There's so much to look forward to with the 2025 MLB season rapidly approaching. How will Juan Soto fare in Queens? Can his old team, the New York Yankees, survive without him? How about the Dodgers, who defeated the Yankees in last season's World Series — can anyone dethrone them? Maybee not, as Los Angeles is as loaded as any team in recent memory.
While there are countless storylines to follow, it's always fun to track who is going to win each of the major BBWAA Awards. These won't be announced until November, but awards always cause some sort of controversy.
With that in mind, let's go ahead and predict who is going to win each of the BBWAA Awards before the regular season begins.
- AL Manager of the Year Award
- NL Manager of the Year Award
- AL Rookie of the Year Award
- NL Rookie of the Year Award
- AL Cy Young Award
- NL Cy Young Award
- AL MVP Award
- NL MVP Award
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AL Manager of the Year Award
Prediction: Alex Cora
Expectations are high for the Boston Red Sox this season following what turned out to be a huge offseason, but an argument can be made that teams like the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles remain AL East favorites. I don't believe that should be the case, and when the Red Sox win what could be the toughest division in the sport, Alex Cora is going to get recognition.
This Red Sox team went from a team that was exactly average in 2024 (81-81) to one that I truly believe can make a run to the World Series. A lot of that has to do with how weak the AL is, but the Red Sox have the potential to be a scary team now, and especially in the future.
Their rotation is as solid and as deep as any in the American League, led by new ace Garrett Crochet, 2024 All-Star Tanner Houck, and recent signee Walker Buehler. Crochet has Cy Young upside, Houck was just an All-Star, and based on what we saw from him in October, Buehler could have a huge year in him if he's healthy.
Their rotation should be awesome, and their lineup got the perfect addition, Alex Bregman. Where he will play remains to be seen, but Bregman adds a much-needed right-handed bat to a lineup full of talented left-handers and his swing is a match made in heaven for Fenway Park. Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers, Bregman, and Triston Casas can all conceivably make the All-Star team this season, and the Red Sox happen to have three of the best position player prospects in the sport knocking on the door of the majors.
Bullpen is a concern, but I expect Cora to push the right buttons and for Craig Breslow to add to it by the trade deadline. Everything else about this team screams contender, and that will result in Cora winning the AL Manager of the Year Award.
Other finalists: Joe Espada, Matt Quatraro
NL Manager of the Year Award
Prediction: Brian Snitker
The National League East features three of the five-to-seven best teams in the sport, so whichever manager can will his team to victory will get a ton of recognition. My pick to win the NL East is the Atlanta Braves, and Brian Snitker will win the NL Manager of the Year Award as a result.
Just about everything that could have gone wrong for the Braves last season did, whether it was injuries or underperforming players, and yet, they won 89 games. That speaks to how talented they are. They'll be without Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider, and Sean Murphy at the beginning of the year, but all three of those stars will be back. Once they are, watch out.
They could have used another starting pitcher, but a rotation consisting of Strider, Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Schwellenbach will be one of the best in the majors no matter who the No. 5 starter is. They addressed their only major lineup weakness by signing Jurickson Profar coming off a career year. When Acuña comes back, their lineup is as deep as any — and that includes the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers are the most talented team in the sport, obviously, but the expectation is for them to win at least 110 games. Given the talent he has at his disposal, Dave Roberts almost certainly won't win Manager of the Year. The Braves are my pick to end the year with the second-best record in the NL (and all of baseball), making the award an easy one to hand to Snitker.
Other finalists: Carlos Mendoza, Dave Roberts
AL Rookie of the Year Award
Prediction: Jackson Jobe
This pick is a bit risky, as it's unclear whether Jobe is going to begin the year in the Detroit Tigers rotation. If he doesn't, it's anyone's best guess as to when he'll get his shot, especially when Alex Cobb returns from the injured list. Jobe has also never thrown more than 91.2 innings in a professional season, so who knows how many he's got in his right arm in 2025.
Jobe's ceiling, however, is too high to overlook. That's what this comes down to. He has the potential to be one of the best pitchers in the sport in the not-too-distant future, especially with Detroit's pitching development which has gotten the most out of talented arms in recent history.
Tarik Skubal went from a guy who had never thrown 150 innings in a single season to winning the AL Cy Young award with ease. Jack Flaherty went from signing a one-year prove-it deal with Detroit to pitching like an All-Star while wearing a Tigers uniform. Even a guy like Reese Olson was a consistent mid-rotation arm for Detroit. Why can't Jobe be the next man in line, especially when he can spin the ball like this?
Jackson Jobe, 3107 RPM Sweeper. 🌪️ pic.twitter.com/uwa6xng6tP
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 2, 2025
As long as Jobe comes up sometime early in the 2025 season, the Rookie of the Year Award should be his to lose, especially when the competition isn't too steep. Jasson Dominguez has a ton of potential, but it's unclear how his bat will translate and his defensive concerns are real. Jacob Wilson has a high floor, but not the highest of ceilings. Boston Red Sox prospects Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer might not get chances to contribute until later in the year.
Other finalists: Jasson Dominguez, Jacob Wilson
NL Rookie of the Year Award
Prediction: Dylan Crews
It feels as if Dylan Crews has flown a bit under the radar since being selected with the No. 2 overall pick back in the 2023 MLB Draft. When discussing the NL Rookie of the Year favorites, Roki Sasaki and Matt Shaw (understandably) get most of the consideration. Even among his own team, James Wood is a young player who gets more attention than Crews. Still, Crews has a ton of talent and should break out in his first full MLB season.
The 23-year-old got his first taste of big league action down the stretch of last season and struggled a bit, posting a .641 OPS in 31 games, but he did display some of his immense upside in that small sample.
Nine of his 26 MLB hits went for extra bases, highlighting the kind of power Crews has to offer. Crews also wound up stealing 12 bases in 15 tries, and recently said his goal is to swipe at least 40 bags. He certainly has the speed to do it.
Chances are, if a solid defensive outfielder can hit 20+ home runs and steal 40+ bases, he's going to have a good shot at winning the Rookie of the Year award. I would not be surprised at all if Sasaki or Shaw wins it, but Crews has a chance to do some damage on what I believe will be a much-improved Washington Nationals team in 2025.
Other finalists: Roki Sasaki, Matt Shaw
AL Cy Young Award
Prediction: Garrett Crochet
Can we just take a second and appreciate what Garrett Crochet was able to do in his first full season as a starting pitcher? The 25-year-old posted a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts and 146 innings of work, striking out an absurd 209 batters while issuing just 33 walks. Crochet was seventh in the majors in strikeouts despite ranking 76th in innings pitched. He did not have enough innings to qualify for an ERA title, and still was among the league leaders in strikeouts. If that doesn't give a glimpse into his upside, I'm not sure what does, and it looks like he's only taking a step forward this spring.
His ERA might've been a touch higher than many expected, but he had a 3.08 ERA in his first 19 starts of the year when his innings were not limited, and his 2.69 FIP suggests he was incredibly unlucky throughout the year. Oh yeah, I should probably mention that he did this while pitching for the worst team in modern MLB history as well.
Chances are, going from the White Sox to what should be a really good Red Sox team while also having his innings limits removed should unlock Crochet in a big way. I fully expect him to be among the leaders in every important category and win the Cy Young award as a result.
Injuries are obviously a concern, as is dethroning a pitcher as good as Tarik Skubal, but if he can stay on the field, Crochet has the talent to win this award.
Other finalists: Tarik Skubal, Cole Ragans
NL Cy Young Award
Prediction: Paul Skenes
Paul Skenes made just 23 starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, and yet, won the NL Rookie of the Year award and more impressively, was an NL Cy Young finalist. He wound up as the third-place finisher, but Skenes being a finalist to begin with shows just how dominant he was.
In his 23 starts, the right-hander posted a 1.96 ERA in 133 innings pitched. In those innings, he struck out 170 batters while issuing 32 free passes and had a rock-solid 0.947 WHIP. Skenes walked very few, allowed little contact, and struck guys out at an elite rate.
Perhaps the most impressive statistic to come from Skenes' rookie season is that he had as many starts in which he went at least six innings and did not allow a single hit (2) than starts in which he allowed four runs (1). He allowed one earned run or fewer in 14 of his 23 starts, which is hard to fathom.
Sure, the league might adjust to what Skenes threw at them in 2024, but hitters are going to have to account for what looks like an elite new pitch. Look at how much this cutter moves in on Ryan O'Hearn's hands. That gives Skenes another elite offering to throw at any hitter in any count.
Paul Skenes, New Cutter? pic.twitter.com/T9pRvmxAjJ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 1, 2025
Whether the Pirates score enough to win his starts remains to be seen, but with wins not mattering nearly as much as they once did, Skenes should win this award comfortably, even over elite arms like Zack Wheeler and Chris Sale.
Other finalists: Zack Wheeler, Chris Sale
AL MVP Award
Prediction: Bobby Witt Jr.
Bobby Witt Jr. established himself as one of MLB's best players last season. In the 161 games he played for the Kansas City Royals, he slashed .332/.389/.588 with 32 home runs and 109 RBI. He tacked on 45 doubles, 11 triples, and 31 stolen bases en route to his first Silver Slugger award. If you can find a weakness in his game, can you please tell me what it is?
If you thought the answer was defense, you'd be very wrong. Witt might've once been a poor defender, but he ranked in the 99th percentile in OAA in 2024, according to Baseball Savant, and took home a Gold Glove award.
Let me get this straight - Witt's got elite bat-to-ball skills, absurd speed, and high-end power, while also being an excellent defender. What's stopping him from competing for MVP awards for years to come? The answer is nothing, and this upcoming season could be when Witt wins his first MVP award.
In most years, Witt's play in 2024 was good enough to win an MVP award, but Aaron Judge having the season he did prevented that from happening. Witt will have to outplay Judge who is sure to have another great year, but I'm going to predict Witt has the all-around campaign that he did in 2024 at 24 years old before I predict Judge to hit another 58+ home runs, especially with Juan Soto now playing his games across town.
NL MVP Award
Prediction: Shohei Ohtani
I know, I know, this is the boring pick, but how can I, in good faith, pick anyone else? I'd love for Juan Soto to have the best season of his career in his debut season as a Met. I'd love for Elly De La Cruz to hit 40 home runs and steal 80 bases. Even if those things occur, how can anyone defeat a healthy Shohei Ohtani in the MVP race?
The year for someone in the NL to have won it was this past season when Ohtani was a DH only, and yet, Ohtani still ran away with it thanks to the first-ever 50 home run and 50 stolen base season. He probably won't do that again this season, but that's because Ohtani is expected to pitch sometime in May.
Let's say Ohtani makes 20-ish starts and, due to his long layoff from the mound, matches his worst ERA at 3.31. Assuming he has another Ohtani-like offensive year, why wouldn't he win the award?
The simple fact is Ohtani can do something nobody in MLB history has ever done. As long as he continues to hit and pitch at an elite level, or someone else finds a way to do that, the MVP award is going to be his to lose no matter what other elite players in the National League can do. There's a reason that the Los Angeles Dodgers were willing to do whatever he wanted financially to get him to sign the dotted line.