Predicting MLB Awards
With the postseason less than two weeks away, here is how I see baseball’s awards being doled out.
AL Rookie of the Year: Miguel Andújar, New York Yankees. Had Shōhei Ohtani remained healthy all season this award would be his, but injury is a part of the game. Reliability and availability must be valued. I could argue that Andújar has been the most important and consistent hitter on a team that could very well win 100 games. He should be a lock for this award.
AL Manager of the Year: Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays. The concept of the opener could prove to be revolutionary, but Cash has done much more than that. Yes, the Rays will miss out of the postseason, but they will win upwards of 90 games. For a team with such a slight payroll and quite frankly, a dearth of talent, winning that many games is quite an accomplishment.
AL Cy Young: Blake Snell, Tampa Bay Rays. Snell has been downright filthy this season. His era is sub-2.00 and he has 20 wins on the docket. The southpaw has been the best pitcher in the American League all year. Sorry Chris Sale.
AL MVP: Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox. Had J.D. Martinez done more than DH this award would be his, but the defense of Betts in conjunction with his comparable numbers to his teammate, gives Mookie the edge.
NL Rookie of the Year: Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves. His power from the leadoff spot has helped to catapult the Braves to the top of the NL East. Juan Soto is a worthy adversary, but his team has been playing meaningless baseball since June.
NL Manager of the Year: Brian Snitker, Atlanta Braves. Acuña’s manager should also bring home some hardware. The cast of characters that he has led to winning the NL East by a landslide is commendable.
NL Cy Young: Jacob deGrom, New York Mets. He has a losing record, but that just illustrates how inept the Mets offense is. deGrom’s ERA is 1.78 and he has only surrendered more than three runs in one game this season; it was a game on April 10th. He has been consistently brilliant.
NL MVP: Javier Báez, Chicago Cubs. Báez has been the best player on the best team in the National League. Playing a superb second base, Javy has managed to hit 33 home runs and drive in 107 runs for Joe Maddon’s squad.
