MLB Players Choice Awards 2022 Results: Winners and Twitter Reaction
The 2022 MLB Players Choice Award winners were revealed Friday night, and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander earned some of the top honors.
Judge was named both the Player of the Year and American League Outstanding Player of the Year. Verlander, meanwhile, won the American League Outstanding Pitcher award and the American League Comeback Player of the Year award.
Aside from the Curt Flood Award, which is selected by a panel of MLBPA executives, the Players Choice Awards are selected by the players. Here's a look at all of the finalists and the winners for each award, including a little more information about the winners:
Marvin Miller Man of the Year
New York Mets SS Francisco Lindor (winner)
Texas Rangers 2B Marcus Semien
Milwaukee Brewers LHP Brent Suter
Lindor had a solid season for the Mets, slashing .270/.339/.449 with 26 home runs, 107 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 161 games, but he's being honored more for his work off the field with the Marvin Miller award.
The 28-year-old serves as an Alternate Association Player Representative on the MLBPA's Executive Subcommittee. In addition, he donated $1 million to Montverde Academy in Florida and established the Francisco Lindor Scholarship Fund in 2021, made several trips to Puerto Rico from 2017-18 to help with recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria, and he has also done charitable work through Make-A-Wish and the Boys and Girls Clubs.
Player of the Year
New York Yankees RF Aaron Judge (winner)
St. Louis Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt
Los Angeles Angels RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani
Judge put together the best season of his career in 2022, and he's set to receive a massive contract extension this winter after slashing .311/.425/.686 with 62 home runs, 131 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 157 games.
The 30-year-old set the AL record for the most home runs in a single season, surpassing Roger Maris' 61-year-old record of 61 home runs in a season. He also earned his fourth All-Star Game selection and helped the Yankees win the AL East crown.
American League Outstanding Player of the Year
New York Yankees RF Aaron Judge (winner)
Los Angeles Angels RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani
National League Outstanding Player of the Year
St. Louis Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt (winner)
Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman
Atlanta Braves 3B Austin Riley
Goldschmidt put together one of his best seasons since 2017 in 2022, slashing .317/.404/.578 with 35 home runs, 115 RBI and seven home runs in 151 games. He also earned his first All-Star Game selection since 2018 and helped the Cardinals finish with the best record in the NL Central.
American League Outstanding Pitcher
Houston Astros RHP Justin Verlander (winner)
Chicago White Sox RHP Dylan Cease
Toronto Blue Jays RHP Alek Manoah
Verlander put together a dominant 2022 campaign after missing the 2020 and 2021 seasons following Tommy John surgery. The 39-year-old posted an 18-4 record in 28 starts with a 1.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 185 strikeouts across 175 innings.
Verlander's 18 wins, 1.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP led the American League, and his ERA was also the lowest by an AL starting pitcher in a full season since Pedro Martínez posted a 1.74 ERA with the Boston Red Sox in 2000.
The two-time Cy Young winner was selected to his ninth All-Star Game and played an integral role in helping the Astros lock up the AL's top playoff spot.
American League Comeback Player of the Year
Houston Astros RHP Justin Verlander (winner)
New York Yankees UTL Matt Carpenter
Los Angeles Angels CF Mike Trout
National League Outstanding Pitcher
Miami Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara (winner)
Arizona Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen
Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Julio Urias
Alcantara put together the best season of his career in 2022, posting a 14-9 record in 32 starts with a 2.28 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 207 strikeouts in 228.2 innings. He earned his first All-Star Game selection since 2019 and solidified himself as a workhorse after tossing six complete games.
The 27-year-old also lasted at least eight innings in 14 starts this year, proving his dominance on the mound.
American League Outstanding Rookie
Seattle Mariners CF Julio Rodríguez (winner)
Baltimore Orioles C Adley Rutchsman
Kansas City Royals SS/3B Bobby Witt Jr.
Rodríguez had a tremendous rookie season, slashing .284/.345/.509 with 28 home runs, 75 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 132 games. He earned an All-Star Game selection and played a starring role in helping the Mariners reach the postseason for the first time since 2001.
His 28 home runs led all rookies, and he was MLB's only rookie to be selected to the 2022 All-Star Game.
National League Outstanding Rookie
Atlanta Braves RHP Spencer Strider (winner)
St. Louis Cardinals UTL Brendan Donovan
Atlanta Braves CF Michael Harris II
Strider had an impressive rookie season for the Braves, posting an 11-5 record in 31 games (20 starts) with a 2.67 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 202 strikeouts in 131.2 innings.
The 24-year-old anchored a rotation that includes Charlie Morton, Max Fried and Jake Odorizzi, and he was awarded with a six-year, $75 million contract extension with the Braves in October.
Strider figures to be a key member of the Braves' rotation for years to come, and this award is only the beginning for the right-hander.
National League Comeback Player of the Year
Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuña Jr. (winner)
San Diego Padres INF Brandon Drury
St. Louis Cardinals 1B/DH Albert Pujols
Acuña tore his ACL during the 2021 campaign and returned in 2022 to help power the Braves to a first place finish in the NL East. He slashed .266/.351/.413 with 15 home runs, 50 RBI and 29 stolen bases in 119 games.
The 24-year-old also became the 13th player in MLB history to post 500 hits, 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases before age 25.
Curt Flood Award
Former Montreal Expos RHP Steve Rogers (winner)
Former Toronto Blue Jays C Buck Martinez
Former Baltimore Orioles 1B Brooks Robinson
The Curt Flood Award is given annually to a former player "who in the image of Flood demonstrated a selfless, longtime devotion to the Players Association & advancement of players' rights."
Rogers spent 10 of his 13 seasons in Montreal serving as the team's player representative and was also elected to serve as the National League's Pension Rep at the 1976 executive board meeting, which he served in through 1985. In addition, he was involved in negotiations with owners during the 1981 strike.
The five-time All-Star spent 13 years in MLB, posting a 158-152 record, 3.17 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 1,621 strikeouts in 2,837.2 innings across 399 games (393 starts).
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