MLB 2021 Award Winners

(Published Nov. 25, 2021)

By David A. Avila

After a shortened season a year ago Major League Baseball in its true and overly long form returned. Back to 162-game season the baseball world witnessed one of the most incredible performances by one person in history.

We also so a player gain his second MVP award and two pitchers get their first Cy Young Awards.

The year 2021 was a season of adjustments to radical change due to the pandemic and with it came remarkable performances.

Let’s start with the Most Valuable Player category.

MVP

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels was voted Most Valuable Player by unanimous vote in the American League. He led MLB in triples with 8 and sported a .944 OPS that included 46 homers and 26 SBs. He also pitched 130 innings in 23 starts with a 3.18 ERA, and 156 strikeouts. He is 27 and perhaps the best player in baseball today.

Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies was voted Most Valuable Player in the National League for assisting his team to keep pace with the Atlanta Braves. Harper ended with a 1.044 OPS and hit 35 homers with 84 RBIs which all seemed to come at the exact moment needed. Clutch was his nickname and he seemed to deliver whenever he came to bat or was needed in the field. An amazing year.

Cy Young

Robbie Ray the southpaw fireballer for the Toronto Blue Jays won the Cy Young Award for the best American League overall pitching performance in 2021. Ray, signed a one-year deal with Toronto and proved with slight adjustments he was not only better than before, but the best pitcher in the American League. Ray sported a 2.84 ERA with 248 strikeouts in 193.1 innings. He also had a WHIP of 1.04.

Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers was voted Cy Young Award for leading the National League with a 2.43 ERA in 167 innings. He was part of a pitching strategy that seldom if ever saw him throw more than five innings in a game. That helped his team win the NL Central Division. He also struck out 234 in 167 innings and had a WHIP of 0.94.

Rookie of the Year

Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays was voted the Rookie of the Year and beat out teammate Wander Franco and Houston Astro pitcher Luis Garcia for the honor. Arozarena, 26, played last year in the month of October and contributed mightily in the playoffs for the Rays. This year, with all of baseball knowing his talent, he continued to perform at a very high level. Arozarena hit ,274 with 20 homers, 69 RBIs and scored 94 runs. His 815 OPS was well above average.

Jonathan India of the Cincinnati Reds sparked his team to competition with 21 homers, 69 RBIs and .835 OPS for his opening year. The second baseman proved to be a catalyst for his team and helped the Reds maintain pace with the Milwaukee Brewers who dominated with pitching while the Reds dominated with hitting. India played 150 games and scored 98 runs.

Manager of the Year

Kevin Cash led the Tampa Bay Rays to first place in the AL East and ended with an 8-game difference over the second place Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. It was the second consecutive time he was voted the Manager of the Year in the American League. Despite a team with the lowest paid salaries, the Rays behind the guidance of Cash were able to navigate to the top once again over richer team like the Yankees and Red Sox.

Gabe Kapler of the San Francisco Giants led the team to a first place finish in the super strong NL West to upend the LA Dodgers who had an eight-season consecutive streak. The Giants won a franchise record 107 games and beat out LA by one game. Incidentally, the Dodgers won a franchise 106 games but it was not enough. For his superior guidance Kapler was voted Manager of the Year in the National League.