Posey and Braun are favorites for National League MVP
Next week is awards week for Major League Baseball. Baseball’s annual individual awards will be presented live on television next week on MLB Network.
The announcement of four major awards as voted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America taking place on four consecutive nights, beginning Monday. Below is a list of the finalists.
Rookie of the Year
American League: Yoenis Cespedes, Yu Darvish, Mike Trout – In any other year Cespedes would be a shoe in. The Cuban outfielder hit .292/.356/.505 with 23 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 129 games. Darvish led all AL rookie pitchers with 16 wins and 221 strikeouts on the season, and finished with a 3.90 ERA. Good numbers that it won’t matter.
Trout was not able to win a Gold glove, but there is little chance that missed out on American League Rookie of the Year.
Don’s Pick – Trout
Jeff’s Pick – Trout
Vince’s Pick – Trout
James’ Pick – Trout
John’s’ Pick – Trout
National League: Todd Frazier, Bryce Harper, Wade Miley – Frazier hit .273/.331/.498 with 19 home runs and 67 RBI It helped carry Cincinnati. While Joey Votto was on the disabled list.
Miley led the Diamondbacks with 16 wins and his 3.33 ERA was tenth in the National League.
Harper finished the season with a .270 batting average 22 home runs and 59 and was a media darling of the 2012 baseball season. The safe pick is Harper, I’m going with Frazier.
Don’s Pick – Frazier
Jeff’s Pick – Frazier
Vince’s Pick – Harper
James’ Pick – Miley
John’s Pick – Miley
Manager of the Year
American League: Bob Melvin, Buck Showalter, Robin Ventura – Earlier this year I wrote about Showalter and the winning Baltimore Orioles. Melvin lead a ragtag bunch from Oakland into the playoffs and Ventura succeeded with the White Sox when not many people gave him a chance. All good nominations.
Don’s Pick- Showalter
Jeff’s Pick- Showalter
Vince’s Pick- Melvin
James’ Pick- Melvin
John’s Pick- Showalter
National League: Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Davey Johnson – Davey and Dusty two seasoned veteran managers guided the Nationals and the Reds to division titles. Because these awards are chosen the day after the season choosing Baker or Johnson would be a likely pick. But how do you go against Bochy getting his team to the playoffs. I don’t.
Don’s Pick – Bochy
Jeff’s Pick – Johnson
Vince’s Pick – Bochy
James’ Pick – Bochy
John’s Pick – Bochy
Cy Young Award
American League: David Price, Justin Verlander, Jered Weaver – Price led the AL (and was second in the majors) with a 2.56 ERA and shared the AL lead in wins with Weaver at 20. Verlander led in innings, 2381/3, and strikeouts, 239. Weaver had the lowest average against, .214, and WHIP (walks and hit per innings pitched), 1.02. I’ll take Price and his 10 wins against the AL East
Don’s Pick – Price
Jeff’s Pick – Price
Vince’s Pick – Verlander
James’ Pick – Price
John’s Pick – Verlander
National League: R.A. Dickey, Gio Gonzalez, Clayton Kershaw – Kershaw was (14-9, 2.53, 1.02) and Gonzalez led all major-league pitchers with 21 wins and 199.1 innings in his first season with the Nationals. Dickey and his knuckleball led the National League in innings and strikeouts, and finished with a 2.73 ERA.
Don’s Pick – Dickey
Jeff’s Pick – Dickey
Vince’s Pick – Dickey
James’ Pick – Dickey
John’s Pick – Dickey
MVP
American League: Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Josh Hamilton, Mike Trout – All of these nominees had periods during the season where they were just impossible to get out. This award is likely to be the most talked about by the time awards season is over. If the season ended in early July it would probably be Hamilton
Cabrera won a Triple Crown for the first time since 1967 and should be the odds on favorite to win the MVP. Trout cooled off somewhat during the last two months of the season but still finished with a 10.7 WAR compared to Cabrera’s 6.9. Trout had me checking box scores nightly to see how he was doing and I’m not an Angels fan. I know I’m going against the grain here.
Don’s Pick – Trout
Jeff’s Pick – Cabrera
Vince’s Pick – Trout
James’ Pick – Trout
John’s Pick – Cabrera
National League: Ryan Braun, Chase Headley, Andrew McCutchen, Yadier Molina, Buster Posey – McCutchen would have been a hands-down favorite to win the National League MVP had the Pirates not faded into oblivion over the last seven or eight weeks of the season.
McCutchen finished second to Posey in the N.L. batting race and won the N.L. Outstanding Player in the MLB Players Choice awards. Braun put up MVP numbers similar to 2011 when he won the MVP. After Melky Cabrera was suspended, Posey put the Giants on his back and carried them into the playoffs.
Don’s Pick – Posey
Jeff’s Pick – Posey
Vince’s Pick – Braun
James’ Pick – Posey
John’s Pick – Posey
Rookie of the Year will be awarded for each league on November 12, Manager of the Year will be named November 13, the Cy Young Awards are set for November 14 and MVPs are announced November 15.
