The Major League Baseball Players Association announced the finalists for their annual Players’ Choice Awards on Tuesday. Francisco Lindor and Kodai Senga were the two Mets chosen as finalists in their respective categories.
Lindor is a finalist for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award—the same award he won last year. The award is named after Marvin Miller, the MLBPA executive director from 1966 to 1982, and goes to the player “whose leadership most inspires others to higher levels of achievement.” Marcus Semien and Ian Happ are the two other finalists for the award.
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Lindor’s leadership on the field and in the clubhouse is abundantly clear to anyone who pays attention to the Mets, but he serves as a leader away from the ballpark as well. In the past, Lindor has spent time working with organizations such as Make-a-Wish and the Boys & Girls Club, in addition to his own initiative Lindor Smiles, which gives those with physical or mental challenges an opportunity to play baseball. He also donated $1 million to his alma mater, Monteverde Academy, in Florida in 2021 and consistently serves as a role model for the youth in his home country of Puerto Rico.
Senga is a finalist for the National League Outstanding Rookie award, along with Corbin Carroll and Spencer Steer.
Senga had an historic first year in the big leagues with the Mets, becoming the ace of the pitching staff and finishing the year with a 12-7 record and a 2.98 ERA. Senga also became the second Met pitcher behind only Dwight Gooden to record 200 strikeouts in their rookie season. Additionally, his trademark ghost forkball had the highest whiff rate (59.5%) of any pitch in baseball this season.
Ballotting for these awards was conducted in person in clubhouses. The winners will be announced on Thursday, November 2 at 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
