Twins pitcher Sonny Gray named Most Valuable Player as team announces award winners

For a season in which he is sure to be listed on Cy Young Award ballots, starting pitcher Sonny Gray was named both the Most Valuable Twin and the Twins’ Pitcher of the Year.

The Twins released the winners of their annual Diamond Awards on Thursday with Gray receiving two of the highest honors as voted on by the Twin Cities Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Gray finished his season with a 2.79 earned-run average and a 5.3 bWAR (Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference), which was two wins higher than any of his teammates.

Shortstop Carlos Correa, who won five different Diamond Awards a season ago, was honored again as the Twins’ Defensive Player of the Year and with the Bob Allison Award for his leadership.

Starting pitcher Pablo López was honored as the Media Good Guy for his friendly, insightful nature with the team’s reporters. He was also bestowed the Outstanding Community Service Award, for his efforts in the community both during spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., and in the Twin Cities.

Third baseman Royce Lewis took home the honors as the Twins’ Most Outstanding Rookie for a season in which he hit .309 with 15 home runs and a .921 OPS in 58 games.

Catcher Ryan Jeffers was named the Most Improved Twin for a season that saw him pace all Twins position players in bWAR. Jeffers, who slashed .208/.285/.363 in 2022, raised all of those numbers this season, finishing the year hitting .276 with a .369 on-base percentage and .490 slugging percentage.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native, was named Upper Midwest Player of the Year for a season in which he went 13-9 with a 4.21 ERA and was an all-star.

Third base coach Tommy Watkins was honored with the Kirby Puckett Award for Twins Alumni Community Service, and Brooks Lee had previously been announced as the Twins’ Minor League Player of the Year and Cory Lewis as the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

All award winners will be honored at the 19th annual Diamond Awards, which will benefit medical research at the University of Minnesota and be held on Jan. 25 at The Armory in downtown Minneapolis.

Briefly

The Twins were among five teams named finalists for the Allen H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence, honored for their Twins Economic Advancement in the Marketplace (TEAM) Initiative, which helps support women and BIPOC-owned small businesses. The winner will be determined by fan vote, which is currently open online, and announced at the Winter Meetings in December.

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