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2024 MLB Award predictions: Who are the clear winners? | Baseball Bar-B-Cast

Jordan Shusterman · Jake Mintz

Yahoo Sports senior MLB analysts Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz dish out their 2024 MLB award predictions for MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year. Hear the full conversation on the “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: Let's give our award picks that we feel so strongly about. Most Valuable Player in the American League. What do we think?

JAKE MINTZ: I'm going to go with Aaron Judge because, I mean, watch him.

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: Yeah. The Judge-Soto dynamic will be fascinating. Of course, you can apply that in the National League too with all of those guys. I picked Bobby Witt Jr. just because I just think if he's going to keep getting this much better-- I mean, him and Julio are in the same bucket, so I'll just go with Bobby Witt Jr. But I think I am leaning more Soto over Judge, if I have to pick a Yankee, so I will say that.

JAKE MINTZ: OK.

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: But I'll stick with Bobby Witt Jr. because he's amazing.

JAKE MINTZ: NL MVP. I put down Spencer Strider. I am going with the pitcher winning the MVP award. Now, a lot has to happen for this-- like Mookie probably has to get hurt.

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: You need some injuries. Or, like, it's way more of a bet against the hitting field, which is wild considering who's in the hitting field.

JAKE MINTZ: I just think Spencer Strider is going to be generational.

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: I think the bigger problem is not just-- that could totally be true, but it's also who's on Spencer's Strider's own team. If Acuña does anything close to what he did again, like, it's still impossible to argue Strider is their most important player.

JAKE MINTZ: Not if his ERA is like 2.2 and he's--

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: Negative 8. I went with Freddie Freeman. Again, like, sorting through the Dodgers is tough. Freddy is just so automatic. It is just-- I'm so, so impressed with him. But there's just no wrong answer if you're picking a Dodger, so I'll stick with Freddie there. American League Cy Young, you can go in a lot of different directions I think. I went with Luis Castillo. Cole Ragans is a fun pick. I mentioned Tarik Skubal is a fun pick. You put Cole Ragans in here for the graphic. It seems like you're already doubting it. Corbin Burnes is in the American League now, so that's cool for him. You want to roll with Ragans or do you want to pick someone else?

JAKE MINTZ: I'll take Cole Ragans. NL Cy Young, we both took Strider because we're human beings.

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: Yes. AL Rookie of the Year. The Wyatt Langford versus Evan Carter thing will be interesting all season long. I'm going Langford over Carter. In the American League, again, like, I think my thing with Jackson Holliday is I just see him as just being an amazing baseball player more than his stats are going to be blowing you away, particularly in his first season.

JAKE MINTZ: Yeah.

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: And so that's where I think I would lean more towards the Texas guys. Because also, like, Holliday doesn't really run, right?

JAKE MINTZ: I mean, they're just going to play more. They also have more runway, right?

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: Yeah, in theory. But even if Holliday plays five months, he's going to be in the mix, I imagine. But I just think the Head start for Langford and Carter is going to be substantial. National League is, I think, way more interesting. I'm rolling with Chourio here. Yamamoto was such an obvious pick when he signed, and now people are-- if you want to jump ship, that's fine. It might end up looking stupid, and he just ends up being a top 10 pitcher in baseball and he's, like, obviously the Rookie of the Year. But I'm going to roll with Chourio here.

JAKE MINTZ: I took Jung Hoo Lee.

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: Lee's one where statistically I'm curious what the ceiling is for him in his first season. But I'm so excited to watch him.

JAKE MINTZ: If he pops 18 homers and steals, like, 45 bags and gets the average close to .300--

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: 18 homers would be incredible.

JAKE MINTZ: I said if.

JORDAN SHUSTERMAN: 18 homers would be incredible if he does that in his first season. That would be like, oh my gosh.