The finalists for the Baseball Writers' Association of America end-of-season awards were revealed on Monday night -- but, as always, it's hard to limit each category to just three choices per league.

So while every finalist for the Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year Awards is certainly deserving, we wanted to take a look at one additional player (or manager) for each award who also deserves some recognition.

The 2022 award winners for each league will be announced next week, starting at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network each day:

Monday, Nov. 14: Jackie Robinson Rookies of the Year
Tuesday, Nov. 15: Managers of the Year
Wednesday, Nov. 16: Cy Young Awards
Thursday, Nov. 17: MVP Awards

For now, here's a closer look at some guys who won't hear their name called next week, but still had award-caliber seasons.

AL MVP

The finalists (in alphabetical order): Yordan Alvarez (Astros), Aaron Judge (Yankees), Shohei Ohtani (Angels)

But don’t forget about: Mike Trout (Angels)

Trout finished in the top five in AL MVP voting every year from 2012-20 before injuries limited him to just 36 games -- and kept him out of the MVP conversation -- in ’21. And while he again spent some time on the IL in ’22, Trout still managed to hit 40 home runs in 119 games. That ranked second (albeit a distant second) to Judge in the AL, and it’s also a 54-homer pace over 162 games. Trout also posted a .999 OPS and a .630 slugging percentage, which ranked second in the AL behind Judge among players with at least 450 plate appearances. Mariners rookie Julio Rodríguez and Guardians superstar José Ramírez also belong in the conversation.

NL MVP

The finalists: Nolan Arenado (Cardinals), Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals), Manny Machado (Padres)

But don’t forget about: J.T. Realmuto (Phillies)

Realmuto not only had a historic season offensively, but he continues to be in a class of his own when it comes to throwing out baserunners -- and he helped keep the Phillies’ postseason hopes alive when they were without reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper for two months. Realmuto finished with 22 home runs and 21 stolen bases, joining Ivan Rodriguez as the only catchers in AL/NL history with a 20-20 season. He also led all catchers by throwing out 30 baserunners, thanks to his MLB-leading average pop time of 1.82 seconds. If all that wasn’t enough, he hit .336 with nine home runs, 32 RBIs and a 1.012 OPS over 41 games from June 26-Aug. 24 while Harper was sidelined with a broken thumb.

AL Cy Young

The finalists: Dylan Cease (White Sox), Alek Manoah (Blue Jays), Justin Verlander (Astros)

But don’t forget about: Shohei Ohtani (Angels)

Sure, he’s an AL MVP finalist, but Ohtani could easily be in the Cy Young conversation, as well. His 219 K's in 166 innings were easily more than Verlander (185 in 175 innings) and Manoah (180 in 196 2/3 innings) despite pitching fewer innings than each. Of course, Verlander, Cease and Manoah ranked 1-2-3 in the AL in ERA, so each is a deserving candidate, but Ohtani more than held his own on the mound.

NL Cy Young

The finalists: Sandy Alcantara (Marlins), Max Fried (Braves), Julio Urías (Dodgers)

But don’t forget about: Zac Gallen (D-backs)

There were plenty of other pitchers who could have earned NL Cy Young consideration this season, but the nod here goes to Gallen. The D-backs' righty went 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA while striking out 192 batters over 184 innings in 31 starts. Gallen pitched more innings than Urías, he had more strikeouts than both Urías and Fried and he had a better WHIP than all three finalists.

As for the other potential options, Phillies righty Aaron Nola ranked second in the NL in both innings pitched (205) and bWAR (6.0), while also finishing third in strikeouts (235). Meanwhile, Mets co-ace Max Scherzer had a 2.29 ERA and 173 strikeouts, but injuries limited him to only 23 starts and 145 1/3 innings.

AL Rookie of the Year

The finalists: Steven Kwan (Guardians), Julio Rodríguez (Mariners), Adley Rutschman (Orioles)

But don’t forget about: Jeremy Peña (Astros)

Peña will gladly settle for the 2022 World Series MVP Award following his postseason heroics, but even with the AL Rookie of the Year Award being entirely a regular-season honor, he still could make a case. The Astros' rookie sensation finished with 22 home runs, 11 stolen bases and 20 doubles. He also had a 3.2 offensive WAR and 2.4 defensive WAR, per Baseball-Reference. That makes Peña the first rookie to finish with at least 3.0 oWAR and 2.0 dWAR since Trout in 2012. Even putting rookie status aside, only one other AL player had at least 3.0 oWAR and 2.0 dWAR this season (Andrés Giménez, Guardians).

NL Rookie of the Year

The finalists: Brendan Donovan (Cardinals), Michael Harris II (Braves), Spencer Strider (Braves)

But don’t forget about: Alexis Díaz (Reds)

The Reds had a couple other rookie pitchers who may have received more attention in top prospects Hunter Greene (and his 102 mph fastball) and Nick Lodolo -- but Díaz was remarkable. The 26-year-old righty went 7-3 with a 1.84 ERA while racking up 83 strikeouts over 63 2/3 innings in 59 relief appearances. Of course, Pirates rookie Oneil Cruz, who had 17 homers and 11 steals -- all while rewriting the Statcast record book -- deserves a mention here also.

AL Manager of the Year

The finalists: Terry Francona (Guardians), Brandon Hyde (Orioles), Scott Servais (Mariners)

But don’t forget about: Dusty Baker (Astros)

While the trio of finalists in this category all helped their teams exceed expectations, it’s hard to ignore what Baker did in Houston. Despite losing star shortstop Carlos Correa via free agency, Baker’s club still racked up 106 wins this season -- seven more than any other team in the AL.

NL Manager of the Year

The finalists: Dave Roberts (Dodgers), Buck Showalter (Mets), Brian Snitker (Braves)

But don’t forget about: Rob Thomson (Phillies)

It’s not always easy for a manager to earn consideration after taking over midseason, but Thomson has as good of a case as anyone. He took over a struggling Phillies team that was just 22-29 under Joe Girardi, and he immediately helped turn things around. The Phils defeated the Angels, 10-0, in their first game under Thomson and went on to win each of his first eight games at the helm. They ultimately went 65-46 -- a 94-win pace over 162 games -- en route to making their first postseason appearance since 2011.