MLB awards finalists: Dodgers' Betts, Indians' Ramirez headline MVP nominees

The Baseball Writers' Association of America revealed the three finalists for Major League Baseball's top regular-season awards - Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year - on Monday.

Winners and full voting results will be announced next week.

AL MVP

Abreu has long been a rock for the White Sox and helped them end their playoff drought with a stellar 2020. The 33-year-old played in all 60 games and led the AL in hits (60), RBIs (60), slugging (.617), and total bases (148) while also hitting 19 homers. LeMahieu became the first player in the modern era to definitively win a batting title in both leagues and served as a vital and versatile piece for the Yankees. In addition to his batting title, LeMahieu also led the AL in OBP, OPS, and OPS+ while adding 10 homers. Ramirez - now an MVP finalist for the third time in four seasons - was back to his old self in 2020, hitting 17 homers, scoring an AL-high 45 runs, and managing a .993 OPS. He's trying to become the first Indians player to win MVP since Al Rosen in 1953.

NL MVP

Betts was everything the Dodgers hoped he'd be - and then some - in his first season out west. The 2018 AL MVP is trying to join the legendary Frank Robinson as just the second player ever to win the award in both leagues. Freeman was the Braves' rock, leading the majors in runs and doubles. He had more walks than strikeouts while playing in all 60 of his team's games. Machado was outstanding in his second year with the Padres, rebounding from 2019 to post a .950 OPS with 16 homers and 47 RBIs while appearing in all 60 games.

AL Cy Young

If Bieber doesn't win next week, it will be one of the most shocking results in the history of the Cy Young Award. The 25-year-old left his competition in the dust after leading the majors in ERA (1.63), FIP (2.07), ERA+ (281), and strikeouts (122). Maeda was brilliant in his first season with the Twins, leading the majors in WHIP. Ryu - a Cy Young finalist for the second straight year - was dominant for the Blue Jays after joining the team in free agency, crafting a 2.69 ERA with 72 strikeouts over 12 starts.

NL Cy Young

The NL Cy Young projects to be the closest race of this year's awards season. Bauer, who's trying to become the first Reds pitcher to win the award, led the NL in ERA and WHIP while walking only 17 over 73 innings. Darvish rebounded to post a 2.01 ERA, trailing only Bauer, and gave up just five homers all year. DeGrom - the two-time reigning NL Cy Young winner - was his usual brilliant self on an otherwise disappointing Mets squad, posting elite numbers while leading the NL in strikeouts and K/9. He's trying to join Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson as the only pitchers to win three straight Cy Youngs.

AL Rookie of the Year

Javier stepped up for the Astros after their pitching staff was decimated by injuries, putting up a 3.48 ERA and 0.99 WHIP to help Houston reach the playoffs. Lewis was a bright spot for the Mariners this year, posting a .801 OPS with 11 homers, and his 1.7 fWAR was tied for the most by a rookie this year. Though Robert struggled at times and finished with a near-average 101 OPS+, the Cuban phenom turned in a fine season on both sides of the ball for the White Sox. In addition to his 11 homers and nine steals, he was named a Gold Glove finalist in center field.

NL Rookie of the Year

Bohm absolutely raked after getting the call from the Phillies, slashing .338/.400/.481 with four homers over his 44 games in 2020. Cronenworth enjoyed a solid debut season as the Padres' everyday second baseman, posting a .354 OBP and .831 OPS while pacing all Senior Circuit rookies with 15 doubles. Williams was one of the best relievers in all of baseball. In addition to his sparkling 0.33 ERA, he struck out over half of the batters he faced in 2020 and walked only nine.

AL Manager of the Year

Cash led the eventual AL champion Rays to the AL's best record despite a boatload of pitching injuries. Montoyo guided the young Blue Jays to a surprise playoff spot even though the team spent the first two-plus weeks of the season on the road and was then forced to play home games in Buffalo after the pandemic closed the Canada-U.S. border. Renteria led the White Sox to their first playoff berth since 2008, culminating a lengthy rebuilding project on the South Side. The White Sox fired Renteria after Chicago lost the wild-card series to Oakland.

NL Manager of the Year

Mattingly is likely the overwhelming favorite for his work with the Cinderella Marlins. Miami overcame a COVID-19 outbreak that shut down the team on the season's first weekend before posting a winning record and reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2003. Joining Mattingly are two rookie managers in Ross and Tingler. Ross guided the Cubs to a division title after the team fell out of the postseason last year. Tingler helped the up-and-coming Padres to their first winning record in a decade and snapped the franchise's 14-year playoff drought as San Diego advanced to the NLDS.