Pirates beat writer Kevin Gorman's 2021 MLB awards, playoff predictions

NL MVP

Juan Soto, Nationals

The 22-year-old slugger followed a 34-homer, 110-RBI season in 2019 by blossoming into baseball’s most feared hitter, batting .351/.490/.695 with 14 doubles, 13 home runs and 37 RBIs in 47 games last year. The additions of Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber won’t allow teams to pitch around Soto, who had more walks (41) than strikeouts (28).

NL Cy Young

Blake Snell, Padres

The left-hander, three years removed from winning the AL Cy Young, gets a fresh start in San Diego as the anchor of a rotation that added Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove. Snell was 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA and 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings last season, when he struck out nine and allowed two hits and one run through 5 1/3 innings against the L.A. Dodgers in Game 6 of the World Series before being pulled.

NL Rookie of the Year

Ke’Bryan Hayes, Pirates

Hayes finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting last season, after slashing .376/.442/.682 with seven doubles, two triples, five homers and 11 RBIs while playing spectacular defense at third base in 24 games last September. After a strong spring training, Hayes has the look of a future perennial All-Star.

AL MVP

Mike Trout, Angels

Between 2012-19, Trout averaged 35 homers and 92 RBIs and won MVP three times and finished second four times. He’s been in the top five of MVP voting every full season of his major league career, so it’s no wonder he’s the odds-on favorite to win it again. A better question: Can he lead the Angels to the playoffs?

AL Cy Young

Gerrit Cole, Yankees

Since being traded by the Pirates in 2018, Cole is 42-13 with a 2.71 ERA and 0.962 WHIP, is averaging 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings and has become one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers. This is the year he gets rewarded for it.

AL Rookie of the Year

Bobby Dalbec, Red Sox

If the 25-year-old first baseman can continue to mash like he has this spring — hitting .311 with seven home runs, 16 RBIs and a 1.214 OPS — he could be a runaway winner.

Playoff predictions

NL East winner: Braves

NL Central winner: Brewers

NL West winner: Dodgers

Wild-card round: Padres over Nationals

Division series: Braves over Brewers, Padres over Dodgers

NLCS: Padres over Braves

AL East winner: Yankees

AL Central winner: White Sox

AL West winner: A’s

Wild-card round: Twins over Rays

Division series: White Sox over Twins, Yankees over A’s

ALCS: Yankees over White Sox

World Series: Yankees over Padres