Thursday Thought: Mets who deserve to win awards in 2022

We are fast approaching the end of the 2022 MLB regular season, which means that award races are a huge storyline right now. The biggest story is the AL MVP race between Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, which Judge is beginning to run away with, but there are plenty of other awards and a few New York Mets who should be involved.

Let’s look at a few NY Mets who should win awards in 2022.

Trevor Hoffman Award: Edwin Diaz

Edwin Diaz has been the best reliever in all of baseball this year, so it should be a slam dunk for him to get recognized as the best reliever in the National League. Diaz leads all qualified relievers in K/9 (17.07), FIP (1.03), WAR (2.7) and is second in Left On-Base (LOB) percentage (90.2).

Silver Slugger and Gold Glove: Francisco Lindor

Francisco Lindor is having an incredible season. He leads all qualified shortstops in WAR (6.6) RBI (99), and walk rate (9%). He’s second in homers (25), OPS (.798), runs (93), and wRC+ (129). His main competition is Trea Turner, who has a lower WAR (5.9) and less homers (20), but more steals (25) and a higher OPS (.829).

Defensively, he’s got 13 Outs Above Average (OAA) which ranks in the 99th percentile on Baseball Savant. He’ll be up against Dansby Swanson, who has 17 OAA, which is in the 100th percentile. Swanson has the edge because he also has more Defensive Runs Saved (5) than Lindor (-1), but Lindor is certainly deserving.

Manager of the Year: Buck Showalter

Buck Showalter has been a superstar for the Mets this year. His knowledge of the rules and intricacies of the game are second to none. His knowledge and strategies have been the difference in several Mets wins this year. That has led to the first playoff clinch since 2016 and a pretty good chance at a 100-win season. He’s got to be the favorite for this award.

There are a handful of others who will get votes, but won't win the awards.

MVP candidates: Lindor and Pete Alonso

I talked about Lindor’s season above, but Pete Alonso is also crushing it this year. He’s already tied his home run mark from last season (37) with 10 games left to play, so he’s got a shot at 40. He’s also leading the league with 121 RBI’s. Unfortunately for Lindor and Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt has the MVP locked up.

Cy Young candidates: Max Scherzer, Edwin Diaz, Chris Bassitt

All three of these guys are having excellent years, but Sandy Alcantara has the Cy Young locked up. Expect to see Scherzer and Diaz get votes, and Bassitt may sneak on the ballot as well.

It’s refreshing to see so many Mets in the awards chase this season. It speaks to how well-rounded this team has become and how quickly Steve Cohen has turned this team around.