Diamondbacks On SI Staff Predictions: MLB Awards

Arizona Diamondbacks regular-season baseball has arrived. But ahead of the Opening Day festivities, the Diamondbacks On SI staff tries their hand at predicting the season-end award winners:

Jack Sommers

NL Cy Young: RHP Logan Webb

AL Cy Young: LHP Framber Valdez

NL MVP: DH/RHP Shohei Ohtani

AL MVP: SS Gunnar Henderson

NL ROTY: RHP Roki Sasaki

AL ROTY: 3B Cam Smith

Logan Webb is so consistent. This year he gets the run support and the win totals come with it. Framber Valdez has been in top 10 of Cy Young voting the last three seasons. This year he comes out on the very top.

Shohei Ohtani won't be denied the MVP, while Gunnar Henderson takes his first of several for his career, fueling the Orioles to the AL East title.

Cam Smith is the next great young star in the AL, while Roki Sasaki is the real deal for LA, even if he doesn't surpass 120 innings.

Alex D'Agostino

NL Cy Young: RHP Paul Skenes

AL Cy Young: LHP Cole Ragans

NL MVP: DH/RHP Shohei Ohtani

AL MVP: SS Bobby Witt Jr.

NL ROTY: RHP Roki Sasaki

AL ROTY: OF Jasson Dominguez

Paul Skenes was shielded from too many innings in 2024, so there's potential for both a breakout or regression. I'm going with the former, in a dominant ace-caliber season for the 22-year-old.

The usual suspects dominate the rest of these popularity contest awards, but look out for an exceptional season from the recently-extended Cole Ragans on a deep Kansas City club, while his teammate Bobby Witt Jr. overcomes the competition in the AL this year.

Shohei Ohtani is inevitable, and his rotation-mate Roki Sasaki already looks ready for the national spotlight as a rookie. Jasson Dominguez seems ready to benefit from the departure of Juan Soto and find his footing in the majors in a big way.

Jake Oliver

NL Cy Young: RHP Corbin Burnes

AL Cy Young: LHP Garrett Crochet

NL MVP: DH/RHP Shohei Ohtani

AL MVP: SS Bobby Witt Jr.

NL ROTY: OF Dylan Crews

AL ROTY: RHP Jackson Jobe

Definitely went out on a limb with some of these picks, or not, but some of them feel obvious, such as Ohtani winning MVP. It took a mammoth season, and a historical one, from Aaron Judge in order to wrest away an MVP from Ohtani when the now-Dodgers star was in the American League. Bobby Witt Jr. is just too talented not to win his first of what will be multiple MVPs.

No single player can come close to the value Ohtani brings, even if he pitches closer to a No. 3 starter than a No. 1. Burnes looks primed for a huge season in the desert with an elite defense behind him and Gabriel Moreno catching him. Burnes eeks out a win by a vote or two over the uber-talented Paul Skenes. In the end, I have a feeling Burnes and Skenes will be two of the top three vote-getters.

Jobe has been one of the best pitching prospects for a while and could be a CY Young contender soon. Meanwhile, Crews is locked in for a full-season of production from a burgeoning Nationals lineup and is able to put up the kind of counting stats that most other NL rookies won't be able to match. Plus, someone has to go against the grain of Sasaki winning the Rookie of the Year award.

Aaron Hughes

NL Cy Young: RHP Zack Wheeler

AL Cy Young: RHP Bryce Miller

NL MVP: OF Corbin Carroll

AL MVP: OF Julio Rodriguez

NL ROTY: C Drake Baldwin

AL ROTY: OF Roman Anthony

It wasn't long ago when Corbin Carroll received MVP love after a stellar 2023. The second half he showcased last season proved that he is the kind of player who can perform at that level, and I see him putting it back together for a full season.

The same goes for Seattle's Julio Rodriguez who has been the best player in baseball over certain stretches while playing Gold Glove defense in center field. I could also easily see Zack Wheeler finally putting it all together to take home the NL Cy Young award after coming so close in previous seasons.

The American League is less obvious with my eyes shifting to young Bryce Miller who has been great, but with his newly remixed pitch repertoire, he has the tools to be one of the best arms in MLB.

Rookies are always tough to project. but if there was one whose swing alone makes him an incredible pick, it would be Roman Anthony of the Red Sox. Named MLB's best prospect outside of Roki Sasaki, Anthony could easily take over a full-time role in Boston.

In the National League, I see Drake Baldwin capitalizing on Sean Murphy's extended absence and showing the world that he is Atlanta's catcher of the future.