Thank you to everyone who voted on the Awards -- now, onto the award winners!!!
AMERICAN LEAGUE MVP
A nearly unanimous MVP, no one is surprised to see Big Mac claim the AL MVP after a monster season. He was the only hitter to finish with an OPS above 1.000. He led baseball in homers for the first four parts and finished as the leader in the AL. He was tied for best OBP with Votto, and he finished tied for second in the AL in batting average. The A's needed every bit of his incredible season, as Big Mac lifted them to a share of the AL West championship, helping them finish the season on a 25-15 tear. Indeed, McGwire is a worthy (and easy) choice for AL MVP!
NATIONAL LEAGUE MVP
The closest race in the major awards, Ryan Howard takes the crown with 10/34 first place votes, beating out 30/30, leader of 106-win team Yelich (7), Slammin' Sammy Sosa and his 50 HR (6), 64 doubles and leaders of a surprise NL East champ Hanley (5), Chipper's do it all year for Atlanta (4) and ace pitcher Jose Fernandez (2). Howard is certainly a deserving selection -- he led the NL in OPS and absolutely powered the Phillies offense to support their superb pitching staff. He was especially hot down the stretch, contributing to Philadelphia catching the Marlins in the standings in Part V. Now, we'll see what this monster of a Subway spokesman can do to assist the Phillies in the playoffs!
AMERICAN LEAGUE CY YOUNG
Although teammate Shane Bieber was the frontrunner most of the year, Kluber could have been the undeniable choice by season's end because he was the best pitcher on the best team in the American League.... but quite frankly, he was easily the best pitcher in the AL, period. Kluber finished with best ERA among AL starters, the best WHIP among AL starters, and the most strikeouts in the major leagues. If that wasn't enough, he put up these incredible stats while pitching the fourth most IP in the AL!!! Of course, his teammate Bieber still finished second in the Cy Young race..... and now, we'll see if they can lead the #1 seeded Guardians to a World Series title!
NATIONAL LEAGUE CY YOUNG
Perhaps the largest upset of the awards, Brewers' ace Corbin Burnes narrowly took home the Cy Young over the season-long frontrunner, Jose Fernandez. Either was clearly a worthy candidate with their equivalent, MLB-leading 1.01 WHIP, especially with Fernandez putting up the superior ERA (MLB-best 1.64). However, the difference seemed to be Burnes pitching seven more innings and collecting 112 more strikeouts!! Indeed, it's hard not to be impressed by the 13.46 K/9 that Burnes put up alongside his ridiculous ERA and WHIP, all the while going over 6.5 IP/start. This should take nothing away from Fernandez, who was such a monster that he obtained a well-deserved MVP votes too.
AMERICAN LEAGUE RELIEVER OF THE YEAR
Rodney pulled away from the pack in the AL Reliever of Year race thanks to his incredibly low ERA and WHIP. Simply put, he was un-hittable all season long! While his K rate was not off the charts, his save percentage sure was (95.83%). He was also pushed to the brink of his stamina, appearing in 104 games and pitching 102 innings in the season. If the Rays are going to win the AL East in future years, he's going to have to keep putting up these crazy numbers!
NATIONAL LEAGUE RELIEVER OF THE YEAR
This Tier 0 stud of a closer was absolutely lights out all season -- Kimbrel finished with unbelievable ERA and WHIP numbers, and not because of a small sample size! Atlanta leaned heavily on their stud closer, pitching him in 107 games. He responded by saving 97.67% of his games and putting up a great record for a reliever at 7-1. Then there's the insane strikeout rate -- 16.27 K/9!!! There weren't a lot of them, but this was one of the easiest voting choices in the awards.
AMERICAN LEAGUE GM/MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Cleveland Guardians -- 91-71 (65.7% vote)
- AL Central Champions
- Best Record in American League
- #1 Scoring Offense in MLB
- AL Cy Young winner
- Best run differential in AL
- Only AL team to win more than 90 games
NATIONAL LEAGUE GM/MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Milwaukee Brewers -- 106-56 (60% vote)
- NL Central Champions
- Best Record in MLB
- #1 pitching staff in MLB
- NL Cy Young Winner
- Best run differential in MLB
- Only team in baseball over 100 wins
AMERICAN LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGERS
NATIONAL LEAGUE SILVER SLUGGERS
AMERICAN LEAGUE GOLD GLOVERS
Infield Defense: +20
Outfield Defense: +8
NATIONAL LEAGUE GOLD GLOVERS
World Series Prediction
So with 40% of the 35 votes, the Brewers are the favorites to win it all (finders crossed ;)). That said, there's plenty of love for Philadelphia, Cleveland, Houston, Boston and Oakland, with one vote coming in for the Marlins too! Accordingly, we can expect the Cubs, D-Backs or Mariners to hoist the trophy when it's all said and done.
Ok, playoffs are next!!!!
Wow, Jose Fernandez snubbed for the NL Cy Young, Hanley somehow only getting 85% of the NL Silver Slugger votes when it should have clearly been unanimous, and only one vote (not me) for Miami to win it all? That's exactly the fire my team needs to bust all your brackets. #FishOn
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