MLB team-by-team end-of-season awards

With the 2021 season coming to an end, theScore's MLB editors hand out a number of awards for all 30 MLB clubs:

Arizona Diamondbacks

MVP: Ketel Marte
Best Pitcher: Merrill Kelly
Most Improved: Josh Rojas
Most Disappointing: Madison Bumgarner
Best Rookie: Tyler Gilbert

There weren't many positives on the 110-loss D-Backs, but Marte had another outstanding year by posting a .909 OPS with 14 homers, 29 doubles, and 50 RBIs. The 28-year-old led Arizona in fWAR despite only appearing in 90 games. He would have finished second for the NL batting title had he qualified.

Atlanta Braves

MVP: Freddie Freeman
Best Pitcher: Max Fried
Most Improved: Austin Riley
Most Disappointing: Cristian Pache
Best Rookie: Ian Anderson

The Braves won their fourth straight division title and the World Series despite missing Ronald Acuna Jr., Mike Soroka, and Marcell Ozuna. Riley's emergence as one of the best third basemen in baseball was massive to overcome the missing offensive production. The 24-year-old slashed .303/.367/.531 with 33 home runs and 107 RBIs over 160 games.

Baltimore Orioles

MVP: Cedric Mullins
Best Pitcher: John Means
Most Improved: Mullins
Most Disappointing: Dean Kremer
Best Rookie: Ryan Mountcastle

Mullins was one of the few bright spots in another long Orioles season. The 27-year-old broke out to produce a 30-30 campaign with 72 extra-base hits and a .878 OPS that ranked eighth in the AL. Both he and Mountcastle represent legitimate building blocks for the perpetually rebuilding Birds.

Boston Red Sox

MVP: Rafael Devers
Best Pitcher: Nathan Eovaldi
Most Improved: Hunter Renfroe
Most Disappointing: Franchy Cordero
Best Rookie: Bobby Dalbec

The Red Sox thumbed their noses at preseason expectations and nearly reached the World Series. Eovaldi was the glue that held the pitching staff together as Chris Sale worked his way back from Tommy John, and he should get some support in the AL Cy Young race. While Devers is our choice for team MVP, the honors could have easily gone to shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who slashed .295/.370/.493 with 23 home runs.

Chicago Cubs

MVP: Patrick Wisdom
Best Pitcher: Kyle Hendricks
Most Improved: Wisdom
Most Disappointing: Zach Davies
Best Rookie: Wisdom

The Cubs traded the core of their 2016 World Series championship team in July, leaving a large void in the lineup. However, the trades provided opportunities to Wisdom, Frank Schwindel, and Rafael Ortega. The trio combined for 52 homers and 6.1 fWAR, with all three players recording a wRC+ of 115 or above. They should all be significant parts of the roster next season.

Chicago White Sox

MVP: Jose Abreu
Best Pitcher: Carlos Rodon
Most Improved: Dylan Cease
Most Disappointing: Dallas Keuchel
Best Rookie: Michael Kopech

The White Sox rotation was a big strength this campaign, with Rodon emerging as a Cy Young contender and Cease taking another step forward in his development. Abreu, the 2020 AL MVP, finished with a lower fWAR than Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Yasmani Grandal, and Luis Robert, but he led Chicago in homers (33) and RBIs (117) while playing 151 contests.

Cincinnati Reds

MVP: Nick Castellanos
Best Pitcher: Tyler Mahle
Most Improved: Jesse Winker
Most Disappointing: Amir Garrett
Best Rookie: Jonathan India

Joey Votto's resurgence made the Reds MVP choice much closer than expected. But Castellanos' 34 homers (two more than Votto), 100 RBIs, and team-high 4.2 fWAR were just enough to win out. Winker's breakout All-Star campaign was a much easier choice to decide the Reds' most improved player, as was NL Rookie of the Year front-runner India for his honor. Cincinnati handed Garrett the closer's role after trading Raisel Iglesias, but he fell flat.

Cleveland Indians

MVP: Jose Ramirez
Best Pitcher: Shane Bieber
Most Improved: Emmanuel Clase
Most Disappointing: Josh Naylor
Best Rookie: Clase

The soon-to-be Guardians took a step back with the club's first sub-.500 record since 2012. Ramirez was one of the lone bright spots as he nearly joined the 30-30 club for the second time after hitting 36 homers while stealing 27 bases. Cleveland finally got a look at Clase, whom they acquired from the Rangers for Corey Kluber in 2019, and he was nearly untouchable as he took over as the club's closer.

Colorado Rockies

MVP: Trevor Story
Best Pitcher: German Marquez
Most Improved: C.J. Cron
Most Disappointing: Joshua Fuentes
Best Rookie: Brendan Rodgers

Story's time with the Rockies is likely over, with the shortstop looking for greener pastures in free agency. He ended on a high note, leading the team in fWAR, runs, and stolen bases. Rodgers looks to be the next middle infielder set for superstardom in Colorado after a breakout campaign that included a .798 OPS with 15 homers over 102 games.

Detroit Tigers

MVP: Jeimer Candelario
Best Pitcher: Casey Mize
Most Improved: Candelario
Most Disappointing: Willi Castro
Best Rookie: Akil Baddoo

A.J. Hinch got the best out of a club that looked like a 95-loss team on paper. Detroit won 77 games thanks to a pesky offense led by Jonathan Schoop, Robbie Grossman, and Candelario, who put up a 3.2 fWAR. The best is yet to come with a potentially busy offseason on the horizon and former No. 1 pick Spencer Torkelson inching closer to the majors.

Houston Astros

MVP: Carlos Correa
Best Pitcher: Lance McCullers Jr.
Most Improved: Kyle Tucker
Most Disappointing: Jake Odorizzi
Best Rookie: Luis Garcia

The Astros had numerous candidates for team MVP - that's how powerful the lineup was. But Correa remains the straw that stirs this drink, and his brilliant season gives him the edge over the likes of Tucker, Jose Altuve, and Yuli Gurriel, among others. A similar battle played out on the pitching staff. McCullers had stiff competition for best pitcher from Rookie of the Year candidate Garcia.

Kansas City Royals

MVP: Salvador Perez
Best Pitcher: Scott Barlow
Most Improved: Nicky Lopez
Most Disappointing: Hunter Dozier
Best Rookie: Carlos Hernandez

After an elbow injury cost him all of the 2019 season, Perez appeared in only 37 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. He made up for the lost time in a big way by setting a new single-season record for home runs hit by a catcher with 48. That number dwarfed his career-high 27 and matched the franchise mark set by Jorge Soler in 2019.

Los Angeles Angels

MVP: Shohei Ohtani
Best Pitcher: Ohtani
Most Improved: Ohtani
Most Disappointing: Dylan Bundy
Best Rookie: Brandon Marsh

It's Ohtani's world, and we're just living in it. The two-way sensation did everything, finishing third in the majors in homers, fourth in slugging percentage, and eighth in steals. As a pitcher, his nine wins led the Angels staff, and his 10.8 strikeouts per nine ranked fifth in the AL among hurlers with at least 130 innings pitched, according to FanGraphs. Ohtani amassed an 8.1 fWAR this season when combining his efforts as a pitcher and hitter, the highest total of any player.

Los Angeles Dodgers

MVP: Max Muncy
Best Pitcher: Walker Buehler
Most Improved: Julio Urias
Most Disappointing: Cody Bellinger
Best Rookie: Mitch White

The Dodgers' run of eight straight division titles somehow ended in 2021 despite winning 106 games. Urias' rise to becoming one of the best left-handers in the majors offset losing Trevor Bauer and Clayton Kershaw's injury-riddled campaign. Los Angeles put up an MLB-best plus-269 run differential, even though it got almost nothing from Bellinger.

Miami Marlins

MVP: Sandy Alcantara
Best Pitcher: Alcantara
Most Improved: Trevor Rogers
Most Disappointing: Brian Anderson
Best Rookie: Rogers

Starling Marte was the Marlins' best offensive player, and he didn't even finish the season in Miami after being traded in July. That leaves Alcantara, a steadying hand in the Marlins' rotation all year, as their best pitcher and team MVP. Alcantara was the only Miami pitcher to surpass 200 strikeouts and one of the few guarantees during a trying year for the franchise. He and Rogers, who led Marlins pitchers in fWAR and is a contender for NL Rookie of the Year, give the team plenty of hope going forward.

Milwaukee Brewers

MVP: Corbin Burnes
Best Pitcher: Burnes
Most Improved: Freddy Peralta
Most Disappointing: Keston Hiura
Best Rookie: Tyrone Taylor

Burnes could be headed for the NL Cy Young crown after posting a 2.43 ERA and 0.94 WHIP and being part of a combined no-hitter this summer. But the Brewers featured a three-headed monster atop the rotation, with Peralta and Brandon Woodruff contributing outstanding seasons. However, the bats were inconsistent, and no one exemplified that more than Hiura, who spent the bulk of the summer in Triple-A after a disastrous start.

Minnesota Twins

MVP: Jorge Polanco
Best Pitcher: Taylor Rogers
Most Improved: Polanco
Most Disappointing: Andrelton Simmons
Best Rookie: Bailey Ober

Polanco struggled immensely during the shortened 2020 campaign following an All-Star season in 2019. The infielder returned to form this year, posting a .826 OPS with a career-high 33 homers and 98 RBIs. He also led the team with 35 doubles and contributed on the bases with 11 steals.

New York Mets

MVP: Pete Alonso
Best Pitcher: Jacob deGrom
Most Improved: Aaron Loup
Most Disappointing: Michael Conforto
Best Rookie: Tylor Megill

It was another tough year in Queens after the Mets came into 2021 with so much promise. DeGrom was on his way to a historic season, but injuries limited the star hurler to 92 innings. Francisco Lindor posted a .734 OPS in his first campaign with the Mets, while Conforto and Jeff McNeil combined to hit 21 homers.

New York Yankees

MVP: Aaron Judge
Best Pitcher: Gerrit Cole
Most Improved: Jonathan Loaisiga
Most Disappointing: Gleyber Torres
Best Rookie: Michael King

Judge proved the Yankees are still his team in his first fully healthy season since his record-setting rookie campaign. He was their only hitter with an OPS above .900, crushed a team-high 39 home runs, and continued to play stellar defense. Cole was also an easy choice for best pitcher after another Cy Young-caliber campaign. There were also plenty of candidates for the disappointing category, including DJ LeMahieu and midseason acquisition Joey Gallo. However, Torres' continued slide from prized core piece to below-average infielder "won" out.

Oakland Athletics

MVP: Matt Olson
Best Pitcher: Chris Bassitt
Most Improved: Olson
Most Disappointing: Jesus Luzardo
Best Rookie: Cole Irvin

The Athletics traded Luzardo to the Marlins midseason, but that doesn't erase how his production failed to meet lofty expectations in Oakland. He posted a 6.87 ERA over 38 innings. He also broke his finger while playing video games in May and was dumped for half a season of Starling Marte. As far as Olson's concerned, he put together his best overall season at the plate with 39 home runs while slashing his strikeout rate to 16.8%.

Philadelphia Phillies

MVP: Bryce Harper
Best Pitcher: Zack Wheeler
Most Improved: Ranger Suarez
Most Disappointing: Alec Bohm
Best Rookie: Connor Brogdon

The results aren't in yet but don't be surprised if Harper wins his second MVP after an outstanding season that included the most doubles and the highest OPS of any player in the bigs. On the pitching side, Wheeler was an old-fashioned workhorse for the Phillies, tossing 213 1/3 innings with three complete games during a Cy Young-caliber campaign.

Pittsburgh Pirates

MVP: Bryan Reynolds
Best Pitcher: David Bednar
Most Improved: Reynolds
Most Disappointing: Mitch Keller
Best Rookie: Bednar

Reynolds was the only bright spot in a terrible Pirates lineup. The 26-year-old slashed .302/.390/.522 with 24 round-trippers and 90 RBIs en route to becoming an All-Star for the first time. Meanwhile, Bednar was impressive in his rookie season. The reliever posted a 2.23 ERA with 11.4 K/9 over 61 appearances on a 101-loss club.

San Diego Padres

MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Best Pitcher: Joe Musgrove
Most Improved: Manny Machado
Most Disappointing: Blake Snell
Best Rookie: Ha-seong Kim

Tatis and Musgrove were the only easy choices on a very disappointing Padres team. Snell, one of San Diego's marquee offseason acquisitions, looked nothing like his Cy Young-winning self. Even Kim disappointed after arriving with plenty of hype, taking the top freshman honor by default. Machado quietly authored his best full season in a few years (not counting 2020).

San Francisco Giants

MVP: Buster Posey
Best Pitcher: Kevin Gausman
Most Improved: Logan Webb
Most Disappointing: Tommy La Stella
Best Rookie: Camilo Doval

The Giants found much of their success due to the entire roster coming together and playing inspired baseball as a unit, so identifying a single MVP is tricky. Ultimately, it's a coin flip between Posey and Brandon Crawford. Crawford was the mainstay, but Posey nearly had his best offensive season as he slashed .304/.390/.499 with 18 home runs after sitting out 2020 and being largely ineffective over the two seasons before that.

Seattle Mariners

MVP: Mitch Haniger
Best Pitcher: Chris Flexen
Most Improved: J.P. Crawford
Most Disappointing: Jarred Kelenic
Best Rookie: Logan Gilbert

It was a tough decision between Haniger and Ty France for MVP, but we gave the honor to Haniger, who led Seattle in homers, runs scored, and slugging percentage. Flexen might be the biggest bargain signing of last winter. The 27-year-old won 14 games and logged 179 2/3 innings after inking a 2-year, $4.75-million deal.

St. Louis Cardinals

MVP: Paul Goldschmidt
Best Pitcher: Adam Wainwright
Most Improved: Tyler O'Neill
Most Disappointing: Carlos Martinez
Best Rookie: Dylan Carlson

The Cardinals won a franchise-best 17 straight games in September to make the playoffs and then fired their manager. Goldschmidt, O'Neill, and Nolan Arenado did their jobs, combining for 99 round-trippers while playing outstanding defense. In particular, O'Neill really came into his own during his first full campaign in the big leagues. The outfielder amassed a .912 OPS over 138 games.

Tampa Bay Rays

MVP: Brandon Lowe
Best Pitcher: Tyler Glasnow
Most Improved: Mike Zunino
Most Disappointing: Chris Archer
Best Rookie: Randy Arozarena

The Rays' top rookie was the most intriguing race here. Arozarena, last year's playoff sensation who's still rookie-eligible, edged out phenom Wander Franco thanks to his full season. Zunino also had a case for team MVP after his career-best offensive campaign. Expectations may have been modest for Archer, a former All-Star trying to come back from injuries, but the Rays needed more than the 19 1/3 innings he gave them as the third-highest paid player on the team.

Texas Rangers

MVP: Adolis Garcia
Best Pitcher: Kyle Gibson
Most Improved: Nate Lowe
Most Disappointing: David Dahl
Best Rookie: Garcia

Gibson was the Rangers' top hurler despite being traded in July, and that should tell you all you need to know about their pitching staff this summer. Garcia was a nice surprise, but he has holes in his game, evidenced by a .286 OBP over 622 plate appearances. Dahl didn't carry much risk after being non-tendered by the Rockies last offseason, but it was quickly apparent he wouldn't be the All-Star of 2019.

Toronto Blue Jays

MVP: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Best Pitcher: Robbie Ray
Most Improved: Ray
Most Disappointing: Randal Grichuk
Best Rookie: Alek Manoah

Guerrero's unreal season may not be enough to win AL MVP. However, he easily took home MVP honors for the Blue Jays thanks to a remarkable .311/.401/.601 slash line with 48 homers, 123 runs, and 111 RBIs. Ray had a career year and could wind up winning AL Cy Young. Manoah stood out during his rookie campaign and should be a big part of Toronto's future rotation.

Washington Nationals

MVP: Juan Soto
Best Pitcher: Max Scherzer
Most Improved: Alcides Escobar
Most Disappointing: Patrick Corbin
Best Rookie: Riley Adams

Soto had another MVP-calibre season amid the wreckage that was the Nationals' 2021 campaign. The 23-year-old slugger posted a .999 OPS thanks to an MLB-best .465 on-base percentage fuelled by 145 walks - the best mark in baseball. The young star thrived despite getting almost no help, especially after Washington dealt Trea Turner to the Dodgers.