These O's could be in the BBWAA awards conversation

This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- Every November, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America hands out four awards in both the American League and the National League -- Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year.

No Orioles player has earned an AL honor since 1991, when Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. received his second MVP Award. Meanwhile, it’s been almost a decade since a Baltimore skipper was named Manager of the Year, as Buck Showalter won the award in 2014.

Baltimore’s BBWAA award drought may end this year, though. The club is having a lot of success, and it has numerous legitimate candidates for consideration.

Here’s a breakdown of the Orioles who are in the awards conversation with a little more than a month to go in the 2023 regular season. (All stats are entering Saturday.)

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Candidate: Brandon Hyde
Case: The Orioles already have 80 wins. They’re likely to reach the postseason for the first time since 2016, could win their first AL East title since 2014 and could even finish with the best record in the AL for the first time since 1997. The success may not have been possible without Hyde at the helm.

“He just sets a good tone for our guys, as far as when it’s time to goof around and have fun and loosen up a little bit, and then when it’s time to get serious, he’s obviously very good at that, too,” first baseman Ryan O’Hearn said. “He has good relationships with the players. He’s pretty even keel -- he’s never up and down emotionally and keeps us right where we need to be. Whether we’re winning or if we’ve lost a few, he keeps guys focused on the goal.”

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Candidate: Gunnar Henderson
Case: The 22-year-old infielder is slashing .251/.329/.486 with 20 doubles, six triples, 22 homers and 65 RBIs through 117 games. Henderson leads all AL rookies with 4.3 bWAR and 3.2 fWAR, and he’s played exceptional defense at both shortstop and third base.

“He’s got my vote, but it’s not up to me,” said right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, a fellow rookie. “Hopefully, that’s something he can accomplish. It’s been an impressive thing to watch. Obviously, the defense separates him from the rest. And then, the bat’s there as well.”

CY YOUNG

Candidate: Félix Bautista
Case: The 6-foot-8 right-hander’s 102-103 mph fastball and nasty splitter have made him one of baseball’s elite closers. Bautista has a 1.48 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and 33 saves over 56 appearances, recording 110 strikeouts in 61 innings. (Note: Bautista exited Friday’s win vs. the Rockies with right arm discomfort, and if the 28-year-old misses time, it’ll hurt his chances of becoming the first reliever to win a Cy Young Award since the Dodgers’ Eric Gagne in 2003.)

“Any time you’ve got a guy like that -- lights out and the dominating numbers to go along with it -- he has to be in the Cy Young conversation, right?” catcher James McCann said. “He’s had shutdown saves, he’s had multiple-inning saves, he’s had multiple innings in extra innings in wins. That’s the definition of a pitcher that is a game-changer.”

Candidate: Kyle Bradish
Case: Bradish has thrown fewer innings than many of the AL’s top starters (127 2/3), but a strong final month could get him in the Cy Young mix. The 26-year-old right-hander has a 3.03 ERA through 23 starts and 3.4 bWAR that is tied for sixth among AL pitchers.

“So impressed with the progress he’s made,” Hyde said. “[Command] is the biggest difference from last year to this year. ... Everything’s around the strike zone with cut or with sink.”

MVP

Candidate: Adley Rutschman
Case: The 25-year-old catcher has a tremendous skill set that allows him to have success in all facets of the game. He’s a productive hitter (a .276/.370/.428 slash line with 22 doubles, one triple, 16 homers and 61 RBIs through 123 games) and a strong defender who works well with every pitcher on the Orioles’ staff.

“There are so many things that he does well that it’s hard to put a finger on a specific one,” Rodriguez said.