2022 MLB award predictions: Aaron Judge is MVP; Cy Young, Rookie picks

The MLB playoffs begin Tuesday. The season was full of ups and downs. Aaron Judge is the favorite to win the MVP award. The Philadelphia Phillies won the wild-card spot. They will play the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series.

Aaron Judge is the Yankees' best player. He hit 62 home runs and had 131 RBI this season.

Shohei Ohtani is the best player in the game. Barry Bonds was not given the MVP award 20 consecutive years. The Angels finished 33 games out of first place.

Jose Ramirez signed a seven-year, $141 million contract with the Cleveland Indians. He chose to stay in Cleveland rather than be traded to the Padres.

Justin Verlander is 39 and coming off Tommy John surgery. He has one of the most sensational seasons in history.

Dylan Cease was outstanding for the White Sox this season. He allowed no more than one earned run in 23 of his 32 starts. Ceas did not make the All-Star team.

Alek Manoah, Blue Jays, is the best pitcher in the AL East. He finished the year with the most wins (16) and the lowest ERA (2.24).

Julio Rodriguez, 21, is the best player in the Mariners' history. He hit 28 home runs and 25 steals this season. The Mariners gave him a $209.3 million contract.

Adley Rutschman is a star in the making. He's hitting .254 with an .806 OPS and leading all rookies with 35 doubles.

Steven Kwan had a sensational rookie season, hitting .298 with 19 stolen bases and 52 RBI. He plays in Cleveland. The Guardians will play the Yankees in the AL Division Series.

2022 MLB award predictions: Aaron Judge is MVP, Terry Francona is the winner.

Brandon Hyde's Orioles were the most surprising team in baseball last season. They were trading away their All-Star closer Jorge Lopez and team leader Trey Mancini at the deadline. Hyde has this team believing they will be in the playoffs in 2023.

Scott Servais' Seattle Mariners went from 10 games under .500 to 11 games over .50 in two months. On Saturday, they became the third team in history to overcome a seven-run deficit in the playoffs, advancing to the ALDS.

Paul Goldschmidt hit just .245 in September, but he was instrumental in the Cardinals' division title. He ranked among the top 5 in 11 offensive categories.

Manny Machado is the team leader for the Padres. He is a one-man show. The Padres don't make the playoffs without him.

Arenado and Goldschmidt are the Mantle-Maris of the Midwest. Arenadon is a .293 hitter with 30 homers, 102 RBI and .891 OPS.

Sandy Alcantara is a modern-day Bob Gibson. He had more complete games than any team in baseball.

Julio Urias, Dodgers pitcher, is the most underrated player in baseball. He's 37-10 with a 2.57 ERA the past two years.

Edwin Diaz had a dominant season for the Mets.

Michael Harris was called up in late May and Atlanta's season took off a few days later. Harris hit .297 with 19 homers and 64 RBI. Atlanta went a major-league best 79-37 the rest of the season.

Spencer Strider, Atlanta, is the first pitcher to finish the year with 200 or more strikeouts while permitting fewer than 100 hits. He averaged a ridiculous 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brendan Donovan is the first player since 1900 to start four different infield positions in his first four MLB games. Donovan leads all rookies with a .394 on-base percentage and is second among NL players with 110 hits and 64 runs.

Showalter was out of baseball for three years and changed the entire culture of the Mets organization. Showalter will win a World Series before he retires.

Brian Snitker is the new Bobby Cox. Atlanta has won five consecutive division titles under Snitek. Aaron Judge is going to be the MVP.

Rob Thomson is the calming force behind the Phillies’ resurrection. He took over a team that was lifeless and led them to a 65-46 record and playoff berth.

The San Francisco Giants will pursue Aaron Judge and Trea Turner in free agency. The Los Angeles Angels will be sold for at least $3 billion. Chicago White Sox want to hire a veteran manager to replace Tony La Russa. Bruce Bochy, Mike Shildt, Ron Washington, John Gibbons, Bo Porter, Joe Girardi, and Joe Maddon are considered the leading candidates. Orioles will pay close attention to the Rookie of the Year balloting this year.

Max Scherzer's performance in the wild card game was unusual. Evan Longoria wants to play for one more season, but the Giants will not pick up his option. The White Sox are looking for a new player to replace Jose Abreu. Tommy La Stella is expected to be traded. Nelson Cruz has no plans to retire after his worst season in 16 years. Madison Bumgarner is owed $37 million over the next two seasons. He'll have to take a pay cut if he wants a chance to stay in baseball. The Angels have no intention of trading Shohei Ohtani.

Alex Cora is disappointed with the Red Sox's season. The team finished last for the fifth time in 11 years. Dennis Eckersley cried watching the gesture of the players and coaches tipping their caps to him in his season finale as broadcaster.

Stephen Vogt hit a home run in the final at-bat of his career at the Oakland Coliseum. The Brewers traded All-Star closer Josh Hader and missed the playoffs. This is the first time in Giants' 140-year history that they finished the season exactly at .500. Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen is tired of being the young team and wants to be the winning team. Joe Musgrove wants a World Series ring.

Perry Minasian is disappointed that the Angels missed the playoffs last year despite having two of the greatest players ever to play the game.