MLB Award Predictions 2024: Who will rise as the best players on the planet

The MVP machine (Shohei Ohtani) has left for the other LA team, and the AL MVP is up for grabs again.  No longer will it take a historic season to potentially bring home the award, and for the first time since 2020 no one is penciled in as the favorite to take home the title of "Best player in the American League". Ohtani will also most likely only hit this season as he recovers from his second Tommy John surgery, leaving the NL MVP wide open as it has been in years past.  Here are my favorite picks and honorable mentions for each league's MVP award.

American League:

The Pick: Juan Soto, OF New York Yankees (+600 on most books)

All eyes will be on the Dominican superstar who will probably make more than half a billion dollars this offseason, here's why I think he'll win the MVP.

• Best pure hitter in baseball who struggled to hit in the pitcher-friendly Petco park 
• Hit .240 at home last year and .307 on the road -- massive massive difference (per Fangraphs)
• Now will play half his games at the hitter-neutral (but lefty-friendly) Yankee Stadium
• Lives for the pressure that he'll face this season -- won a World Series at the age of 20 and had an OPS of 1.178 that series
• Will hit in front of the best slugger in baseball (Aaron Judge) and will see plenty of good pitches to hit

The Runner-Up: Aaron Judge, OF New York Yankees (+550 on most books)

Lost in the Yankees' disappointing 2023 season was the success of Judge. He still looked like the player who broke the AL homerun record and here's why I think he could win MVP this year:

• Best Slugger in the game
• Despite dealing with an injured toe down the stretch, had an OPS of 1.019 (per Baseball Reference)
• Hit 37 Homers in 106 games, which is a 57 homerun pace over a full season
• With Soto (and his ridiculous OBP) hitting in front of him, plenty of Judge solo home runs will now be multi-run homers, leading to more RBIs

The Dark Horse: Adley Rutschman, C Baltimore Orioles (+2200 on Caesars)

There hasn't been a player like Adley in a very very long time.  As soon as he was called up, the Orioles immediately became a much better team and part of that is due to his bat (middle-of-the-order switch hitters aren't common), and part of that is due to his defense and leadership.  He could take another step forward offensively as the Orioles continue to call up more of their stud prospects and he will be the best player on what could be the best AL team.

Honorable Mention: Kyle Tucker, OF Astros

National League:

The Pick: Fernando Tatis Jr., OF San Diego Padres (+1000 on most books)

Tatis's career has just begun and it's been a roller coaster.  From an electrifying rookie year, to a record-setting contract, to a mysterious motorcycle injury, to a PED suspension to a move to the outfield, it feels like Tatis is (hopefully) entering 2024 after a full offseason dedicated to baseball and here's why I think he'll win the NL MVP

• In a down year (only hit .257 with an OPS of .770), still accumulated an rWAR of 5.5 (per Baseball Reference)
• Tatis's down year and the disappointing 2023 season for the Padres have lowered expectations for Tatis and he should thrive again
• Defense in the outfield won him a platinum glove, he was never a great defensive shortstop and now profiles as a legitimate five-tool player
• Has the potential to be a 40 homer, 50 stolen base, 40 doubles player, this would be more than enough to win him the MVP

The Backup: Ronald Acuña Jr., OF Atlanta Braves (+550 on most books)

As much as I didn't want to pick someone to win back-to-back MVPs, it just wasn't possible in this case.  Acuña had a historic season in 2023 to win a tight race against Mookie Betts, and there's plenty of reasons to believe he can repeat:

• Leadoff hitter/best player for potentially the best team and best offense in baseball
• Will have plenty of ABs and will score plenty of runs
• Elite base stealer, he might not get 70 again like last year but if he gets less than 50 it would be considered a disappointment
• 40-40 season is the expectation going forward for him
• Just entering his prime now, it wouldn't be surprising if he keeps getting better

The Dark Horse: Francisco Lindor, SS New York Mets (+3000 Fanduel)

Lindor is the most underrated player in baseball.  He is quite frankly the best shortstop in baseball and doesn't get the respect he deserves because the Mets have managed to comically fall short of their expectations in the past two years.  This year, there are no expectations for the Mets and Lindor could steal 30 bases, hit 40 doubles and 25 homers in the heart of what could be a very good offense.

Honorable Mention: Freddie Freeman, 1B Dodgers