The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
SMASHING DEBUT
Mets’ Alonso a lock for NL Rookie of the Year; handing out end of season awards
HEY GANG, IT’S ELECTION TIME. UH, NO, » not THAT election.
It’s time to consider the eight major awards handed out annually by the Baseball Writers of America — Most Valuable Player, Cy Young Award, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year — one of each in each major league.
The voting has been completed since the rules stipulate that all votes must be cast before the postseason begins. However, the results will not be announced until after the World Series. Each of the awards is voted on by a pre-selected 30-person panel consisting of two voters from each city in each league.
Justin Verlander who won 21 games for the Astros seems to be clearly the American League Cy Young Award winner. Pete Alonso, who slugged 53 homers for the Mets, will be the National League Rookie of the year. Those votes are likely to be unanimous. All of the others, however, are subject to debate and controversy. Here’s why: MOST VALUABLE PLAYER » Strangely, at the beginning of September these awards seemed relatively uncomplicated. Mike Trout was putting up staggering numbers in the AL and seemed the likely winner despite the fact that his team, the Angels, was going nowhere. The NL was the “Yelli and Belli” contest between Christian Yelich of the Brewers and Cody Bellinnger of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who both were putting up staggering numbers.
Well, that was last month.
Trout played his last game on Sept. 7 before undergoing season-ending surgery and that might have opened the door to debate. The award officially recognizes the most valuable player, not necessarily the best player. How valuable could a man be if he played only 134 games for a losing team? Was he more valuable than Alex Bregman, the sparkling third baseman of the Western Division champion Astros? Bregman drove in 112 runs and scored 122. What about Marcus Semien, who compiled 343 total bases while anchoring the infield of the Athletics, who won 97 games.
If anything, the NL is even more complicated. Yelich suffered a seasonending injury on Sept. 10. Before he did he compiled a “win probability added” metric of 7.12 which suggests he was worth more than seven wins to the Brewers. Yet, after his injury his team still managed to win 13 of its final 18 games to sew up a wildcard berth.
Bellinger, meanwhile, finished with excellent numbers. Including 115 RBIs and 121 runs scored. However, Anthony Rendon, the third baseman of the Nationals, exceeded both of those totals, driving in 126 runs and scoring 117. The Dodgers probably have enough talent that they would have won the NL West even without Bellinger but it is highly unlikely that the Nationals would have secured a wildcard slot without Rendon. NL CY YOUNG AWARD » Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals led the league with 18 wins and 209 innings pitched. He’s probably the favorite for the award but it’s impossible to overlook Jacob DeGrom of the Mets, who struck out 255 batters and compiled a 2.43 earned run average. AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR » This appears to be a tight two-man race between Eloy Jimenez of the White Sox and Yordan Alvarez of the Astros. Jimenez led AL rookies with 31 homers and 79 RBIs but Alvarez (27 homers and 78 RBIs) was second in both categories while playing 35 fewer games. MANAGER OF THE YEAR » In the AL three smallbudget teams — the Twins, Athletics and Rays — reached the postseason and their respective managers, Rocco Baldelli, Bob Melvin and Kevin Cash, ought to be considered. But so should Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who squeezed 103 from a team beset by injuries all season.
The NL looks like a twoman race between Dave Martinez of the Nationals and Cardinals skipper Mike Shildt. Martinez brought the Nationals into the playoffs as a wildcard despite losing his star player, Bryce Harper, to free agency. Shildt guided the Cardinals to the Central Division championship despite the fact that two other clubs in the division were more highly regarded.
Okay, let me cast my non-votes. MVP » Rendon and Bregman. CY YOUNG AWARD » Strasburg and Verlander. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR » Alonso and Alvarez. MANAGER OF THE YEAR » Martinez and Melvin. Hall of Fame voter Jay Dunn has written baseball for 51 years. Contact him at jaydunn8@aol.com.