Jack O'Grady is my pick, but that's because I enjoyed watching (and re-watching) his Pass~Port part (and proceeding random clips) more than anything else this year; the music and his style, along with the insane tricks, really made him stand out. He also had my favorite Thrasher cover.
That said, my other favorites from this year, Eddie Cernicky and Corey Glick, weren't listed (not that I'm saying they should be). These dudes have more style than a gang of Yutos, Sucius and Dilos. However, I'm guessing Suciu will get it based on volume and pure skill. He's incredibly gifted, yet incredibly boring; he comes across as smug and not all that fun.
Louie Lopez will forever be a SOTY runner-up. I'm not sure why that is, but it seems to be his fate. He's definitely the most productive and visable rider from the FA/Hockey camp. Someone like Sean Pablo should get the opposite of SOTY, whatever that would be.
What I really want to know is why Kyle Walker is missing from that list?