Talkin’ Mookie, Shohei and degrom
Outstanding years by baseball’s finest set to be honored
Balloting for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America postseason awards ended on the last day of the regular season, but the results will not be revealed until next week.
Here’s a look at the three finalists for each award in predicted order of finish:
AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Shohei Ohtani, P/DH, Angels: The buzz around the Angels pitcher and designated hitter started long before the season, when many assumed the former Japanese star would end up with the Yankees. He had a great run in a 104game season shortened by injury. He hit .285 with 22 home runs and drove in 61 in 326 at-bats. He also was 4-2 on the mound with 63 strikeouts in 51⅓ innings before his right elbow gave out. He had Tommy John surgery but is expected to DH in 2019.
Miguel Andujar, 3B Yankees: Any other year and he’d win. The Yankees’ most consistent hitter averaged .297 with 27 homers and 92 RBIS. He set a rookie record for doubles with 47, topping Joe Dimaggio’s 44 in the 1936 season. His arm was erratic on defense, with manager Aaron Boone often inserting Adeiny Hechavarria as a late-inning replacement.
Gleyber Torres, 2B, Yankees: Deemed untouchable for trades by general manager Brian Cashman, Torres was called up in late April and had a big May, batting .325 with nine home runs. He made the All-star team but wasn’t quite the same after a hip injury. He hit just .233 in September with three homers. A .271 average with 24 homers and 77 RBIS makes him an also-ran for ROY. NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Braves:
The Braves won the NL East, and the 20-year-old Acuna provided the spark with 26 homers, 64 RBIS and 16 stolen bases. He became the Braves’ leadoff hitter after the All-star break and became the fourth player in history to hit a leadoff homer in both games of a doubleheader in an August twinbill.
Juan Soto, OF, Nationals: At 19, he hit 22 homers, tying Bryce Harper’s rookie total in 2012. Finished with .292 batting average and 70 RBIS.
Walker Buehler, RHP, Dodgers: If only the postseason counted. Buehler won the NL tiebreaker against the Rockies and threw seven scoreless innings against the Red Sox in the World Series. He was 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA in the regular season, with two stays on the disabled list.
AL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Mookie Betts, OF, Red Sox: His award to lose after an expected race with teammate J.D. Martinez fizzled when Martinez didn’t finish in the top three. Betts won the AL batting title with a .346 average, hit 32 home runs and stole 30 bases to become the first 30-30 batting champ in history. Enough said.
Jose Ramirez, 3B, Indians: Betts without the batting average, Ramirez
Hit 39 homers, stole 34 bases and drove in 105 runs.
Mike Trout, OF, Angels: The best player on the worst team — well, under .500 anyway — has won three career MVP awards but won’t add a fourth despite another stellar season. He hit .312 with 39 homers and 24 stolen bases. He had a career high on-base percentage of .460.
NL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Christian Yelich, OF, Brewers:
Likely sealed the award with a red-hot September when he hit .352 with 10 homers and 33 RBIS. Finished with 36 homers, 110 RBIS and a league-leading .326 batting average.
Javier Baez, 2B/SS, Cubs: Led the league with 111 RBIS. Set a franchise record by becoming the first Cub to hit 30 homers, 40 doubles and steal 20 bases in one season.
Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies: Continues to be the best player not to win MVP. Terrific on offense and defense.
Hit 39 homers to lead the league for the third straight season. Won a Gold Glove for the sixth straight time.
AL CY YOUNG AWARD
Blake Snell, LHP, Rays: Snell led the major leagues and set a club record with 21 wins. He had a 1.89 ERA and struck out 221 in 180 2/3 innings. He finished the season with nine straight victories.
Justin Verlander, RHP, Astros: The 2011 Cy Young winner couldn’t get the job done against the Red Sox in Game 5 of the ALCS, but at 35, he hasn’t slowed down since his trade to the Astros in 2017. He went 16-9 with a 2.52 ERA and led the league with 290 strikeouts.
Corey Kluber, RHP, Indians: A twotime winner of the award, Kluber had his first 20-win season and led the league in innings pitched with 215. Still, the Indians reportedly will listen to offers for him.
NL CY YOUNG AWARD
Jacob degrom, RHP, Mets: With a 10-9 record, degrom would become the Cy Young Award winner with the fewest victories since the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez went 13-12 in 2010. Degrom should win the award based on his 1.70 ERA and quality starts. He held the opposition to three or less runs 29 times and had 24 straight quality starts. Both were single-season major league records.
Max Scherzer, RHP, Nationals: Has won two straight and three overall Cy Youngs but probably not this time, even though he led the majors with 220⅓ innings pitched and 300 strikeouts. Went 18-7 with a 2.53 ERA.
Aaron Nola, RHP, Phillies: Second behind degrom with a 2.37 ERA. Went 17-6 in his fourth major-league season. AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Bob Melvin, A’s: Melvin should be called most valuable manager. He won the NL award in 2007 with the Diamondbacks, and then captured the 2012 AL award with the A’s. He could make it three as he led the surprising A’s to the wild card.
Kevin Cash, Rays: The award usually goes to the manager who does the most with the least and that’s why Cash is in the running. The cost-conscious Rays traded Chris Archer, Evan Longoria, Corey Dickerson, Jake Odorizzi and Alex Colome. Cash found a way to win 90 games in a division with the Red Sox (108) and the Yankees (100).
Alex Cora, Red Sox: The rookie manager who won the World Series can blame all the talent on his team for him not winning this award. Not that he’d trade the World Series for it.
NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Craig Counsell, Brewers: From fourth in the voting last year to likely first this year. He can thank Mvp-inwaiting Christian Yelich.
Brian Snitker, Braves: The third-year manager propelled the Braves to the NL East title.
Bud Black, Rockies: He was fired from San Diego in June of 2015 and reportedly turned down the Nationals at the end of 2015. Has two straight wild card finishes in Colorado.