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Jeff Passan, ESPN
Two of the World Series champion Texas Rangers are finalists for the American League Most Valuable Player award alongside Shohei Ohtani, and a pair of Los Angeles Dodgers will vie with Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. for the National League MVP, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced Monday in a show televised on MLB Network.
Ohtani, World Series MVP Corey Seager and Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien were the top three in AL MVP voting by the BBWAA, which receives ballots for two writers in each of the 15 cities in each league that are submitted at the end of the regular season. Acuna will face his former teammate, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, and Freeman’s current teammate, outfielder/infielder Mookie Betts.
The AL Cy Young Award will come down to three right-handers vying for their first plaque: the New York Yankees‘ Gerrit Cole, Toronto Blue Jays‘ Kevin Gausman and Minnesota Twins‘ Sonny Gray, who officially hit free agency at 5 p.m. ET on Monday. In the NL, left-hander Blake Snell — also a free agent — is the favorite to win his second Cy Young, while San Francisco’s Logan Webb and Zac Gallen of NL champion Arizona are seeking their first.
Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll is the distinct favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year and is a finalist alongside New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga and Dodgers outfielder James Outman. AL Rookie of the Year finalists include Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Cleveland right-hander Tanner Bibee and Boston first baseman Triston Casas.
The final BBWAA award, Manager of the Year, is headlined in the NL by Craig Counsell, who was hired away Monday from Milwaukee by the Chicago Cubs. He’s opposed by Atlanta’s Brian Snitker and the favorite, Miami manager Skip Schumaker, who led the Marlins to the postseason despite a -57 run differential. The AL slate is led by Rangers manager Bruce Bochy — who last won the award in 1996 — along with two-time winner Kevin Cash of Tampa Bay and Baltimore’s Brandon Hyde, who led the Orioles to a 101-win season and the AL East title.
Rookie of the Year results will be announced a week from today, with Manager of the Year on Nov. 14, Cy Young on Nov. 15 and MVP on Nov. 16.