Who were the Cubs’ MVP, ROY, MIP, etc. in the 2022 season?

CINCINNATI — Cubs manager David Ross’ final postgame meeting with reporters this week carried a bittersweet tone.

“It’d be nice to be popping champagne at some point — that’s where we’re trying to get to,” Ross said Wednesday after a 15-2 blowout of the Reds to close the season. “But these guys are true fighters. I told them that after the game. They’ve fought a lot of adversity, a lot of change, a lot of up and down, a lot of guys making their debuts, going through what it’s like to get through 162.”

Despite being sellers at the trade deadline for the second straight year, the Cubs ended the season better than they started, finishing with a 74-88 record.

With that in mind, it’s time to reflect on their season by handing out these Sun-Times end-of-year awards.

Most Valuable Player: Ian Happ

Happ and catcher Willson Contreras were the clear finalists. Contreras seemed to be running away with it at the midseason mark, but Happ gets the slight edge for his consistency throughout the year.

In his first All-Star season, Happ finished in the top two in most statistical categories among qualified Cubs players, including WAR (3.5), batting average (.271), on-base percentage (.342), wRC+ (120) and wOBA (120), according to FanGraphs. His 158 games played were also 23 more than the next-most on the team.

“He’s just getting such a well-rounded game,” said Ross, who called Happ one of baseball’s best left fielders. “And you’ve seen the growth of a young man that’s gone through a lot of adversity and tried to please a lot of different people, tried to maximize what everybody else wanted. I think he’s learned, ‘This is when I’m going to be the best version of me.’ And it’s been a really good version.”

Pitcher of the Year: Marcus Stroman

The right-hander was limited by two stints on the injured list – first for COVID-19 and then for shoulder inflammation, which he attributed to rushing back from the illness. But after returning, he gave the rotation a huge boost.

A mechanical tweak (refining his balance-point posture) and a game-plan adjustment (going back to relying on his sinker) contributed to a 2.56 ERA in the final three months.

“I thought I did a really good job of bouncing back from a rough start,” Stroman said. “A lot of people can cash it in, mentally, physically, emotionally, and I had [over] a 6.00 ERA after the first few starts. It’s just a product of all the work that goes into it.”

Reliever of the Year: Brandon Hughes

The rookie lefty began the season in Double-A, and by mid-May he was in the major leagues.

After the Cubs traded away their back-end relievers at the deadline, Hughes stepped into a closer-like role. He finished the season with the best ERA (3.12) of any reliever who finished the season with the Cubs.

Most Improved Player: Christopher Morel

Morel, a utilityman, also started the year in Double-A after hitting .220 at that level in 2021.

“The one thing he did was put himself on the map really early with his performance,” Ross said. “And it’s hard to take them out of the lineup when they do that.”

Morel has shown some inexperience in the field while also playing multiple positions. But he balanced those moments with eye-popping highlights. He cooled off at the plate, batting .194 in the second half. But he also had a 22-game on-base streak to start his career, a franchise record.

Rookie of the Year: Seiya Suzuki

The right fielder came to MLB shouldering the high expectations that earned him a five-year, $85 million contract this spring. Right away, he made his mark, winning Rookie of the Month honors for April.

He hit an adjustment period after that, prolonged by a finger injury. But he finished strong, posting a respectable .770 OPS for the year.