CLEVELAND — The accolades just keep on rolling in.
Major League Baseball announced the finalists for its most prestigious awards Monday evening, and as expected, the Guardians are well-represented among the candidates. Outfielder Steven Kwan is one of three finalists for the American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award, while Terry Francona has been nominated for AL Manager of the Year.
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Having never played a big-league game before 2022, the 25-year-old Kwan eventually established himself as Cleveland's leadoff man, hitting .298 with 89 runs scored, 19 stolen bases, and 5.5 bWAR. He also led the AL with 16 total zone runs, helping him earn Gold Glove honors among league left fielders. He is attempting to become the club's first Rookie of the Year since Sandy Alomar Jr. (his current first base coach) in 1990.
Francona's 10th season managing the Indians/Guardians marked one of his best jobs to date, taking a young team most expected to finish around .500 to 92 wins and an AL Central Division championship. Despite winning two World Series with the Boston Red Sox, he did not take home his first Manager of the Year Award until his inaugural campaign with the Tribe in 2013, and later repeated the feat in 2016. He is Cleveland's all-time leader in managerial wins with 845 as well as years managed with 10.
For Rookie of the Year, Kwan is up against Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez and Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, while in the managerial category Francona's competitors are Baltimore's Brandon Hyde and Seattle's Scott Servais. The winners will be announced on Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. during a live broadcast on MLB Network.
Among other awards that have already been announced, Shane Bieber, Andrés Giménez, and Myles Straw joined Kwan as AL Gold Glove winners at their respective positions, while team president Chris Antonetti was named Executive of the Year by Sporting News. Giménez is also a Silver Slugger Award finalist at second base, as is third baseman José Ramírez, who is additionally one of eight nominees for the league's Hank Aaron Award.