Mike Zunino’s power display at the plate, and adept management of nearly 40 pitchers has netted him the team’s top individual award.
The catcher has been named the recipient of the 2021 Don Zimmer Award, given to the player deemed as the team’s most valuable player as voted on by the Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
For outstanding rookie, you could certainly make the case for left-hander Shane McClanahan, who has taken over the top of the rotation due to Tyler Glasnow’s elbow injury, or Wander Franco, whose 39-game on-base streak will continue Friday. But the writers went with outfielder Randy Arozarena, who leads all American League rookies in runs, hits, doubles, walks, batting average, and on-base percentage.
And infielder Joey Wendle received the Paul C. Smith Champion Award for his hard work and willingness to be available to his teammates and the media.
Don Zimmer MVP Award
| Name | Total Points |
| Mike Zunino | 18 |
| Andrew Kittredge | 12 |
| Brandon Lowe | 5 |
| Austin Meadows | 1 |
Outstanding Rookie
| Name | Total Points |
| Randy Arozarena | 16 |
| Shane McClanahan | 12 |
| Wander Franco | 8 |
Paul C. Smith Champion Award
| Name | Total Points |
| Joey Wendle | 16 |
| Mike Zunino | 9 |
| Ryan Yarbrough | 7 |
| Kevin Kiermaier | 3 |
| Yandy Diaz | 1 |
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
