Judge, Skubal, Clase selected for Baseball Digest awards
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Yankees star Aaron Judge has been named the 2024 Baseball Digest/Inside Edge MLB Player of the Year, Baseball Digest announced Friday.
The publication also announced that Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal is the MLB Pitcher of the Year while Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase is the unanimous choice for MLB Relief Pitcher of the Year according to a 24-member blue-ribbon panel consisting of baseball writers, broadcasters, former players, managers and executives.
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Judge previously won this award in 2022 when he hit an AL-record 62 home runs. Although he fell short of that total this season, he still led the Majors with 58 homers. His 144 RBIs were the most by any player since 2009, and his 1.159 OPS was the best from any qualified hitter over a full season since 2004.
Judge’s monstrous offensive year helped drive the Yankees to the best record in the American League (94-68). He received 12 of a possible 24 first-place votes, splitting them evenly with Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. However, Judge edged out Ohtani in the balloting with a 12-10 advantage in second-place votes.
Skubal likely locked up the American League Cy Young Award with a Triple Crown campaign that saw him pace the AL in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228). He also ranked eighth in the Majors in innings pitched (192) and second in K/BB rate (6.51). Skubal would be the first Tiger to claim the Cy Young since Max Scherzer in 2013, a year in which he was also voted as MLB Pitcher of the Year.
Detroit’s ace got 18 first-place votes, finishing ahead of Braves left-hander Chris Sale (five first-place votes) and the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler (one).
Clase anchored Cleveland’s dominant bullpen with an extremely special season. His 0.61 ERA tied for the second-best by any pitcher who threw at least 70 innings in a season since ERA became official in both leagues in 1913.
He led the American League with 47 saves and recorded a 66-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
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Clase ended his year by converting 34 consecutive save opportunities for the AL Central champions, the longest such streak of his career. He limited opposing hitters to a .396 OPS over that four-plus-month span. Clase is the first Guardian to be voted MLB Relief Pitcher of the Year by Baseball Digest in the award’s 12-year history.