Padres: Year-end team awards including team Cy Young and MVP

We put a close on the 2020 season, and these Padres players are deserving of team year-end awards.

I wish we could fast forward to the 2021 season already. The 2020 Padres provided something we haven’t seen in quite some time. Hope. San Diego exceeded everyone’s expectations, finishing with a 37-23 record and second in the NL West. I think most could have predicted a second-place finish, but the general consensus was that the Padres would have a .500 record or just barely over when all 60 games were complete.

The team got contributions from everywhere on the squad, showing how deep Jayce Tingler’s club was in 2020. MLB won’t hand out their year-end awards, but let’s look at the winners for the major awards on the Padres roster from this season.

Rookie of the Year: Jake Cronenworth

Jake Cronenworth was one of the biggest surprises for the Padres in 2020. Had Eric Hosmer not dealt with gastrointestinal issues early in the year, Cronenworth may not have had a chance to showcase himself at first base and eventually second base. He led the Padres in doubles (15) while posting a .285/.354/.477 line with 4 HR and 20 RBI.

He led all rookies in the National League in games played (54), runs scored (26), doubles, and was second in RBI. Along with Tatis, Cronenworth ignited the Padres offense in August, hitting .355, but he tailed off in September, batting just .183 in 23 games. Could he win the NL Rookie of the Year Award with those splits?