The 2021 Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) Awards winners were announced throughout the week on MLB Network, highlighting the top performers in each league.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had only one nominee in Max Scherzer for the National League Cy Young Award, but he finished a distant third behind the Milwaukee Brewers’ Corbin Burnes and Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler. Although they weren’t finalists, Walker Buehler and Julio Urias also received votes for the honor.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts additionally finished fifth in NL Manager of the Year voting after leading his team to a franchise record-tying 106 wins during the regular season.
Included below is a complete list of the players and managers who took home hardware for their efforts during the 2021 season.
AL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year: Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays
Randy Arozarena became the fourth Tampa Bay Rays player to be named Rookie of the Year. He received 22 first-place votes, edging out Houston Astros right-hander Luis Garcia (second) and teammate Wander Franco (third).
In his first full season, Arozarena hit .274/.356/.459 with 32 doubles, 20 home runs, 69 RBI and 20 stolen bases over 604 plate appearances (141 games).
NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year: Jonathan India, Cincinnati Reds
Jonathan India is the eighth Cincinnati Reds player to earn Rookie of the Year honors after getting 29 of 30 possible first-place votes. He finished ahead of Miami Marlins left-hander Trevor Rogers and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson, who were second and third, respectively.
In 150 games, India batted .269/.376/.459 with 34 doubles, 21 home runs, 69 RBI and 12 stolen bases across 641 plate appearances.
AL Manager of the Year: Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays
Kevin Cash became just the second American League skipper in history to win the Manager of the Year Award in consecutive seasons. He received 19 first-place votes, finishing ahead of the Seattle Mariners’ Scott Servais (second) and the Astros’ Dusty Baker (third).
One year after guiding the Rays to their second World Series appearance, Cash led the team to the most wins in the AL (100) en route to a second straight AL East title.
NL Manager of the Year: Gabe Kapler, San Francisco Giants
Gabe Kapler was named the NL Manager of the Year after a historic season in which he led the San Francisco Giants to a franchise record 107 games and their first NL West title since 2012.
Kapler earned 28 first-place votes, besting the Milwaukee Brewers’ Craig Counsell (second) and former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt (third).
AL Cy Young Award: Robbie Ray, Toronto Blue Jays
On the heels of a career year, Toronto Blue Jays free agent Robbie Ray won the AL Cy Young Award. He received 29 of 30 first-place votes, topping New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (second) and Chicago White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn (third).
Ray led all of baseball with 248 strikeouts this past season, and additionally ranked first in ERA (2.84), starts (32), innings pitched (193.1), ERA+ (154) and WHIP (1.05) among qualified AL starters.
NL Cy Young Award, Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers
After a dominant 2021 campaign, Burnes took home the NL Cy Young Award by a narrow margin. He earned only 12 first-place votes, but it was enough to hold off Wheeler (12 first-place votes) and Scherzer (six).
Burnes went 11-5 with an MLB-best 2.43 ERA, 1.63 FIP and 0.94 WHIP with 234 strikeouts against 34 walks in 167 innings pitched (28 starts).
AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, L.A. Angels
L.A. Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani enjoyed a season for the ages and is the unanimous winner for AL MVP honors. He edged out the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Marcus Semien, who finished second and third, respectively.
Ohtani hit .257/.372/.592 with 26 doubles, and MLB-high eight triples, 46 home runs, 100 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 639 plate appearances (155 games).
On the mound, Ohtani compiled a 9-2 record, 3.18 ERA, 3.52 FIP and 1.09 WHIP with 156 strikeouts against 44 walks in 130.1 innings pitched (23 starts).
NL MVP: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
For the first time since 2015, Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper is the winner of the NL MVP Award. He received 17 first-place votes, besting former Washington Nationals teammate Juan Soto (second) and San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr (third).
In 141 games, Harper batted .309/.429/.615 with an MLB-best 42 doubles, 35 home runs, 84 RBI and 13 stolen bases over 599 plate appearances.
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