Hello and happy weekend, San Francisco Giants fans.
Did you know that the MLB Players Choice Awards were announced on Friday? No? What’s that? You didn’t know the MLB Players Choice Awards were a thing?
Well, now you do. And the Giants were, predictably, shut out of them in 2022.
But the future Giants were not, as Former New York Yankees outfielder and soon-to-be Giants slugger Aaron Judge was named the Player of the Year, and also the Outstanding American League Player. The National League Outstanding Player was awarded to St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who I also hope is a future Giant, if for no other reason than so he can stop beating up on the Giants.
San Francisco only had one award that they had any chance of taking home, and that was the National League Outstanding Pitcher. But the award did not go to the Giants Carlos Rodón, but rather the Miami Marlins Sandy Alcántara, who is the frontrunner for the Cy Young Award.
The American League Outstanding Pitcher went to the ageless wonder, Houston Rockets regular season ace/World Series bum Justin Verlander, who also collected the American League Comeback Player award. The National League Comeback Player award went to the Atlanta Braves Ronald Acuña Jr., and yes, if you’re wondering, Buster Posey won that award last year.
Elsewhere on the awards, Braves pitcher Spencer Strider was the NL’s top rookie, while Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez took home honors in the AL. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was named the Marvin Miller Man of the Year, while Steve Rogers, a Montreal Expos pitcher in the 70s and 80s, was given the Curt Flood Award.
Nothing for the Giants. They’ll just have to settle for getting Judge to sign with them.