USA TODAY International Edition
Red Sox, Braves in line for awards
When the postseason begins in four weeks, there might be a lot of familiar faces, featuring perhaps eight of the 10 playoff teams from a year ago. A sequel to last year’s World Series remains plausible, or a third consecutive National League Championship Series between the Dodgers and Cubs.
Yet when it comes to the individual award winners, determined by 30 voting members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, the only repeat winner might be Athletics manager Bob Melvin.
Fewer than 30 games remain to change voters’ minds, but here are the leading candidates to take home the hardware if the regular season ended today. (Note: Statistics entering Tuesday.)
MVP
American League: Mookie Betts,
Red Sox — Betts is the finest all-around player in the game this year. Yes, even better than Mike Trout of the Angels. He’s putting on one of the best shows by a leadoff hitter since Rickey Henderson, hitting a major league-leading .338, and is second with 110 RBI. He has a stunning 1.058 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage), leads MLB in WAR (8.6) and is second among all outfielders in defensive runs saved.
Betts’ closest competition is teammate J.D. Martinez and Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez. Martinez could sway voters his way if he wins the Triple Crown, and he certainly has a chance. He’s hitting .336 with 39 homers and 115 RBI. Ramirez is one stolen base shy of joining the elite 30-30 club with his 37 homers, but considering he’s hitting 50 points lower than Betts and Ramirez with his .287 average, he will have trouble garnering first-place votes. National League: Javier Baez, Cubs
— This award certainly could go six directions this month, but currently Baez is atop the leaderboard. Perhaps the most exciting and versatile player in the game, Baez is not only having a historic season but also has been an integral factor in the Cubs having the NL’s best record. He’s the fifth player in major league history to have 35 doubles, nine triples, 30 homers, 100 RBI and 20 stolen bases in a season, and the Cubs have 25 games left.
The best chance for anyone to take the award from Baez is having a monster September that pushes his team into the postseason. That could be anyone from a field that includes Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals, Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks, Freddie Freeman of the Braves, Nolan Arenado of the Rockies and Christian Yelich of the Brewers.
Cy Young
AL: Chris Sale, Red Sox — Sale is the finest pitcher on the planet never to win a Cy Young award, and this is the season he should win it, after putting on a Pedro Martinez-like performance. Sale is leading the American League with a 1.97 ERA along with a 0.849 WHIP and 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings. But he needs to return to the mound rather quickly. Sale has pitched once since July 27 with mild shoulder inflammation and has only 146 innings.
If Sale’s innings fall short, Corey Kluber of the Indians (17-7, 2.80 ERA, and a league-leading 1862⁄3 innings) leads a group that includes Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell, Houston’s Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer and Seattle closer Edwin Diaz.
NL: Jacob deGrom, Mets — There has never been a pitcher to win the Cy Young award with fewer than 13 victories, let alone a losing record, so deGrom is about to make history.
If this were 10 years ago, perhaps he would have been discarded by voters with his 8-8 record, but times have changed, and his Bob Gibson-esque 1.68 ERA is too fabulous to ignore. He is the first pitcher since 1913 to yield three or fewer runs in 25 consecutive starts.
If deGrom slips, there are Nationals three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.28 ERA) with a leagueleading 260 strikeouts and Phillies ace Aaron Nola (15-4, 2.23 ERA), but this is deGrom’s award to lose in his final five starts.
Rookie of the year
AL: Miguel Andujar, Yankees — It’s a tight race with teammate Gleyber Torres, the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani and the Rays’ Joey Wendle in the conversation. Still, Andujar’s offensive numbers are impossible to ignore. He leads virtually every rookie category with his .301 batting average, 146 hits, 38 doubles, 23 homers and 76 RBI. He also happens to be hitting .337 since the All-Star break while leading the Yankees into the postseason. Ohtani still has a shot but likely needs to dazzle the final month on the mound to steal the award. NL: Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves — Acuna vs. Juan Soto. Soto vs. Acuna. It’s a debate that might go on for the next 20 years, resurrecting memories of Mickey Mantle vs. Willie Mays. It’s virtually impossible to choose between two of the greatest young players who are playing like perennial All-Star outfielders. Acuna is hitting .292 with 23 homers and 50 RBI with a .925 OPS, including .335 with 16 homers in his past 43 games. The Nationals’ Soto is hitting .302 with 16 homers, 53 RBI and a .936 OPS.
The difference is that Acuna’s numbers are much more impactful. The Braves with Acuna are leading the NL East while the Nats are mired in mediocrity. Advantage, Acuna.
Manager of the year
AL: Bob Melvin, Athletics — Alex Cora has done a fabulous job leading the Red Sox to the best record in baseball and perhaps in franchise history. Kevin Cash, who had more rookies on his team at one point than veterans, has been superb with the Rays as they are playing 10 games above .500. Yet with the A’s having the fourth-best record in the league and all but certain to be in the postseason, no one deserves this award more than Melvin, who long has been the most underrated manager in the game.
NL: Brian Snitker, Braves — This award could easily flip-flop and go to Phillies rookie manager Gabe Kapler if they overcome the Braves and win the NL East. It could go to Mike Shildt of the Cardinals, too, particularly if they win the NL Central. Bud Black could also grab it if the Rockies win the first division title in franchise history. Yet if the Braves win the NL East, Snitker has to be the front-runner.