And the 2020 awards will go to ...
Predicting MVPs, Cy Youngs, Rookies of the Year, Managers of the Year
With Opening Day arriving Thursday, now's a perfect time to consider who will win each of the major individual awards in 2020. So we asked 55 MLB.com experts to vote for the 2020 American League and National League Most Valuable Players, Cy Young Award winners, Rookies of the Year and Managers of the Year.
Here are the results -- our predicted winners for the 2020 MLB awards. Besides the winners, other players who received votes are listed in order of how many they received.
AL MVP: Mike Trout, Angels
Were you really expecting anyone else? Trout remains the best player on the planet, and there's no reason not to think he'll win his fourth career MVP Award in his 10th Major League season. The vote here wasn't close -- Trout received 29 votes, and the next closest player -- the Indians' Francisco Lindor -- garnered seven votes. A fourth MVP Award would put Trout in some elite company, since only one other player has ever won four or more of them -- Barry Bonds, who won seven. And if that wasn't enough to demonstrate Trout's greatness, consider he finished runner-up in AL MVP Award voting four times.
Others receiving votes: Lindor (7), Alex Bregman (6), Gleyber Torres (3), Josh Donaldson (2), Matt Chapman (2), Aaron Judge (2), Anthony Rendon (1), Joey Gallo (1), Nelson Cruz (1), Shohei Ohtani (1)
AL Cy Young: Gerrit Cole, Yankees
Cole was electric in his final season with the Astros in 2019, finishing runner-up in AL Cy Young Award voting to rotation mate Justin Verlander. Cole posted an AL-best 2.50 ERA and led the Majors with 326 strikeouts before absolutely dominating in the AL Division Series against the Rays and the AL Championship Series against the Yankees. This time, our voters say he'll emerge atop the list, and he won this vote by a wider margin than Trout won in the MVP category -- Cole received 40 votes, with the next closest pitcher, Mike Clevinger, getting four votes.
Others receiving votes: Clevinger (4), Shane Bieber (3), Blake Snell (2), Verlander (2), Charlie Morton (1), Lance Lynn (1), Lucas Giolito (1), Tyler Glasnow (1)
AL Rookie of the Year: Luis Robert, White Sox
This guy already looks the part. Just in Summer Camp, Robert has already homered while falling down and launched a pair of mammoth shots into the far reaches of Guaranteed Rate Field against some tough pitchers last Saturday, whetting the appetite of baseball fans as the regular season -- and Robert's Major League debut -- approach. The No. 3 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, paced the field with 31 votes, 25 more than the closest competitor.
Others receiving votes: Jesús Luzardo (6), Wander Franco (4), Brendan McKay (3), Jo Adell (3), Kyle Lewis (3), Nate Pearson (4), Sean Murphy (1)
AL Manager of the Year: Kevin Cash, Rays
Every year we look at the Rays on paper and think, "this isn't a postseason team." And lately, we've been wrong. Cash has worked wonders in St. Petersburg, leading his club to 90 wins in 2018, and 96 wins and an AL Wild Card berth last year. Whether it's pioneering the regular use of the opener or any other creative ways to get the most out of his roster, Cash has put the Rays on the map, even in a tough AL East that features the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox. Cash garnered 20 of 55 votes in this category.
Others receiving votes: Joe Maddon (7), Aaron Boone (6), Dusty Baker (6), Rick Renteria (6), Bob Melvin (4), Rocco Baldelli (2), Terry Francona (2), Chris Woodward (1), Mike Matheny (1)
NL MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves
Acuña was the NL Rookie of the Year just two years ago. Then he had a monster year in 2019, nearly turning in a 40-40 campaign after launching 41 homers and stealing 37 bases. Joining the 40-40 club at some point seems like a foregone conclusion for Atlanta's superstar outfielder should he stay healthy. Needless to say, that makes him a favorite in the 2020 MVP race, as evidenced by the 20 votes he received from our voters, twice the total of the reigning NL MVP and second-place finisher here, Cody Bellinger. And lest we forget, Acuña is only 22 years old entering this season.
Others receiving votes: Bellinger (10), Bryce Harper (5), Christian Yelich (5), Mookie Betts (5), Juan Soto (3), Manny Machado (2), Eugenio Suárez (1), Kris Bryant (1), Nolan Arenado (1), Ozzie Albies (1), Pete Alonso (1)
NL Cy Young: Walker Buehler, Dodgers
This was the closest of all the categories in this vote -- Buehler edged out the reigning two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, Jacob deGrom, 12-11. And the Cardinals' Jack Flaherty was right behind them, garnering 10 votes. Buehler has some of the best raw stuff in the Majors, and he's already shown how well it plays at the big league level even at 23 and 24 years old the past couple of seasons. In that span, he's posted a 2.98 ERA (3.02 FIP) and 29 percent strikeout rate for the Dodgers. It seems as though it's only a matter of time before the right-hander wins his first Cy Young Award, and it might just be the first of several.
Others receiving votes: deGrom (11), Flaherty (10), Max Scherzer (8), Stephen Strasburg (5), Clayton Kershaw (4), Luis Castillo (2), Aaron Nola (1), Kyle Hendricks (1), Marcus Stroman (1)
NL Rookie of the Year: Gavin Lux, Dodgers
From one Dodger to another, Lux is the pick for the NL Rookie of the Year Award. He received 27 of the 55 votes, 20 more than the next closest vote-getters -- the Nationals' Carter Kieboom and the Cardinals' Dylan Carlson. Of course, that was before the Dodgers optioned Lux on Tuesday, meaning he won't be on the team's active roster to begin the season. But even so, the No. 2 prospect in the game still figures to play an important role as the Dodgers look to win that elusive World Series title. Lux, traditionally a shortstop, might have to play second base given that Corey Seager is at short, but his bat could be special after the massive offensive stats he put up in the Minors.
Others receiving votes: Kieboom (7), Carlson (7), MacKenzie Gore (3), Mitch Keller (3), Cristian Pache (2), Dustin May (2), Alec Bohm (1), Nico Hoerner (2), Shogo Akiyama (1)
NL Manager of the Year: David Bell, Reds
Bell presides over one of the most intriguing clubs heading into the 60-game 2020 season. The Reds bolstered an already powerful lineup by adding Nick Castellanos, Mike Moustakas and Shogo Akiyama this offseason. They've got Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo heading the starting rotation, and Raisel Iglesias as their closer. Cincinnati will be trying to climb up from the bottom of the NL Central, having finished in last place four out of the last five seasons. And given the talent on the roster and the skipper at the helm, they might just do that and even more. Bell received 13 votes to win in this category, five more than second-place finisher Joe Girardi.
Others receiving votes: Girardi (8), Brian Snitker (6), David Ross (5), Luis Rojas (5), Craig Counsell (4), Torey Lovullo (4), Jayce Tingler (3), Mike Shildt (3), Dave Roberts (2), Gabe Kapler (2)