Sonny Gray named team MVP and best pitcher

[weimy froob]

The Twins' strange aversion to winning when Sonny Gray was on the mound didn't prevent the righthander from producing a stellar season for the team in 2023. In fact, there was none better.

Gray has been chosen, in a vote by the Twin Cities chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, as the Twins' Most Valuable Player, the team and BBWAA announced Thursday. Gray, whose 2.79 ERA was third-lowest in the major leagues, is the seventh pitcher to ever win the Calvin Griffith Award as Twins' MVP, joining Phil Hughes (2014), Johan Santana (2004 and 2005), Brad Radke (1997 and 1999), Jack Morris (1991), Jeff Reardon (1987) and Doug Corbett (1981).

Gray, who allowed only eight home runs in 184 innings and provided 5.3 Wins Above Replacement, the only Twin to top 3.3, was also named the winner of the Joseph Haynes Award as the Twins' best pitcher in 2023, though his team somehow won only 14 of his 32 starts.

Carlos Correa, who took home five different Diamond Awards from the Twin Cities BBWAA in 2022, repeated in two categories in 2023. Correa was once again chosen for the Jim Kaat Award as the team's best defensive player, and the Bob Allison Award for leadership.

Royce Lewis, who hit 15 homers and drove in 52 runs in only 58 games, was voted the Twins' outstanding rookie. Lewis, a third baseman, breaks a streak of three straight pitchers — Jhoan Duran, Bailey Ober and Randy Dobnak — and 10 of the past 18, to win the Bill Boni Award as top rookie.

Ryan Jeffers was named winner of the team's most improved player award are having a career-best season in numerous offensive categories and tying his season high with 14 home runs.

Pablo López, who enjoyed an All-Star season after being traded to Minnesota in January, will take home the Mike Augustin Award as media good guy, for his willingness and professionalism in working with BBWAA members.

[feekdogg]

Sort of weird, but I guess it makes sense. Gotta pick someone.

[weimy froob]

Sort of weird, but I guess it makes sense. Gotta pick someone.

yep. if lewis played all year i think he'd have won. sure wish sonny would've pitched like an MVP against the astros. that outing kind of describes his season. they had a terrible record in games he started. way under .500 if DH's stat that he posted in one of the threads was correct.

[Hornets]

Too bad he'll nevah pitch for the Twins again...

[weimy froob]

(pablo finished seventh.)

[Hornets]

(pablo finished seventh.)

So we technically had 2 of the top 7 pitchers on our roster....if I am Falvine I bend over backwards to sign Sonny and keep this top notch starting staff intact. Go ahead and get rid of Max, Farmer, Jorge, and MAT if that's what it takes. Having a deep, stellar staff if SO important.

[Hoop Dreams]

Too bad he'll nevah pitch for the Twins again...

[D_H]

Um why not bring him back????

[feekdogg]

It's kind of baffling that he was Cy Young runner up. Maybe I'm just remembering the bad to mediocre starts, but he didn't seem that good to me. My memory is clouded with lots of long innings, lots of runners on base and lots of grunting.

[weimy froob]

It's kind of baffling that he was Cy Young runner up. Maybe I'm just remembering the bad to mediocre starts, but he didn't seem that good to me. My memory is clouded with lots of long innings, lots of runners on base and lots of grunting.

must've been a combination of a down year for AL starting pitching and voters putting a lot of stock in the ERA. the twins were under .500 in his starts if i'm remembering that correctly. more damning in the memory department was that start against houston in the playoffs. choke city.

[Sidewinder2k2]

It's kind of baffling that he was Cy Young runner up. Maybe I'm just remembering the bad to mediocre starts, but he didn't seem that good to me. My memory is clouded with lots of long innings, lots of runners on base and lots of grunting.

must've been a combination of a down year for AL starting pitching and voters putting a lot of stock in the ERA. the twins were under .500 in his starts if i'm remembering that correctly. more damning in the memory department was that start against houston in the playoffs. choke city.

He was a tough luck loser or no decision in a lot of his starts. Either the offense didn't score or the bullpen blew it.

[weimy froob]

It's kind of baffling that he was Cy Young runner up. Maybe I'm just remembering the bad to mediocre starts, but he didn't seem that good to me. My memory is clouded with lots of long innings, lots of runners on base and lots of grunting.

must've been a combination of a down year for AL starting pitching and voters putting a lot of stock in the ERA. the twins were under .500 in his starts if i'm remembering that correctly. more damning in the memory department was that start against houston in the playoffs. choke city.

He was a tough luck loser or no decision in a lot of his starts. Either the offense didn't score or the bullpen blew it.

yeah he had some bad luck. he also lost some games where the damage came in just one crooked inning. the playoff start against houston is the game that finalized my thoughts/feelings about him. a big spot. adversity with the kiriloff error--and him not being able to overcome it. not going to be all that disappointed that he won't be on the staff next year.

[ForCaleb]

Gray managed to pitched the most innings in his career in ten years while just allowing a MLB lead of only 0.4 HR/9.

But Weimy is right, when it came down to when the team needed him most he fell apart.

[weimy froob]

Gray managed to pitched the most innings in his career in ten years while just allowing a MLB lead of only 0.4 HR/9.

But Weimy is right, when it came down to when the team needed him most he fell apart.

the twins had a real bad record in his starts. outside of the innings chewed up he didn't do much for them. it's hard to imagine a team getting less out of a second place finisher in the cy young race. in fact i doubt there's ever been a team that did. and he wasn't lock down in the playoffs. even in the toronto game he was pitching in and out of trouble. wish him well and we'll see how he does with his new team going forward.

[Straight Edge Raven]

Gray signing with St. Louis, for 3 years, $75 Million. Imagine going 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA, making the All Star Team and runner up to Cy Young with only 8 wins.....because your team sucked balls when you pitched and gave you no support. Dude had to hate it here.