MLB Season Awards

Fans here in the Boston area may have been under the impression that baseball season ended months ago, when in fact the regular season just closed this week.  The cool chill of October brings with it the excitement of postseason baseball, but before we get there, let's take a look back on the season to predict some awards.

AL MVP:
1. Mike Trout (.326/.399/.564, 30 HR, 129 R, 83 RBI, 49 SB, 10.4 WAR)
2. Miguel Cabrera (.330/.393./.606, 44 HR, 109 R, 139 RBI, 4 SB, 7.2 WAR)
3. Robinson Cano (.313/.379/.550, 33 HR, 105 R, 94 RBI, 3 SB, 7.7 WAR)
4. Josh Hamilton (.285/.354/.577, 43 HR, 103 R, 128 RBI, 7 SB, 4.7 WAR)
5. Justin Verlander (17-8, 2.64 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 9.03 K/9, 6.8 WAR)

This came down to a tight race between the two top contenders, with a wide gap before the rest of the pack.  Earlier this week I outlined why the award should go to Trout, but Cabrera will get a lot of consideration for being the first Triple Crown winner since 1967.

Cano is easily the best player on the division winning Yankees.  His bat helps carry a potent, yet aging lineup and his defense has improved greatly over the years.  Hamilton put up big time power numbers for a playoff team, but his defensive value in CF has declined and he missed time with injury.  Reigning MVP Justin Verlander sneaks on the end of the ballot by remaining the most dominant starter in the game, despite regressing a bit from last year's outstanding season.

NL MVP:
1. Buster Posey (.336/.408/.549, 24 HR, 78 R, 103 RBI, 1 SB, 8.0 WAR)
2. Ryan Braun (.319/.391/.595, 41 HR, 108 R, 112 RBI, 30 SB, 8.0 WAR)
3. Andrew McCuthen (.327/.400/.553, 31 HR, 107 R, 96 RBI, 20 SB, 7.5 WAR)
4. Chase Headley (.286/.376/.498, 31 HR, 95 R, 115 RBI, 17 SB, 7.5 WAR)
5. Jason Heyward (.269/.335/.479, 27 HR, 93 R, 82 RBI, 21 SB, 6.6 WAR)

Posey blew away everyone's expectations after returning from last year's devastating leg injury.  Nobody knew if he would be able to regain his old form right away, but he came back better than ever.  A torrid second half helped the Giants coast to a division title, while setting many career highs.  He also needs to be credited for providing tremendous defensive value at the league's most demanding defensive position and managing one of the game's best pitching staffs.

Maybe all the PED talk about Braun was overblown.  After his alleged positive test this past off-season, which was thrown out due to a technicality, Braun bounced back to put up numbers very similar to the ones he posted in last year's MVP campaign.  A lot of voters will refuse to put him on their ballot, giving him little chance of winning the award again, but I think it's fair to say that he wasn't using PEDs this year and still managed to be one of the league's best players.  If he ever did use them before, it's clear he's one of the game's best without them.

McCuthen was an early favorite to run away with this award, but his production dropped off dramatically in the last two months, which by no coincidence, mirrored Pittsburgh's collapse.  Headley put up great numbers this year, made all the more impressive given he plays half his games in the league's most pitcher friendly environment.  Heyward finally had the breakout season people were expecting.  He still strikes out too much and needs to raise that batting average up, but he's a 20/20 threat that provides outstanding value defensively.

AL Cy Young
1. Justin Verlander (17-8, 2.64 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 9.03 K/9, 6.8 WAR)
2. David Price (20-5, 2.56 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 8.74 K/9, 5.1 WAR)
3. Jered Weaver (20-5, 2.81 ERA, 1.02, 6.77 K/9, 3.0 WAR)
4. Felix Hernandez (13-9, 3.06 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 8.65 K/9, 6.1 WAR)
5. Fernando Rodney (2-2, 48 SV, 0.60 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 9.16 K/9, 2.4 WAR)

While he fell short of his outstanding 2011 season, Verlander proved that he remains the league's most dominant starter. Price and Weaver get in the discussion by winning 20 games with sub-3.00 ERAs, although Weaver's low strike out numbers drop him back to a distant third in the race.  King Felix remains one of the league's best, but he got roughed up a few times down the stretch to inflate his numbers.  While we're past the point of win totals being a main focus in establishing a pitcher's value, he would need much more impressive peripheral numbers in order to overcome his record.  Rodney makes the list for being the league's most dominant closer with his record setting 0.60 ERA (minimum 50 innings pitched).

NL Cy Young
1. Clayton Kershaw (14-9, 2.53 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 9.05 K/9, 5.5 WAR)
2. RA Dickey (20-6, 2.73 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 8.86 K/9, 4.6 WAR)
3. Craig Kimbrel (3-1, 42 SV, 1.01 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 16.66 K/9, 3.5 WAR)
4. Gio Gonzalez (21-8, 2.89 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 9.35 K/9, 5.4 WAR)
5. Johnny Cueto (19-9, 2.78, 1.17 WHIP, 7.05 K/9, 4.8 WAR)

Kid-K may not have had the best record, but his other numbers all edge out the rest of the pack.  He narrowly beats the knuckle-baller, Dickey, who has established himself as an elite pitcher despite his unorthodox style.  Kimbrel may not have Rodney's ERA record, but his K/9 rate is off the charts and he's nearly un-hittable.  While Stephan Strasburg gets all the hype in Washington, his teammate Gonzalez was the real anchor to this staff.  Had the young phenom not been shut down in September due to an innings cap, then maybe he'd be on this list instead, but Gonzalez's big edge in innings pitched puts him at the top of the league's best rotation.  Cueto leads the staff of a division winner with very comparable numbers, but his low strikeout rate pushes him down this list.

AL Rookie of the Year
1. Mike Trout
2. Everyone else

Seriously, is this even a debate?  Honorable mention to Yoenis Cespedas, Yu Darvish, and Jarrod Parker, but this race was over months ago.

NL Rookie of the Year
1. Wade Miley
2. Bryce Harper
3. Todd Frazier
4. Lance Lynn
5. Anthony Rizzo

Harper gets all the hype due to his immense potential and the fact that he's a 19 year old kid doing things kids that age shouldn't be able to do, but it's Miley that shined brightest as a rookie.  He wasn't far off from getting consideration for the Cy Young ballot, which is pretty impressive considering how deep the pool of elite pitching in the NL is.

AL Manager of the Year
1. Bobby Valentine, Boston Red Sox

Just kidding!  Let's go with Oakland's Bob Melvin.  What an incredible run the small market A's went on to capture the AL West title on the last day of the season by sweeping the Rangers.  Melvin helped squeeze career seasons out of cast-offs like Josh Reddick and could potentially use an all rookie rotation this postseason.  Cinderella story, indeed.

NL Manager of the Year
1. Dusty Baker, Cincinnati Reds

Honestly, it's not just a sympathy vote for a guy that just suffered a stroke.  Baker has led the Reds to the top of an NL division that was much more competitive than expected, despite being without the services of Joey Votto for about a third of the season.  His difficult decision to use fire-baller Aroldis Chapman out of the bullpen paid off when Chapman became a dominant closer.