At this point in the regular season, fans know who’s taking home awards like MVP, Cy Young, and sometimes even Rookie of the Year. Instead of taking a look and diving into players who are more predictable to win these awards, let’s utilize some of the other major sports leagues awards to recognize some of the best players in baseball throughout the 2024 season.
Probable 2024 Award Winners
Most Valuable Player: Aaron Judge (American League) & Shohei Ohtani (National League)
Cy Young: Tarik Skubal (American League) & Chris Sale (National League)
Rookie of the Year: Austin Wells or Luis Gil (American League) & Jackson Merrill (National League)
For the additional awards, most are not given out by Major League Baseball themselves. Instead, they’re curated awards from other professional sports leagues as well as being modified to fit baseball rather than another sport (ex: instead of NBA 6th man of the year it’s been switched to Utility Player of the Year).
Every award will feature a recipient from the American and National League like the awards already given out. The only exception being the Utility Player of the Year Award.
Clutch Player of the Year
American League
Corey Seager – Texas Rangers (SS)
Despite having his season cut short recently due to injury, Seager had himself another incredible season with Texas following his second World Series championship. Seager hit .278 this season with an .864 OPS. He managed to hit 30 home runs for the third straight season, but where he was at his best was in high leverage spots. According to FanGraphs, Seager had a 1.87 Clutch in 2024, a near excellent rating and one of the best in the American League.
He’s been a big contributor to the overall success of the Rangers with a 3.62 WPA (Win Probability Added). In important moments, Seager was the guy Texas could seem to always rely on and the numbers show nothing but that.
National League
Jurickson Profar – San Diego Padres (LF)
It’s hard to argue that Jurickson Profar hasn’t been the clutchest player in the sport this season. He’s hit for a near .300 batting average, an .847 OPS, a career high 23 home runs, and has tallied a career high in walks, RBI, hits, and hit-by-pitches.
In high leverage situations he’s been everything the Padres could ask for. He has the league’s best clutch rating at 2.51 and an incredible 4.93 WPA. He has so many incredible moments this season and has been the biggest factor to the success of the Padres lineup.
Defensive Player of the Year
American League
Andres Gimenez – Cleveland Guardians (2B)
Since his bat is rather average, Andres Gimenez goes unnoticed by many in the baseball world. The former 2022 All Star played arguably the most elite defense among any position player in the American League. He’s recorded 21 defensive runs saved as well as 18 outs above average.
He ranks in the 98th percentile for fielding run value, which is extremely valuable to a Guardians organization developing what they can only hope will be a long term second baseman in Travis Bazzana. Whether or not we’ll see a move of Gimenez to shortstop is unknown, but there’s no doubt he could man the position given his skill set and speed.
National League
Patrick Bailey – San Francisco Giants (C)
Bailey at just 25-years old has already shown his defensive ability behind the plate to be some of the best if not already the best in the game. He’s recorded 18 defensive runs this season, is an elite framer, and with a 1.85 second pop time is one of the toughest catchers in the league to try and steal a base off of. After a long career from Buster Posey behind the plate, Patrick Bailey is following that up with some elite defense in the Bay Area.
Most Improved Player
American League
Garrett Crochet – Chicago White Sox (LHP)
After going into a full season as a starting pitcher, it’s hard to say Garrett Crochet has not been the most improved player across the league this season. From a bullpen arm with the starting pitcher upside to one of the most elite arms in the league, Crochet will undoubtedly be the most talked about trade chip this offseason.
Crochet in 30 starts this season to this point has a 3.78 ERA with 195 strikeouts. He’s totalled a 12.7 K/9 rate compared to his 8.5 K/9 rate in 2023. Not to mention that he’s pitched over 120 more innings this season, as well as making his first All Star Game appearance.
National League
Reynaldo Lopez – Atlanta Braves (RHP)
The Braves have seemed to unlock something in yet another pitcher with Reynaldo Lopez this season. Lopez has never been able to fully put it together as a starter in the majors but this season has excelled with a 2.03 ERA across 24 starts to this point.
He went from having a 5.38 ERA with the White Sox in 2019 leading the majors in earned runs, to an All Star starting pitcher. He recorded a 9.6 K/9 rate compared to his 8.3 K/9 back in 2019 the last time he was a full season starter. If it wasn’t due to injuries here and there, Lopez would almost certainly pass his career high season total for strikeouts currently being at 137.
Comeback Player of the Year
American League
Luis Gil – New York Yankees (RHP)
One of the betting favorites to win the AL Rookie of the Year this season, Luis Gil has been unbelievably good for the Yankees this season. The 26-year old after battling injuries for almost two full seasons has made a much needed return to the Yankee rotation, as one of their most reliable starters.
He pitched a career high by far of 140.2 innings to this point, recording a 10.3 K/9 rate. If he can lower the amount of walks as his career goes forward he can be an elite front line starter for New York to pair with Gerrit Cole for years to come.
National League
Luis Severino – New York Mets (RHP)
Going from arguably the worst pitcher in baseball to a staple piece in the Mets rotation, Luis Severino has had one of the more improbable comeback seasons in recent baseball memory. Severino with the Yankees last season had a 6.65 ERA and with the Mets this season has a 3.79 in 12 more starts.
He continues to put together great starts for the Mets and when it has mattered most in September he’s posted a 2.81 ERA, and opponents have had a .211 average against him in that time span.
Utility Player of the Year: David Fry – Cleveland Guardians (C, DH, 1B, 3B, LF, RF)
David Fry has been very impressive in his second season in the major leagues. Earning his first All Star selection, he’s undoubtedly been the best utility player across the entire league this season.
Fry’s hit for a .261 batting average in 119 games played this season, with an .801 OPS. He’s been well above league average at the plate hitting for a 126 OPS+ and has slugged 14 home runs while being able to fit in six different spots in the lineup. His versatility has been a massive impact to the success of the Guardians in 2024.
Games played at various positions in 2024:
Designated Hitter: 51 games
Catcher: 23 games
First Base: 20 games
Left Field: 16 games
Right Field: 4 games
Third Base: 4 games