Checking the boxes for MLB's 2022 awards

Retrieved from the bottom of a dropbox and inspected by men with beignets and

bayonets, here’s my ballot for baseball’s 2022 awards:

AMERICAN LEAGUE MVP: Shohei Ohtani’s feats were unprecedented, breathtaking and totally irrelevant to the A.L. narrative. Aaron Judge kept the Yankees afloat with 62 home runs and a serious Triple Crown run. He should win decisively.

NATIONAL LEAGUE MVP: Paul Goldschmidt didn’t win the Triple Crown but was the most consistent offensive player in the league and should nose out Freddie Freeman, Pete Alonso and Manny Machado.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CY YOUNG: Justin Verlander (pictured) probably had the best year of his career after he spent the previous two in the rehab room. He should win unanimously.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CY YOUNG: Tough call here, with Sandy Alcantara, ERA leader Julio Urias, wins leader Kyle Wright, Yu Darvish and WHIP leader Zac Gallen. Alcantara was 14-9 for a Marlins team that couldn’t hit. When he pitched, they were 19-13. He also pitched 25 more innings than any other NL pitcher, so he wins, thanks to ranked-choice voting.

AMERICAN LEAGUE ROOKIE: The rookie classes in both leagues give you hope for the future of the game, particularly Julio Rodriguez , the first rookie to steal 25 bases and hit 25 homers.

NATIONAL LEAGUE ROOKIE: It’s an Atlanta thing. Outfielder Michael Harris hit .297 with 19 home runs and 64 RBIs, slightly trumping Spencer Strider, who struck out 202 in 131 ⅔ innings  and went 11-5 with a 2.67 ERA.

AMERICAN LEAGUE MANAGER:  As impressive as Cleveland’s Terry Francona was, Baltimore’s Brandon Hyde went from  52 to 83 wins and temporary contention for the sixth playoff spot. Plus, he held his credibility through his first three years (68 games under .500).

NATIONAL LEAGUE MANAGER: My personal rule, rarely enforced, is that if you win 111 games, you should be Manager of the Year. And it wasn’t like Dave Roberts didn’t have to maneuver his way through problems with the Dodgers.

AMERICAN LEAGUE COMEBACK: Verlander.

NATIONAL LEAGUE COMEBACK: Brandon Drury played 72 games in 2020-21 and had only four homers and 15 RBIs. Splitting time with Cincinnati and San Diego, he had 28 homers and 87 RBI with a .320 average.

AMERICAN LEAGUE BACKSLIDE: Seattle’s Jesse Winker hit .305 for Cincinnati in 2021, hit .219 this year, and his OPS receded from .949 to .688.

NATIONAL LEAGUE BACKSLIDE: Jake McGee was a top closer in 2021, with 31 saves for the Giants and a .905 WHIP. This year he pitched for the Giants, Brewers and Nationals and the mileage seemed to wear on him, with a 1.437 WHIP.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EXECUTIVE: James Click of the Astros gave Carlos Correa a laurel and a hearty handshake on the way to free agency, knowing he had Jeremy Pena on the way. Houston also has more young, cheap, credible pitching than anyone else. Then, of course, the Astros offered him a one-year contract they knew he wouldn’t accept, and then fired him.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EXECUTIVE: Whether the Juan Soto deal works out or not, San Diego’s A.J. Preller has furiously reworked his roster to get to NLCS-caliber, and the Josh Hader deal may look better with each season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EXECU-STIFF: The Tigers took several steps back, and there weren’t that many to go. Al Avila got fired during the season because he had based his program on kids who either weren’t ready or hurt.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EXECU-STIFF: David Stearns had distinguished himself in Milwaukee, but got moved aside after he traded Hader at a time when the Brewers were in position to make the playoffs.

AMERICAN LEAGUE MIS-MANAGER: The Twins aren’t 14 games worse than the Guardians, but they showed no fight in the second half, and part of that falls on manager Rocco Baldelli.

NATIONAL LEAGUE MIS-MANAGER: The estimable Bud Black suffered a 68-win season in Colorado because the pitching reverted, and that’s his specialty.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WIND FARM: Riley Greene of the Tigers hit five home runs and struck out 120 times.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WIND FARM; Chris Taylor of the Dodgers parlayed 10 homers with 160 strikeouts.

AMERICAN LEAGUE BEST FREE AGENT: Technically it’s Verlander, since he re-signed with Houston. Among those who changed teams, Michael Wacha of the Red Sox was 11-2 with a 1.119 WHIP.

NATIONAL LEAGUE BEST FREE AGENT: Freeman showed a Dodger audience why he might be baseball’s most sophisticated hitter, leading the league in doubles and on-base percentage and hitting .325.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WORST FREE AGENT: Javier Baez was a massive disappointment on a Detroit roster full of them, hitting .238 with a .671 OPS.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WORST FREE AGENT: Kris Bryant began his seven-year commitment in Colorado by playing 42 games.