The 2024 MLB season is officially in the rearview, and before the hot stove heats up, it's time to slap a bow on the season that was with some individual awards.

Here's a quick rundown of when Major League Baseball will hand out its top honors:

• Monday, Nov. 18: AL, NL Rookie of the Year
• Tuesday, Nov. 19: AL, NL Manager of the Year
• Wednesday, Nov. 20: AL, NL Cy Young
• Thursday, Nov. 21: AL, NL MVP

Before the BBWAA starts handing out hardware, B/R MLB writers Tim Kelly, Kerry Miller, Joel Reuter and Zachary Rymer made their own picks for Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP and a host of other awards.

Let the debate begin!

AL Rookie of the Year

Tim Kelly: Mason Miller, Oakland Athletics

I'm a little confused why he's not mentioned more consistently in this discussion. There's not really a standout candidate in the AL, although Colton Cowser and Luis Gil both had strong campaigns. But Miller posted a 2.49 ERA and a staggering 14.4 SO/9 across 55 games. He also recorded 28 saves in 31 attempts, lighting up the radar gun every time he took the mound. He was definitely the most fun rookie to watch in the Junior Circuit.

Kerry Miller: Luis Gil, New York Yankees

Funny to think that Gil perhaps never gets a chance this season if Gerrit Cole hadn't opened the year on the IL, but he capitalized on the opportunity. There were some blips here and there, most notably in late June and again in late September, but Gil also made four starts in which he allowed just one hit in at least six innings of work, making 29 total starts with a 3.50 ERA.

Joel Reuter: Luis Gil, New York Yankees

Gil made 29 starts for a team that ended up reaching the World Series, going 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 171 strikeouts in 151.2 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a stingy .189 batting average. He might not have finished in the top three in NL Rookie of the Year balloting, but that's good enough to take home the AL hardware this year.

Zach Rymer: Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles

There is no "right" pick here, but Cowser is the closest anyone is going to come to a sensible pick for the AL Rookie of the Year. He led AL rookies with 24 home runs and you can make the case that he should have won the AL Gold Glove for left field over Steven Kwan. Per Outs Above Average, Cowser (+8) was twice as effective as Kwan (+4) in the field.

NL Rookie of the Year

Tim Kelly: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

If Jackson Merrill or Jackson Chourio was in the AL, they would win the Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately for them, they'll fall short in the NL. Skenes more than lived up to the hype, setting the baseball world on fire a year after the Pirates made him the No. 1 overall pick. Skenes started the All-Star Game and ultimately went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched. For as great as Merrill and Chourio were, Skenes is the clear pick.

Kerry Miller: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

There are perfectly valid cases to be made for Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio, both of whom played nearly every day for teams who made the postseason thanks in no small part to their contributions. But Skenes was a full-blown phenomenon, a "Zion Williamson's year at Duke" type of instant star who needed to be watched as often as possible. Merrill may have had a better WAR, but Skenes probably led the majors in VAR (Viewers Above Replacement).

Joel Reuter: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

Skenes was the NL starter in the All-Star Game, he was pulled from a no-hitter not once, but twice, and he did not allow more than six hits or four earned runs in any of his 23 starts. If he had been on the Opening Day roster, there's a good chance he would have joined Fernando Valenzuela as the second rookie in MLB history to win Cy Young honors.

Zach Rymer: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates

Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio had terrific years, and it's notable that Masyn Winn finished ahead of them in rWAR. It's too bad that all three debuted in the same year as one of the greatest rookie pitchers baseball has ever seen. Skenes is the first rookie starter in the live-ball era to post a sub-2.00 ERA, and he did it with 138 more strikeouts than walks.

AL Cy Young

Tim Kelly: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

For as dominant as Emmanuel Clase was out of the bullpen for the Guardians, I couldn't quite bring myself to have him above Skubal. The 27-year-old lefty won the pitching triple crown in the AL, leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228). For good measure, he also had the best marks in terms of FIP (2.50) and ERA+ (170) in the AL.

Kerry Miller: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

Even before the postseason began, the choice here was clearly Skubal. (Though, I did my damnedest to make the case for Emmanuel Clase at one point in September.) But then Skubal opened the postseason with 19 consecutive scoreless innings, turning an incredible season into an all-timer of a calendar year.

Joel Reuter: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

Skubal was the driving force behind the Tigers' unlikely push from trade deadline sellers to postseason contenders, going 6-0 with a 1.94 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 55.2 innings over his final nine starts. It's hard to vote for anyone else when a pitcher wins his league's triple crown.

Zach Rymer: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

Yeah, kind of a no-brainer here. Skubal led AL pitchers in both rWAR and fWAR, as well as in all three triple-crown categories if you're into that sort of thing. It felt like he tossed six strong innings every time he took the ball, which actually isn't far from the truth.

NL Cy Young

Tim Kelly: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

I covered Zack Wheeler's 2024 season, and I can tell you first-hand that it was Cy Young-caliber. Unfortunately for Wheeler, it will lead to his second runner-up finish of his career, as Sale was too dominant not to take home the award. Like Skubal in the AL, Sale won the NL pitching triple crown with 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts. Sale also led baseball in ERA+ (174), FIP (2.09), HR/9 (0.5), SO/9 (11.4) and fWAR (6.4). I'm not sure how a pitcher with that resume doesn't win the Cy Young.

Kerry Miller: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

It's a shame that back spasms rendered him unable to take the mound after Sept. 19, because Sale was more dominant than Atlanta could have possibly imagined upon acquiring him. Over his final 25 starts, he posted a 2.06 ERA with a 1.87 FIP, suggesting he was a bit unlucky to only fare that preposterously well. He led the majors with 18 wins, and the Braves needed each and every one of them.

Joel Reuter: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

It's wild that Sale's first Cy Young will likely come in his age-35 season and following a buy-low trade to the Atlanta Braves. His numbers make him a no-brainer selection as he took home NL triple-crown honors, and his value was amplified by the fact that Spencer Strider was lost for the season in April.

Zach Rymer: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

Another no-brainer. Sale likewise earned himself a pitching triple crown this season, notably leading all of MLB with a 2.38 ERA in the process. He had two starts in which he allowed five or more runs and 25 in which he allowed no more than two. You love to see it, and that much more so after all he'd been through in his previous five seasons.

AL MVP

Tim Kelly: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Bobby Witt Jr. probably would have won the NL MVP given that he posted a staggering 10.4 fWAR. The problem for him is that Judge posted an MLB-leading 11.2 fWAR. He also led baseball in home runs (58), RBI (144), walks (133), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.701, OPS (1.159) and OPS+ (223). Any questions?

Kerry Miller: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

I'll give a nod to Bobby Witt Jr. a bit later, but what Judge did this season was just plain absurd. When he hit 62 home runs two years ago, he had a 210 OPS+ and a 206 wRC+, both of which were the first time (excluding Juan Soto in 2020) that a player posted a mark of 200 or better in either category since Barry Bonds in 2004. Well, he upped the ante to 223 OPS+ and 218 wRC+ this season, leading the majors in home runs, RBI, walks and darn near all three parts of his .322/.458/.701 triple slash. Legendary stuff. Almost enough to make up for that error in Game 5 of the World Series...

Joel Reuter: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

With a 223 OPS+ and 10.8 WAR, Judge actually had a better overall offensive season than he did during his 62-homer campaign in 2022 when he posted a 210 OPS+ and 10.5 WAR. There are a lot of nice words to be said about Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson, but there is really no case to be made that they deserve AL MVP honors over Judge.

Zach Rymer: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

I was a believer in Bobby Witt Jr.'s AL MVP case in August, but he really cooled off in the last six weeks. That opened the door for Judge to be the slam-dunk pick for the award, though that's not to imply that he's a default winner. He may not have topped 60 home runs again, but he finished this year with a higher average, OBP and slugging percentage than he had in 2022.

NL MVP

Tim Kelly: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Given that Ohtani didn't pitch in 2024, this was supposed to be the year someone else had a turn at MVP. Instead, Ohtani became the first 50/50 player in MLB history, with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases. He also led baseball with 411 total bases and 134 runs scored, and posted the top NL marks in terms of on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (.646), OPS (1.036) and OPS+ (190). He's going to become the first full-time DH to win MVP and join Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVPs in both leagues.

Kerry Miller: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

It was Ronald Acuña Jr. as a no-brainer last year when he created the 30-60 club en route to his 40-73 campaign. Same deal with Ohtani becoming the first ever 43-43 player on his way to a ludicrous 54-59 season. Frankly, it was a little sad when people were trying to make the case for Francisco Lindor in September. And Lindor had a great season! Nothing close to what Ohtani did, though.

Joel Reuter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Ohtani led the NL in home runs (54), RBI (130), runs scored (134), on-base percentage (.390), slugging (.646), OPS+ (190) and WAR (9.2) while becoming the inaugural member of baseball's 50/50 club. Even without setting foot on the mound, he was the best all-around player in baseball, and he hoisted a World Series trophy in his Dodgers debut.

Zach Rymer: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

You're telling me that one guy hit 54 home runs, stole 59 bases and also tacked on 38 doubles and 130 runs batted in for a team that won 98 games? Nuh uh. No way that's a real thing that happened. And if it did, why are we even debating whether that guy is the NL MVP?

Managers of the Year

Tim Kelly: Stephen Vogt, CLE and Pat Murphy, MIL

Both of these managers navigated having fewer than five quality starters and utilized elite bullpens to help guide their clubs to division titles. Both Vogt and Murphy will take home hardware in their first years on the job.

Kerry Miller: Matt Quatraro, KC and Pat Murphy, MIL

Nothing fancy here. The Brewers had a preseason win total of 76.5. The Royals' was 73.5. And they were the only teams expected to win 79 or fewer games who posted a winning record, let alone made the playoffs. I could accept arguments for Detroit's A.J. Hinch or Cleveland's Stephen Vogt in the AL, but Murphy simply has to be the pick in the NL.

Joel Reuter: Stephen Vogt, CLE and Dave Roberts, LAD

Vogt pulled all the right strings deploying baseball's best bullpen, trusting unproven arms like Hunter Gaddis, Cade Smith and Tim Herrin in key roles, and that helped the Guardians navigate a shaky year from the starting rotation. Meanwhile, Roberts dealt with a wave of injuries to the starting staff and navigated lofty expectations to bring home a title in a season where it was World Series-or-bust for the Dodgers.

Zachary Rymer: Stephen Vogt, CLE and Dave Roberts, LAD

Matt Quatraro and A.J. Hinch also did fine work this season, but Vogt got 92 wins out of a team that had the worst starting rotation in the AL and an offense that only barely eclipsed the AL average for scoring. As for Roberts, it never hurts a manager to have a $300 million roster to work with. But he still had to navigate an endless torrent of pitching injuries, not to mention close to a two-month absence on the part of Mookie Betts.

Comeback Players of the Year

Tim Kelly: Garrett Crochet, CWS and Chris Sale, ATL

It feels strange for anyone from the 121-loss White Sox to win an award this year, but in Crochet's first full year back from Tommy John surgery—and actually, his first full year as an MLB starter—he struck out 209 batters while posting a 3.58 ERA and 2.69 FIP across 146 innings. Meanwhile, Sale pitched a total of 151 innings between 2020 and 2023. For him to find this second life in his career and finally win a Cy Young is an incredible story.

Kerry Miller: Erick Fedde, CWS and Chris Sale, ATL

Yeah, sure, Fedde ended the year in the NL, but he made his comeback—from a year in Korea, after six seasons with a 5.41 ERA with the Nationals—with the AL's White Sox. And Sale winning the NL's triple crown after the Red Sox agreed to eat his entire salary in the trade just to be done with him was quite the revival.

Joel Reuter: Jack Flaherty, DET and Chris Sale, ATL

After years of battling injury and a shaky 2023 season where his command came and went, Flaherty signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Tigers and bounced back with a 2.95 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 133 strikeouts in 106.2 innings before he was traded to the Dodgers at the deadline. Sale had a similar trajectory, making just 11 starts in three years before returning with a lackluster 2023 campaign, and now he is set to take home NL Cy Young honors after joining the Braves in what amounted to a salary dump.

Zach Rymer: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR and Chris Sale, ATL

Relative to his 2023 season, Guerrero played in only three more games and hit just four more home runs in 2024. But he raised his OPS by 152 points and generally reestablished himself as one of the most feared hitters in the AL. That'll work. As for Sale, let's put it this way: After posting a total of 4.7 rWAR between 2019 and 2023, he racked up 6.2 rWAR in 2024 alone.

Best Offseason Addition

Tim Kelly: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Anything other than Ohtani here is overthinking it. He is going to win NL MVP, and the Dodgers won the World Series. What's scary is that he's going to return to the mound in 2025, so he only really scratched the surface this year.

Kerry Miller: Both sides of the Juan Soto trade

Obviously, Soto hitting in front of Aaron Judge was a season-long joy ride, largely responsible for getting the Yankees back to the World Series for the first time in 15 years. But from what the Padres got in the deal, Michael King was phenomenal, Kyle Higashioka clubbed 17 home runs and Drew Thorpe was the top prospect San Diego sent to the White Sox for Dylan Cease. They somehow gave up a generational talent and improved by 11 wins.

Joel Reuter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

A World Series title and likely NL MVP award was the absolute best-case scenario for the Dodgers in the first season of Ohtani's heavily deferred $700 million deal. His signing sent expectations soaring for both the player and the organization, and no one was left disappointed.

Zach Rymer: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

There's a case here for Corbin Burnes, who was a rock in an Orioles rotation that otherwise fell apart as 2024 went along. But even in their wildest dreams, the Dodgers may not have envisioned what Ohtani did for them this season. And even if his postseason was a mixed bag, they might have lost the NLDS if he hadn't hit that three-run homer in Game 1.

Best In-Season Addition

Tim Kelly: Michael Kopech, Los Angeles Dodgers

Kopech was acquired from the White Sox prior to the trade deadline, and he helped the Dodgers build a bullpen so strong that it overcame some starting pitching deficiencies to win the World Series. Kopech posted a 1.13 ERA in 24 appearances after being acquired by the Dodgers and now has one remaining year of team control where he'll likely be the anchor of Dave Roberts' bullpen.

Kerry Miller: Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers

He merely racked up the most hits of any player this postseason, including being named NLCS MVP. And the Dodgers got him (and Michael Kopech, and minor-leaguer Oliver Gonzalez) for Miguel Vargas and a pair of Single-A prospects who still don't rank top 10 in the White Sox farm system. Just an incredible highway robbery by the eventual champs.

Joel Reuter: Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers

Not only did Edman win NLCS MVP honors while hitting .328/.354/.508 overall in 16 playoff games, but he was also more than just a two-month rental with a team-friendly $9.5 million salary for the 2025 season. His ability to play second base, shortstop and center field will give the Dodgers tremendous flexibility in how they approach potentially upgrading the lineup this winter.

Zach Rymer: Victor Robles, Seattle Mariners

When the Mariners signed Robles in June, he had just been cast off from a team on its way to losing 91 games. That he signed an extension just two months later is wild, albeit understandable from Seattle's perspective. Robles hit .328 in 77 games with them, with basically half as much rWAR (3.1) as he had compiled in 530 games with Washington (6.4).

Most Improved Position Player

Tim Kelly: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

This might be a bit outside the box considering Witt hit 30 home runs with 96 RBI and a 5.8 fWAR in 2023. But he still hit 32 home runs with 109 RBI in 2024, while increasing his batting average from .276 to .332. His defensive runs saved went from minus-6 to plus-2 in 2024. His WAR increased from 5.8 to 10.4. Sometimes the biggest improvement can be from someone who went from being a star to a Hall of Fame-caliber player.

Kerry Miller: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

Kansas City's nearly $300 million shortstop was good in 2023, but he became a god in 2024. It's a shame the entire baseball world had reached its unanimous conclusion that Aaron Judge was to be named AL MVP right before he went on his 16-game homerless streak, because Witt deserved to be a more legitimate part of that conversation, if only because he dominated all by his lonesome, without the lineup support of anything close to a Juan Soto or Giancarlo Stanton.

Joel Reuter: Mark Vientos, New York Mets

Vientos hit .211/.253/.367 with a 30.5 percent strikeout rate and minus-1.1 WAR in his first extended MLB action in 2023, and he started the 2024 season in the minors behind Joey Wendle and Brett Baty on the depth chart at third base. Now the 24-year-old looks like a rising star after posting a 135 OPS+ with 27 home runs and 71 RBI before turning in a fantastic playoff performance.

Zach Rymer: Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies

Doyle is probably the best defensive outfielder in baseball, and this season saw him add more to his 2023 wOBA than every qualified hitter except for Carlos Correa. That wasn't all Coors Field's doing, as he made gains with his strikeout and walk rates and every batted ball metric. So at least the Rockies have him going for them, which is nice.

Most Improved Pitcher

Tim Kelly: Cristopher Sánchez, Philadelphia Phillies

Hunter Greene and Tanner Houck certainly would be strong picks here. But Sánchez parlayed a solid second half in 2023 into being an All-Star in 2024. On the season, he posted a 3.32 ERA, 3.00 FIP, and a minuscule 0.5 HR/9 while tossing two complete games and logging 181.2 innings. You can make the argument that he was one of the 10 best starting pitchers in baseball this past season. A Phillies team that already had one of the better starting rotations in baseball got even deeper in 2024 with Sánchez emerging as a frontline starter.

Kerry Miller: Hunter Brown, Houston Astros

Brown did make 11 quality starts in 2023, but he fell to pieces over the final two months and was still in shambles through his first nine appearances of this season. In late May, though, he honed it in, giving Houston a 2.31 ERA over his final 22 starts, blossoming into the bona fide ace that Justin Verlander used to be for the Astros.

Joel Reuter: Luke Weaver, New York Yankees

In 2022 and 2023, Weaver suited up for five different teams and was shelled to the tune of a 6.44 ERA in 159.1 innings while serving up a .309 opponents' batting average. The Yankees signed him to a one-year, $2 million deal last offseason to serve as rotation depth and a long relief option, but he ended up pitching his way into the closer's role by the playoffs. All told, he posted a 2.89 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 11.0 K/9 in 62 appearances, and at 31 years old his career has new life.

Zach Rymer: Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds

I'm not certain it was because he changed his position on the rubber, but Greene threw the ball differently this year and the results speak for themselves. He threw more strikes and his fastball, especially, simply played better as he lowered his ERA to 2.75 and his WHIP to 1.018.