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

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(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

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?

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Comeback Player of the Year: Wil Myers

I was torn between Eric Hosmer, Manny Machado, and Wil Myers here. Considering the latter has been around the longest, he endured some awful years under Andy Green. But the 29-year-old led the Padres with a .959 OPS. In all, he posted a .288/.353/.606 line with 14 doubles, 15 HR, and 40 RBI in 55 games.

Projected over a 162-game schedule, Myers would have hit approximately 40 home runs with 115 RBI. Yeah, that’ll play. With all of the grand slams that San Diego hit this season, Myers smacked two of them.

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Reliever of the Year: Drew Pomeranz

Was there a better signing this offseason than Drew Pomeranz? The two-time Padre made 17 starts in 2016 before being traded to the Red Sox. Since then, he’s been converted to a reliever and was inked to a four-year deal prior to the 2020 season.

Over the course of the shortened season, Pomeranz posted a career-best 14.0 K/9 to go along with a 1.45 ERA in 20 appearances. He was the perfect setup man for the Padres this season, with 9 holds and 4 saves over that span.

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Cy Young: Dinelson Lamet

We now know why the national media labeled Dinelson Lamet as a potential Cy Young darkhorse. The 28-year-old finished with a 2.09 ERA in 12 starts, fanning 93 in 69.0 innings. For reference, the next closest in strikeouts was Zach Davies with 63. He was outstanding at Petco Park, posting a 1.88 ERA in 8 starts while holding opponents to a .157 average.

Nationally, he finished tied for seventh in strikeouts, despite having his year cut short because of bicep tightness. That said, he should be the Padres number one starter going forward, unless, of course, they go out and sign Trevor Bauer.

MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr.

He’s 21 years old, folks. And he might very well win the NL MVP Award as well. Fernando Tatis Jr. played in 59-of-60 games, putting the health issues aside that hampered his rookie season. The only game he missed was a planned off-day during his slump near the end of the year. He led the team in home runs (17) and stolen bases (11).

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Tatis finished second in RBI (45) while posting a .277/.366/.571 line. He ignited this offense while splitting time between the leadoff spot and second in the order. Having a competent hitter like Trent Grisham at the bottom of the order aided in Tatis’ production from the leadoff spot, hitting .295 with 9 HR and 22 RBI.

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