We’ve reached the end of 2022 in what has been a wildly entertaining and eventful year in the world of Seattle sports. That’s why it makes sense to take some time and recognize all that’s happened in the Pacific Northwest by handing out some year-end awards.
Person of the Year: Sue Bird
Bird is a Seattle sports icon who finally called it a career at 41 (now 42) after two decades as the face of the Storm. Bird was originally taken with the No. To see also : The biggest science news stories of 2022 selected by New Scientist. 1 overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft and made 13 All-Star teams while bringing four WNBA championships to Seattle.
If you put together your Seattle sports Mt. Rushmore, it would be objectively wrong if it didn’t include Bird. Her statue outside the Climate Pledge Arena needs to be built sooner rather than later.
Sue Bird’s last broadcast ❤️ pic.twitter.com/y9HMg8jnjJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 7, 2022
MVP: Julio Rodríguez
The 22-year-old phenom is the new face of Seattle sports following the retirement of Bird and the departure of Russell Wilson. This may interest you : Fans enjoy the first official sports betting weekend. Rodríguez wasted little time in taking up the mantle after forcing his way onto the Mariners’ Opening Day roster and putting together a sensational rookie season that earned him MLB’s American League Rookie of the Year honors.
Rodríguez posted a ridiculous 6.2 WAR with a .284 batting average, a .345 on-base percentage, 28 home runs, 84 runs scored, 75 runs batted in and 25 steals. Most impressively, Rodríguez embraced the pressure of being the savior of a franchise that hadn’t reached the postseason in two decades. His signature smile never wavered even as he struggled through early-season struggles, often the victim of a wildly inflated strike zone.
.@JRODshow44 on the way CLUTCH. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/LAAm64L9Zm
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 11, 2022
His performance at the 2022 MLB All-Star Game and the Home Run Derby put him on the map as one of the game’s brightest young stars. Rodríguez’s play earned him a massive contract extension that will keep him in Seattle for more than a decade and could be worth up to $470 million.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Matty Beniers
The Seattle sports scene had no shortage of talented first-year players in 2022. Beniers, despite debuting during the Kraken’s inaugural season in 2021-22, retained his rookie status into the 2022-23 season. On the same subject : WNBA BPI marks a turning point for women’s sports metrics. He has been sensational so far with 11 goals and 14 assists. His 25-point total leads all NHL rookies and makes him a contender for the league’s Calder Trophy, given annually to the game’s top rookie.
Matty Beniers scores the game winner in overtime! pic.twitter.com/jO2rIujCYQ
— ROOT SPORTS™ | NW (@ROOTSPORTS_NW) December 2, 2022
Benier’s name will continue to garner interest and recognition if the Kraken continue to excel and clinch a playoff berth for the first time in franchise history. The Kraken would be the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed if the season ended today.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Tariq Woolen
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner of the New York Jets will likely keep Woolen from winning the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t worthy of such recognition. Woolen leads the NFL with six interceptions and he returned one for a touchdown. A fifth-round pick by UTSA, Woolen is John Schneider’s latest draft day gem. You can easily make the case that he’s already the Seahawks’ top defensive cornerstone.
IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW, THE TARIQ WOOL IS VERY FAST!
HIS FIRST CAREER TOUCHDOWN!
📺: #SEAVsDET on FOX pic.twitter.com/e4IFG4IP06
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 2, 2022
Storyline of the Year: Seahawks trading Russell Wilson
Rumblings of unrest between Wilson and the Seahawks have picked up steam over the past few seasons, but the blockbuster with the Broncos remained a shock to the system. I know many would disagree, but I would argue that Wilson is the most valuable player in franchise history as a nine-time Pro Bowler and Seattle’s first Super Bowl-winning quarterback (for what it’s worth, Pro Football Reference agrees in this feeling).
What adds to the story though is the fact that Wilson seems to have magically forgotten how to play football. He really has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL this season, with the Broncos standing as the league’s biggest disappointment. Things have gotten so bad in Denver that the Seahawks, who own the Broncos’ first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, could land a top-three selection.
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My hope is that down the road, when his playing days are over, Wilson can return to Lumen Field and receive the flowers he surely deserves as a franchise and Seattle sports legend and possibly a member of the Ring of Honor.
Most Improved: Geno Smith
I prefer Smith in this category compared to being labeled a “comeback player” even though he didn’t “come back” from anything. Smith has taken full advantage of his first starting role since 2014. This season, he has grown from a skilled playmaker to a bona fide star with the precision and arm strength to make big throws.
Smith’s 70.7% completion percentage leads the NFL along with his 3,886 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His stellar campaign earned him 2022 Pro Bowl honors.
A DIME from Geno to Lockett 🎯 #Seahawks
📺: #LVvsSEA on CBS📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/sHfVqLZ7N3 pic.twitter.com/v3RZijN1Fr
— NFL (@NFL) November 27, 2022
Now attention turns to whether he will receive the franchise tag from the Seahawks or sign a multi-year contract, whether in Seattle or elsewhere. He has certainly earned his impending pay.
Comeback Player of the Year: Michael Penix Jr.
After an injury-plagued tenure at Indiana, Penix was finally able to stay healthy for a full season after transferring to Washington. Penix was downright dazzling for the Huskies with 4,354 passing yards and 29 touchdowns. He had more yards than this year’s Heisman winner Caleb Williams (4,075).
Taj Davis to the house for @UW_Football 🏡 pic.twitter.com/NRjXSyq4Gh
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 13, 2022
Penix has already announced that he will return to Washington in 2023, which will make the Huskies one of the favorites in the Pac-12.
Coach of the Year: Kalen DeBoer
DeBoer arrived at Montlake with modest expectations. Washington was expected to finish in the middle of the Pac-12. Instead, the Huskies finished 7-2 in conference play (10-2 overall) and were kept out of the title game due to a tiebreaker.
DeBoer gets plenty of credit both for Penix’s monster season and for the quarterback’s decision to stick around for another season. There’s still a lot of work to be done, and Washington’s 2023 recruiting class is only 27th in the nation, but the arrow is pointing up for the Huskies.
Executive of the Year: John Schneider
Schneider has the Seahawks on the winning end of this era’s Herschel Walker trade given Wilson’s implosion in Denver and the plethora of picks and players Seattle received in the deal. Additionally, the Seahawks 2022 draft class is arguably the team’s best in a decade with Charles Cross, Abe Lucas, Kenneth Walker and Woolen all expected to be cornerstone-caliber pieces.
Moment of the Year: Mariners clinching a playoff spot
Funny story (well, you might not find it funny, but I’ll tell you anyway). Now that I live in Las Vegas, the MLBtv app is my only option for watching Mariners games. The major problem with that is that MLB’s blackout restrictions are ridiculous in this city. The A’s, Angels, Giants, Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks are all blacked out in Las Vegas. It makes no sense, but that’s still my situation.
So when the Mariners hosted the A’s on Friday, September 30 with a chance to clinch the franchise’s first playoff appearance in two decades, I had no way to watch this game at home. I ended up at a local sports bar for all nine rounds. As you can probably imagine, I went nuts when Cal Raleigh launched his home run from the Hit it Here Cafe in right field.
CAL RALEIGH HAS A WALK-OFF HOMER TO SEND THE LAKES TO THE PLAYOFFS!!
(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/PZYcJU56y7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 1, 2022
People looked at me like they’d never seen a Mariners fan, like I was an endangered species. Instead of rolling their eyes at my antics, strangers came up and congratulated me on the Mariners making the playoffs.
I then proceeded to spend the rest of the night watching every possible replay of Raleigh’s homer. What an evening. I still get chills thinking about it, so much so that I had to watch the replay again while writing this.
Game of the Year: Mariners vs. Blue Jays, Game 2 of AL Wild Card
To be honest, my favorite game of the Mariners season was the walk-off win against the Braves on September 11th. Julio’s game-tying missile to left field and Eugenio Suárez’s walk-off blast two batters later sent T-Mobile Parker into a tizzy.
But you can’t compare that to the effort in a playoff game, and the Mariners overcoming an 8-1 deficit to beat the Blue Jays and advance to the ALDS.
Down 8-1 after 5, the @Mariners take the lead in the top of the 9th! Wow! #postseason pic.twitter.com/6MFXtzzdvL
J. P. Crawford’s bases-clearing double, Adam Frazier’s go-ahead RBI double and George Kirby’s ninth-inning shutout will be lasting memories for all Mariners fans.
Are the Mariners still paying Ichiro?
Ichiro Suzuki That means until the season started again, Ichiro was poised to be the highest-paid player in baseball, he’ll still be the Mariners’ highest-paid outfielder and receive the fourth-highest salary on the team this year, and Seattle will pay him forward until 2032.
Who did the Mariners get for Ichiro? At the same time that the Tigers acquired Omar Infante and Aníbal Sánchez, the Mariners traded away one of the best and most popular players in team history, Ichiro Suzuki. The Yankees acquired him in exchange for relievers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar.
Does Ichiro still work for the Mariners?
Now a special assistant at the club, where he works with the Mariners’ major and minor leagues, Suzuki talked about his mission and offered some advice. “Baseball will forever be my soul and my mission is to continue to help players and fans alike appreciate this special game,” Suzuki said.
How much does Ichiro Suzuki get paid?
Who won 3 mvps?
| Rank | Most Valuable Player | Allotment shares |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Barry Bonds (7 wins) | 9.30 |
| 2. | Stan Musial* (3 wins) | 6.96 |
| 3. | Albert Pujols (3 wins) | 6.91 |
| 4. | Mike Trout (3 wins) | 6.53 |
How many players have won 3 MVPs? Only eight players in NBA history have won at least three MVPs: Abdul-Jabbar (an NBA record six MVPs); Russell and Jordan (five each); Chamberlain and James (four each) and Malone, Bird and Johnson (three each).
Who has won 3 MVPs?
Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson each won the award three times, while Bob Pettit, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola JokiÄ have each won it twice.
Who won 3 consecutive MVPs nba?
An NBA Hall of Famer as a player and coach, Bill Russell won five MVPs in his career, three of which were consecutive. His three consecutive victories in 1961, 1962 and 1963 were the first of its kind. Also read: How much is Larry Bird’s net worth in 2021?
Who has 4 MVPs NBA?
Wilt Chamberlain â 4. Chamberlain was the second player to three-peat as MVP. If not for Russell, Chamberlain might be even higher on this list.
Who won the NL MVP in baseball?
Who won the 2022 NL MVP? Goldy claims first NL MVP; Arenado finishes 3. Painfully close so many times before in a career highlighted by its consistent brilliance, Cardinals star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt finally collected his first National League MVP award Thursday night.
Who is baseball MVP 2022?
Phillies slugger Bryce Harper was named the 2022 NLCS MVP after hitting. 400 (8-for-20) with three doubles, two homers — including a go-ahead run in the eighth inning of the decisive Game 5 — and five RBIs for the series.
Who won MVP for the NL?
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt was named the 2022 National League MVP, giving the Cardinals a league record 18 wins. St. Louis’ total MVP wins is second only to the New York Yankees’ 21 in the American League.
What time will NL MVP be announced?
Here’s a look at the case for each of the six MVP candidates before the winners are announced Thursday on MLB Network at 18.00. ONE.
