Toronto Blue Jays players Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Marcus Semien and Robbie Ray were selected as Major Baseball Individual Honors finalists on Monday.
Less than a week after the Atlanta Braves won the World Series, Major Baseball announced its list of finalists for Most Valuable Player, Manager of the Year, Rookie of the Year and for the Cy-Young Trophy.
The finalists, as well as the future winners, were chosen by the Baseball Columnists Association of America.
Guerrero and Semien both had a spectacular 2021 season and are finalists for America’s Most Valuable Player, along with Los Angeles Angels pitcher and hitter Shohei Ohtani.
Guerrero finished first in the Majors with 48 homers and produced 111 points in addition to posting a .311 batting average, the American’s third-best.
In his first season in the Blue Jays uniform, Semien was no slouch, posting a .265 batting average with 45 long balls and 102 RBIs.
The two players from the Toronto squad, however, will have a lot to do to supplant Ohtani, who has had an exceptional season at home and on the mound. The Japanese hit 46 home runs and produced 100 runs and claimed a 9-2 record and a 3.18 earned run average in 130 one-third innings.
Ray is one of the finalists for the Cy-Young Trophy of the American, along with Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees and Lance Lynn of the Chicago White Sox.
Ray posted the best earned run average among American qualifiers (2.84) and led the Majors with 248 strikeouts. The southpaw was in his first full season with the Blue Jays.
Cole led the American with 16 wins, posted the league’s third-best earned runs average (3.23) and second-highest strikeouts (243). Lynn was 11-6 with an earned-run average of 2.69 and 176 strikeouts.
Tampa Bay Rays players Randy Arozarena and Wander Franco as well as Houston Astros pitcher Luis Garcia were selected as finalists for the American Rookie of the Year.
Dusty Baker of the Astros, Kevin Cash of the Rays and Scott Servais of the Seattle Mariners will be looking for manager of the year in the American.
In the National, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto and San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. are the MVP finalists.
Tatis dominated the Nationale with 42 home runs and finished in the top-3 in goals stolen (25), power average (. 611) and attendance average plus power (. 975)
Harper led the Majors in doubles (42), power average (. 615) and attendance plus power (1.044). Soto, for his part, posted the second-best batting average in the National (. 313) and he led Major Baseball in walks (145) and attendance average on goals (. 465).
Max Scherzer of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers and Zack Wheeler of the Phillies were named the finalists for the Nationals Cy-Young Trophy. The three pitchers followed each other in several important categories.
Burnes claimed the best earned runs average in Major League Baseball (2.43) ahead of Scherzer (2.46).
Wheeler was tied for the top in all-game (three) and shutout (two) and led the National in innings pitched (213-one-third) and strikeouts (247).
Scherzer led the Majors for the average number of runners on goals (0.85) and the lowest average for opponents (. 185).
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson, Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India and Miami Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers are the finalists for Rookie of the Year.
Craig Counsell of the Brewers, Gabe Kapler of the San Francisco Giants and Mike Shildt of the Cardinals will be looking to claim the manager of the year award.