get the idea.<\/p>\n

The Orioles were already buried in the AL East, never to recover. It was encouraging that Morton figured it out in his side sessions and bullpen work after that. And once he worked his way back into the rotation in late May, he went 7-1 with a 3.88 ERA, which at least enabled the Orioles to trade him to Detroit. It could have made for such a happy ending. Instead, he got \u2026<\/p>\n

Mowed down in Mo-town \u2014 It was all going great \u2026 for four starts. The Tigers kept streaking. Morton went 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA in his first four starts. He might have been their Game 2 or Game 3 starter in October if that\u2019s how this had gone. However \u2026<\/p>\n

On Aug. 26, he took the mound in West Sacramento \u2014 and kicked off one of the most unfortunate stretches of his career. He would make five more starts. The Tigers went 0-5. Morton\u2019s ERA in that stretch: 11.65, which ranked last in the American League.<\/p>\n

He was walking nearly eight hitters per nine innings. The league hit .329 against him and slugged .611 over those five starts. I\u2019ll spare you the rest, because here\u2019s the important part:<\/p>\n

When they handed him the baseball on Aug. 26, the Tigers had a 10 1\/2-game lead in their division. Since that day, they\u2019ve gone 8-18. They\u2019re now zero games up. That isn\u2019t Morton\u2019s fault. Of course it\u2019s not. He didn\u2019t mean for any of this to happen.<\/p>\n

But when a season goes off the rails like the Tigers\u2019 season has spun off the tracks, that\u2019s what Cy Yuk awards are made of. So this one goes to a man who really deserves better. But sometimes, Cy Yukkery happens, whether you deserve it or not.<\/p>\n

My AL Cy Yuk \u201ctop\u201d three: 1.\u00a0Morton; 2. Walker Buehler; 3. Marcus Stroman.<\/p>\n

NL Cy Yuk: The Rockies\u2019 rotation\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

Antonio Senzatela, here being removed from a game in the first inning, is part of the Rockies\u2019 rancid rotation. (Justin Edmonds \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Has anyone ever mentioned that Coors Field is the greatest Cy Yuk factory ever constructed? If not, you heard it here first \u2014 as we honor The Worst Rotation Ever.<\/p>\n

This is not a column where we make those pronouncements casually, you know. They\u2019re a result of voluminous research, deep reflection and, finally, the bolt-of-lightning realization that it was easier to drag the Rockies\u2019 entire rotation into this mess than pick out just one member of this outfit.<\/p>\n

All right, so\u00a0technically, this group is not (quite) the Worst Rotation Ever \u2014 at least not at this exact moment I\u2019m typing this. But that\u2019s only because Felipe Lira\u2019s 1996 Tigers are hanging onto that crown by their knuckles.<\/p>\n

ROTATION\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0ERA\u00a0<\/p>\n

1996 Tigers\u00a0<\/p>\n

6.64<\/p>\n

2025 Rockies<\/p>\n

6.61*<\/p>\n

(Source: Baseball Reference \/ Stathead)
(*through Wednesday)<\/p>\n

But do you really think that three-one-hundredths of a run difference is going to dissuade me from sticking to my story? No chance. Let\u2019s run through the exploits of this group of Rockies starters, and I guarantee you\u2019ll be on board, too.<\/p>\n

Three-headed Monster Dept. \u2014 Picking out just three starters on this team who have had a rough year isn\u2019t easy. But let\u2019s start with these three:<\/p>\n

Antonio Senzatela: 4-15, 6.84
Germ\u00e1n M\u00e1rquez: 3-15, 6.49
Chase Dollander: 2-12, 6.52<\/p>\n

Want to guess how many teams have ever had three starting pitchers in the same year who made at least 15 starts apiece, had a winning percentage under .250 and all had ERAs over 6.00? That would be one \u2014 the 2025 Rockies.<\/p>\n

Pieces of Eight\u00a0Dept. \u2014 But why would we stop there? Here are five other pitchers who have also started at least five games for the Rockies this season. Let\u2019s see how that\u2019s been going.<\/p>\n

Bradley Blalock: 2-6, 9.36
Carson Palmquist: 0-4, 8.91
McCade Brown: 0-4, 7.54
Austin Gomber: 0-7, 7.49
Tanner Gordon: 6-8, 6.33<\/p>\n

So that gets us up to\u00a0eight pitchers who all have a losing record and ERAs that start with a \u201c6\u201d (or higher). This seems impossible, but somehow or other, it only ties the record for that sort of thing \u2014 because Spenser Watkins\u2019 2021 Orioles also had eight starters like that.<\/p>\n

Gimme Five \u2014 But I\u2019d hate to leave Kyle Freeland out of these festivities. On one hand, he \u201conly\u201d has a 5.00 ERA. On the other hand, he\u2019s 5-16 and leading the league in losses. So that gives this team\u00a0seven\u00a0different starters with at least five starts, a 5.00 ERA or higher and a winning percentage under .250. Want to take a stab at how many other rotations have ever done that? Zero is always a tremendous guess at times like this.<\/p>\n

Captain Hook \u2014 But this isn\u2019t just about ERA. There\u2019s winning and losing going on here, too, although, to be completely accurate, it\u2019s mostly losing.<\/p>\n

The won-lost record of this rotation? How about 22-90! That works out to a \u201cwinning\u201d percentage of .196.<\/p>\n

But guess what? That is\u00a0not\u00a0the modern record for worst winning percentage by a rotation. Jay Hook\u2019s 1962 Mets hold that one \u2014 at 23-98 (.190) \u2014 and are now mathematically guaranteed of hanging on. Nevertheless, if your team finds itself in the same sentence as those legendary \u201962 Mets, that doesn\u2019t seem that encouraging.<\/p>\n

Caution: Line Drive Zone ahead \u2014 All right, one more thing. I\u2019d like to present the league leaderboard in highest opponent batting average allowed, among all NL starting pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched:<\/p>\n

Blalock: .350
Senzatela: .348
Gomber: .325
M\u00e1rquez: .318
Gordon: .306
Freeland: .294<\/p>\n

I should probably confess here that I left out Washington\u2019s Trevor Williams, who\u2019s at .310. Still, six of the seven most hittable pitchers in the league pitch for one team?\u00a0Whoa, what does that tell us?<\/p>\n

Oh, you know what it tells us. We\u2019re talking about The Worst Rotation Ever. Of course!<\/p>\n

My NL Cy Yuk \u201ctop\u201d three: 1. Rockies\u2019 rotation; 2. Tanner Scott; 3. Cal Quantrill.<\/p>\n

AL Rookie of the Year: Nick Kurtz, Athletics\"\"<\/p>\n

Nick Kurtz has had one of the most impressive rookie seasons ever. (Thearon W. Henderson \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Some of these awards swirl around in my brain all night when I\u2019m supposed to be dreaming of blue skies and tropical beaches. Then there are awards like this one.<\/p>\n

Of course,\u00a0Nick Kurtz is the AL Rookie of the Year. You were expecting maybe Jorbit Vivas?<\/p>\n

Kurtz heads into the final weekend of his rookie season with a 1.010 OPS. Does it get your attention that that\u2019s more than 50 points higher than a fellow named Cal Raleigh? It got mine. Raleigh has done it in over 200 more plate appearances, but still \u2026<\/p>\n

I know Kurtz has been hiding out all summer in a minor-league park in West Sacramento. And no Rookie of the Year in history has ever had that sentence typed about him. But I\u2019m here to alert you that wherever he\u2019s spun these magic tricks, he\u2019s had one of the most sensational rookie seasons of modern times. Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n

35 bombs and at least a 170 OPS+ \u2014 You may be stunned to hear this, but rookie mashers don\u2019t normally have seasons like this. Sit back and gaze at this helpful list of all the rookies in history who have hit as many homers as Kurtz and had an Adjusted OPS at least 70 percent better than the league average:<\/p>\n

PLAYER\u00a0HROPS+<\/p>\n

Aaron Judge, 2017\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

53<\/p>\n

171<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Abreu, 2014\u00a0<\/p>\n

36<\/p>\n

173<\/p>\n

Nick Kurtz, 2025*<\/p>\n

35<\/p>\n

175*<\/p>\n

End of list!<\/p>\n

(*through Thursday)\u00a0<\/p>\n

35 bombs and a 1.000 OPS \u2014 Not all hitting environments are created equal. So let\u2019s surgically remove the park-adjusted factor and look at how Kurtz stacks up against his raw, non-adjusted, rookie competition in OPS. Here are all the rookies in history with a 1.000 OPS and as many home runs as Kurtz:<\/p>\n

PLAYER\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0HROPS<\/p>\n

Aaron Judge, 2017\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

53\u00a0<\/p>\n

1.049<\/p>\n

Albert Pujols, 2001\u00a0<\/p>\n

37<\/p>\n

1.013<\/p>\n

Rudy York, 1937<\/p>\n

35\u00a0<\/p>\n

1.026<\/p>\n

Nick Kurtz, 2025<\/p>\n

35\u00a0<\/p>\n

1.010<\/p>\n

(Source: Baseball Reference \/ Stathead)<\/p>\n

York started spreading his OPS news before the invention of Rookies of the Year. As for everyone else on those two lists not named Kurtz, there\u2019s a Rookie of the Year trophy still gleaming on their shelves.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not all \u2014 Because we\u2019re also talking about the only rookie in history to bash four home runs in one game<\/a> \u2026 and the man with the highest OPS (1.128) and slugging percentage (.690) of anyone in baseball since the All-Star break \u2026 and only the seventh rookie in history to slug over .600 in a season with at least 450 plate appearances. The others: Judge, Pujols, Ryan Braun, Mark McGwire, Ted Williams and Wally Berger.<\/p>\n

Willams and Berger came along before there were any rookie awards. But you know how many of the others had a Rookie of the Year trophy to show for all that mashing? Right. All of them. And Kurtz is about to join them.<\/p>\n

MY AL ROY top five: 1. Kurtz; 2. Jacob Wilson; 3. Roman Anthony; 4. Noah Cameron; 5. Carlos Narv\u00e1ez.<\/p>\n

(Too small of a sample honorable mention: Colson Montgomery and Luke Keaschall.)<\/p>\n

NL Rookie of the Year: Drake Baldwin, Braves\"\"<\/p>\n

Only two catchers have won the Rookie of the Year award in the 2000s. Drake Baldwin could become the third. (Kevin C. Cox \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a fun trivia quiz for you: Think you can name the only two catchers to win a Rookie of the Year award in the 21st century?<\/p>\n

One was Buster Posey in 2010. The other? How can you forget Geovany Soto of the 2008 Cubs?<\/p>\n

Well, we\u2019re holding this pop-up session of Rookie Catcher Trivia Theater because I\u2019m pretty sure there\u2019s about to be a third member of that fraternity. Drake Baldwin, study up, because joining the ranks of rookie catchers who have won this award would be very cool.<\/p>\n

Posey and Soto are the only two catchers to win it since Mike Piazza \u2014 32 years ago. Only nine catchers have won this award, period. Every one of them went on to have a long, distinguished career. Three of them \u2014 Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk and Piazza \u2014 went on to give speeches in Cooperstown.<\/p>\n

So I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s a plaque in Baldwin\u2019s future. But it now sure is obvious why the Braves nudged Travis d\u2019Arnaud out of Baldwin\u2019s way last winter. They needed to open a spot for their next All-Star catcher \u2014 a guy with a sweet swing and a special presence.<\/p>\n

More than 400 plate appearances into his rookie year, Baldwin has a higher batting average (.274), slugging percentage (.464) and OPS (.805) than William Contreras and J.T. Realmuto. But those guys have combined to play 18 seasons in the big leagues. For a rookie catcher to hit those marks, at age 24, isn\u2019t just eye-opening. It\u2019s historically eye-opening.<\/p>\n

Since the first Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, only four rookie catchers have hit as many home runs as Baldwin (19), had as good an OPS+ (125) and matched or beat his slash line. You\u2019ve heard of them.<\/p>\n

Piazza, 1993
Fisk, 1972
Soto, 2008
Matt Nokes, 1987<\/p>\n

Nokes didn\u2019t get a Rookie of the Year trophy out of it thanks to a fellow named Mark McGwire. But the other three did. And the only reason to think that trend might not continue is the incredible second half of rookie Cubs pitcher Cade Horton (8-1, 1.03 ERA, 0.78 WHIP).<\/p>\n

I came close to throwing Horton this vote myself. But he didn\u2019t arrive in the big leagues until mid-May. Baldwin has been making an impact on the Braves since Opening Day.<\/p>\n

No NL team has had more Rookies of the Year in the 2000s than Atlanta (four). That number is about to get bigger.<\/p>\n

MY NL ROY top five: 1. Baldwin; 2. Horton; 3. Isaac Collins; 4. Caleb Durbin; 5. Daylen Lile.<\/p>\n

(Too small of a sample honorable mention: Jakob Marsee, Nolan McLean, Chase Burns, Jacob Misiorowski.)<\/p>\n

Managers of the Year: Pat Murphy, Brewers, and \u201cGet back to me Sunday\u201d in the AL\"\"<\/p>\n

Pat Murphy has guided the Brewers to the best record in baseball. (John Fisher \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Did you know we\u2019ve never had the same two managers win this award in back-to-back seasons? But holy schmoly, that might be a thing here in 2024-25.<\/p>\n

Your two winners last year: the Brewers\u2019 Pat Murphy and the Guardians\u2019 Stephen Vogt. Your NL winner this year almost has to be Murph 2.0. But in the AL? Vogt\u2019s team is firing up the greatest last-minute Manager of the Year campaign ever witnessed. I\u2019m just not ready to make that call yet.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve mentioned before in this column, I would never make up my mind on an award like this before we\u2019ve run out of regular-season baseball to change my mind. So how could anyone tell you today who the AL Manager of the Year is, when every possible race \u2014 all three divisions and\u00a0the wild-card field \u2014 is still whirling around in the Cuisinart?<\/p>\n

At first, for most of this season, I thought the Tigers\u2019 A.J. Hinch was the Manager of the Year. Then I decided Toronto\u2019s John Schneider might be the Manager of the Year.<\/p>\n

Two weeks ago, Bruce Bochy had that look in Texas. Houston\u2019s Joe Espada had a case once. The Mariners\u2019 Dan Wilson might be the answer here. No Yankees or Red Sox manager has won in this century, but there are worse choices than Aaron Boone and Alex Cora.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the incumbent. If the Guardians do what it looks as if they\u2019re about to do \u2014 and finish first in a division they trailed in by 12 1\/2 games four weeks ago, how can it not be Vogt? But my crystal ball is in the shop this week. So we\u2019ll just have to wait to see how it all turns out.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile in the NL, Murphy doesn\u2019t have to sweat out that drama. It\u2019s easy to forget that once upon a time, the Brewers were 0-4 this year \u2014 and had been outscored in those games, 47-15. Or that they still had a losing record on Memorial Day weekend. Now they\u2019re the No. 1 seed in the sport.<\/p>\n

But you know who hasn\u2019t forgotten about how it all began? Murphy\u2019s boss, Brewers general manager Matt Arnold.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started the way we did,\u201d Arnold told The Athletic, \u201cwe had to really look ourselves in the mirror and challenge ourselves and say: \u2018Is this the team we are going to be?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

And the man who helped them find the correct answer to that question was the king of the pocket pancakes, their manager.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just laid it down for the guys,\u201d Arnold went on, \u201cand said: \u2018Are we going to be that team? Or are we going to be the team we know we can be?\u2019 Any time you\u2019re in a struggle or you\u2019re in a fight, whether it\u2019s in your personal life or on the field, you\u2019re looking for somebody to help pick you up. And that\u2019s what Murph does in such a great way for everybody.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you talk about leadership, that\u2019s where it shines through, at times like that. A good team has to have leaders like Murph to help brake the ship. And I think he\u2019s done a tremendous job.\u201d<\/p>\n

My NL Manager of the Year top five: 1. Murphy; 2. Clayton McCullough; 3. Rob Thomson; 4. Craig Counsell; 5. Torey Lovullo.<\/p>\n

My AL Manager of the Year contenders:\u00a0Vogt, Wilson, Schneider, Espada, Cora, Boone.<\/p>\n

(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson \/ The Athletic. Top photos: Scott Taetsch, Kevin C. Cox, Stacy Revere, Tim Warner \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thank you for that lovely introduction. You\u2019re a great crowd. And it\u2019s a thrill to be here, to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170848,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[592,4996,64,63,1186,5156,5158,5256,5257,5258,5259,5260,5163,5261,5262,1187,1188,5159,2364,591,1830,2704,5263,2365,5160,1189,5157,5162,85,2366,1190,2367,5161,5264],"class_list":["post-170847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-arizona-diamondbacks","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-baltimore-orioles","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-cincinnati-reds","tag-cleveland-guardians","tag-colorado-rockies","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-houston-astros","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-miami-marlins","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-minnesota-twins","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-mets","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-oakland-athletics","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-san-francisco-giants","tag-seattle-mariners","tag-sports","tag-st-louis-cardinals","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-texas-rangers","tag-toronto-blue-jays","tag-washington-nationals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}