Javier a finalist for AL rookie
After a season that completed a two-year ascent up Houston’s pitching hierarchy and cemented a spot in the team’s future plans, Astros righthander Cristian Javier is one of three finalists for the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
The winner will be announced on Nov. 9. Houston has three Rookie of the Year winners in franchise history: Jeff Bagwell in 1995, Carlos Correa in 2015 and Yordan Alvarez last season. Alvarez won the award unanimously.
Javier threw 54⅓ innings and made 10 starts last season, holding opponents to a .652 OPS and .188 batting average.
Still, Javier is a longshot to win the award. Mariners outfielder Kyle Lewis is viewed as the favorite after leading all major league rookies with 1.7 wins above replacement and posting an .801 OPS. White Sox outfielder Luis Robert is the other finalist.
Votes were cast before the postseason, putting revolutionary Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena outside of the final three. Arozarena struck a majorleague record 10 postseason home runs during Tampa Bay’s run to the World Series but played in only 23 games during the 60-game regular season.
Meanwhile, Mets ace Jacob deGrom will be going for his third consecutive National League Cy Young Award, and Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts could become the second player to win the MVP award in each league.
DeGrom, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer and the Chicago Cubs’ Yu Darvish are the top finishers for the NL Cy Young Award.
Betts, Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman and San Diego’s Manny Machado are the finalists for NL MVP.
DeGrom could join Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers to win at least three consecutive Cy Young Awards.
Betts, who won the 2018 AL MVP award with Boston, helped the Dodgers win the World Series for the first time since 1988 last week.
Frank Robinson is the only player to win the MVP award in each league, accomplishing the feat in 1961 with Cincinnati and 1966 for Baltimore.
The finalists for AL Cy Young Award are Cleveland righthander Shane Bieber, who is considered the favorite after going 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA, Minnesota righthander Kenta Maeda and Toronto lefthander Hyun Jin Ryu.
The top finishers in voting for AL Manager of the Year are Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash, Toronto’s Charlie Montoyo and Rick Renteria, who was let go by the Chicago White Sox after the team made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The NL finalists are Miami’s Don Mattingly, the Cubs’ David Ross and San Diego’s Jayce Tingler.
Philadelphia infielder Alec Bohm, San Diego infielder Jake Cronenworth and Milwaukee reliever Devin Williams are the finalists for the NL rookie award.
The winner of each BBWAA award will be announced next week.
Odds and ends
Late Hall of Fame pitchers Dizzy Dean and Don Drysdale are candidates for the Hall’s Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting, along with Fox’s Joe Buck, ESPN’s Dan Shulman and NBC’s Al Michaels. Dave Campbell, Ernesto Jerez and Buddy Blattner also are finalists. …
A Honus Wagner rookie baseball card has sold for more than $1.4 million. The price was a record for the rare T-206 card of the Pittsburgh Pirates great, the highlight of the Goldin Auctions October Legends Auction.