For the second straight yr, an Orioles season that exceeded nearly all expectations resulted within the membership having finalists for each American League Rookie of the Year and AL Manager of the Year.
On Monday night time, Baltimore infielder Gunnar Henderson and supervisor Brandon Hyde had been named finalists for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s yearly honors, which additionally embody the Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards. Hyde positioned second in voting for final yr’s AL Manager of the Year recognition, whereas catcher Adley Rutschman additionally completed because the runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year.
After the Orioles’ 101-win marketing campaign, it’s onerous to examine neither Hyde nor Henderson taking house their respective awards when winners are introduced subsequent week. Texas’ Bruce Bochy and Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash be a part of Hyde because the managers who completed within the high three of voting, which was accomplished earlier than the postseason, whereas Boston first baseman Triston Casas and Cleveland right-hander Tanner Bibee are Henderson’s high rivals.
Henderson, 22, may turn into the Orioles’ first Rookie of the Year since reliever Gregg Olson in 1989 when the voting outcomes are revealed subsequent Monday Drafted with the primary decide of the second spherical in 2019 after Baltimore took Rutschman with the No. 1 total decide, Henderson additionally adopted him as the sport’s high prospect. He entered this season with that standing whereas additionally being seen as the favourite to be AL Rookie of the Year, then needed to overcome a sluggish begin to nonetheless be seen as such on the finish of the yr.
Henderson held his personal in a short main league stint in 2022, one the Orioles stored brief sufficient for him to retain rookie eligibility into the offseason. By doing so, they’d obtain an additional draft decide after the primary spherical if Henderson wins Rookie of the Year, a part of an incentive within the league’s new collective bargaining settlement to encourage groups to have high prospects on their opening day rosters.
After batting .201 with 5 house runs and a .702 OPS over the season’s first two months, Henderson posted a .276 common, 23 house runs and an .856 OPS throughout the ultimate 4. His 28 house runs on the yr tied for the crew lead, matched Cal Ripken Jr. for the second most by a rookie in Orioles historical past and led all AL rookies, a gaggle he additionally paced in RBIs, triples and wins above alternative whereas rating second in hits and doubles.
That efficiency, paired along with his robust defensive work at shortstop and third base, made Henderson the Major League Baseball Players Association’s AL Outstanding Rookie and Sporting News’ AL Rookie of the Year. Both of these honors are voted on by fellow gamers. He’s additionally a finalist for a Silver Slugger Award.
“Everything that he does at his age and the way he does it, it’s a treat to watch,” government vp and common supervisor Mike Elias stated after the season. “For me, as somebody who’s been watching baseball my whole life, it’s a treat for me to watch Gunnar Henderson play baseball. I’m so happy that we have him. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
Hyde, 50, is aware of what it’s prefer to have success after initially struggling. After the first-time supervisor took over in Baltimore forward of the 2019 marketing campaign, the Orioles performed at a 55-win tempo throughout the following three seasons, ending with one of many majors’ 5 worst information every year. Similar struggles had been anticipated in 2022, however Baltimore as an alternative completed as the perfect AL crew to overlook the playoffs with an 83-79 file.
Despite that breakout season, most projection methods and sportsbooks forecast regression from Hyde’s membership. Instead, the Orioles went all the common season with out being swept and posted a successful file each full month to win the AL East, typically thought to be baseball’s high division.
Nearly half of the Orioles’ 101 regular-season victories got here in video games determined by two or fewer runs, and Baltimore’s .662 successful share in such video games was 100 factors higher than the next-best AL membership. Often in these contents, Hyde excelled in his deployment of the Orioles’ depth by his bullpen and bench strikes.
“I’m just trying to get better every day, honestly, and I’m just trying to put our team in a position to win as much as I possibly can,” Hyde stated after the season. “Whatever people say, they say, and if it’s nice things, that’s great.”
Hyde, who fellow managers voted Sporting News’ AL Manager of the Year the previous two years, could be Baltimore’s first league-official recipient since his predecessor, Buck Showalter, gained the award in 2014. Results shall be introduced Nov. 14.
Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish was not among the many top-three finishers in AL Cy Young Award voting, with New York’s Gerrit Cole, Minnesota’s Sonny Gray and Toronto’s Kevin Gausman — a former Oriole — named finalists. Bradish, 27, was a finalist for the MLBPA’s AL Outstanding Pitcher honor however misplaced to Cole.
In his second main league season, Bradish completed third among the many AL’s certified pitchers with a 2.83 ERA, second with a .215 common in opposition to and 14 house runs surrendered, and fourth with a 1.043 WHIP. Bradish’s 17 begins of no less than six innings with not more than two runs allowed tied for the league’s second most. He’s anticipated to obtain some down-ballot votes, as is Baltimore nearer Félix Bautista.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com