CLEVELAND — While 2023 was a somewhat frustrating season for the Guardians, there were still plenty of bright spots, especially when it came to the young phenoms in the starting rotation. Perhaps the best of that group was acknowledged for his efforts Monday, as starting pitcher Tanner Bibee was named one of three finalists for the American League's Rookie of the Year Award.
The announcement came as Major League Baseball revealed the finalists for all of its top honors, including Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, and Manager of the Year in both the AL and NL. Joining Bibee among first-year honorees in the junior circuit are Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson and Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas.
A former fifth-round draft pick, Bibee made his big league debut on April 26 with a win over the Colorado Rockies. The 24-year-old never left the rotation after that, finishing the season with a 10-4 record and a 2.98 ERA with 141 strikeouts in 25 starts. Though his maiden campaign came to a somewhat premature end thanks to a hip injury in mid-September, he still led all AL rookie pitchers with 3.6 bWAR.
Bibee was joined in the starting five by fellow rookies Logan Allen and Gavin Williams. In more than 300 combined innings pitched, the three put up a 3.35 ERA and 341 strikeouts, the latter being tied for the most by any AL rookie trio since 2000.
Since its inception in 1947, four Cleveland players have won the Rookie of the Year Award, the last being Indians catcher and current Guardians coach Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1990. This season, Henderson is seen as the AL favorite after hitting 28 homers and scoring 100 runs for the 101-win Orioles, while Casas had 24 home runs and an .856 OPS for the Red Sox.
Bibee's status as a Rookie of the Year finalist comes one day after Guards second baseman Andrés Giménez and left fielder Steven Kwan were each named AL Gold Glove Award winners at their respective positions. All-Star José Ramírez is also a finalist for the AL Silver Slugger Award among third basemen.
The Rookie of the Year winners will be announced next Monday on MLB Network, with the rest of the major awards to follow throughout the week. The complete list of finalists is as follows:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Most Valuable Player
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
- Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
- Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers
Cy Young
- Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
- Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays
- Sonny Gray, Minnesota Twins
Rookie of the Year
- Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians
- Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox
- Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
Manager of the Year
- Bruce Bochy, Texas Rangers
- Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays
- Brandon Hyde, Baltimore Orioles
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Most Valuable Player
- Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
- Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
Cy Young
- Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Blake Snell, San Diego Padres
- Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants
Rookie of the Year
- Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
- James Outman, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Kodai Senga, New York Mets
Manager of the Year
- Craig Counsell, Milwaukee Brewers
- Skip Schumaker, Miami Marlins
- Brian Snitker, Atlanta Braves