The 2023 Major League Baseball season has arrived. This is the first time we're coming off a "normal" spring training since 2019 -- remember, the owners locked the players out last offseason and it moved back Opening Day to April -- so there are plenty of positive vibes to be felt right now in the world of baseball.In terms of individual players vibes, it's always fun to predict award winners. Not only is it a fun discussion for all of us, but there's a big market in the gambling community on awards futures.
We'll throw some of the odds for those interested after our picks, but first let's check out the individual awards picks from the members of the CBS Sports MLB staff, starting with the AL.
American League
| Award |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | Shohei Ohtani | José Ramírez | Shohei Ohtani | Shohei Ohtani | Shohei Ohtani | Shohei Ohtani |
| Cy Young | Luis Castillo | Framber Valdez | Shohei Ohtani | Gerrit Cole | Alek Manoah | Gerrit Cole |
| Rookie of the Year | Gunnar Henderson | Triston Casas | Gunnar Henderson | Gunnar Henderson | Anthony Volpe | Gunnar Henderson |
| Manager of the Year | Phil Nevin | Terry Francona | Phil Nevin | John Schneider | John Schneider | Phil Nevin |
| Comeback Player | Brandon Belt | Anthony Rendon | Chris Sale | Tyler Glasnow | Chris Sale | Anthony Rendon |
Obviously the Ohtani picks all over that board jump out. Most of us had similar rationale: he already won the MVP when the Angels weren't in the playoffs, and if the Angels snap their drought this year, surely it's with a full year of two-way Ohtani. If that's the case, he's a very obvious pick. It seems most of us loved what we see in that short glimpse of the Orioles' Henderson, too.
National League
| Award | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | Francisco Lindor | Manny Machado | Trea Turner | Juan Soto | Juan Soto | Juan Soto |
| Cy Young | Zack Wheeler | Zac Gallen | Justin Verlander | Corbin Burnes | Zac Gallen | Corbin Burnes |
| Rookie of the Year | Jordan Walker | Kodai Senga | Corbin Carroll | Corbin Carroll | Miguel Vargas | Corbin Carroll |
| Manager of the Year | Bob Melvin | Oliver Marmol | Bob Melvin | Bob Melvin | Bob Melvin | Bob Melvin |
| Comeback Player | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Michael Conforto | Joey Votto | Michael Conforto | Michael Conforto | Bryce Harper |
We really like the Padres, huh? It's rare when we see one team get two different picks for MVP and there's an argument to be made that Tatis could win that one over Soto and Machado, too. Rookie of the Year could also be a really fun one with some high-profile studs duking it out.
Betting Odds
(All odds via Caesars Sportsbook on March 27)
AL MVP
- Shohei Ohtani: +200
- Aaron Judge: +400
- Mike Trout: +600
- Julio Rodríguez: +800
- Yordan Alvarez: +1200
NL MVP
- Juan Soto: +450
- Mookie Betts: +800
- Ronald Acuña Jr.: +900
- Manny Machado: +950
- Nolan Arenado: +1000
AL Cy Young
- Jacob deGrom: +500
- Gerrit Cole: +600
- Dylan Cease: +900
- Carlos Rodón: +900
- Alek Manoah: +900
NL Cy Young
- Justin Verlander: +500
- Corbin Burnes: +500
- Sandy Alcantara: +550
- Max Scherzer: +700
- Spencer Strider: +800
AL Rookie of the Year
- Gunnar Henderson: +300
- Anthony Volpe: +450
- Masataka Yoshida: +700
- Grayson Rodriguez: +800
- Josh Jung: +1200
NL Rookie of the Year
- Jordan Walker: +250
- Corbin Carroll: +500
- Kodai Senga: +1000
- Miguel Vargas: +1000
- Ezequiel Tovar: +1200
