Going for the hat trick
Unprecedented sweep of MLB’s major awards is a real possibility for the Astros
In the corner of the visiting clubhouse at Angel Stadium, Gerrit Cole confronted the question he hated most.
He sought for six months to focus on the team and its grander goals, shying away from reflecting on a record book he repeatedly rewrote. Any questions deviating from the day-to-day perturbed him, but they were nonetheless politely addressed with a rote response.
When Cole completed his final regular-season start, collecting his 20th win and a franchise-record 326th strikeout, he no longer could avoid the attention.
The Astros were playoff-bound but did not know their opponent. Cy Young votes were due in two days. Mention of the award to either Cole or Justin Verlander rarely generated an original response. A reporter tried it again here.
A smile crept across Cole’s face. He feigned frustration and mustered a laugh. Cole checked to his right for his biggest competitor. Verlander had momentarily stepped away.
“Best-case scenario,” Cole said, “we split it.”
Although voting ties have occurred, it would be unprecedented for teammates to share any of baseball’s major awards. That Cole and Verlander legitimately could consider the possibility illustrates the week ahead for the Astros.
History is again within reach for the Astros, a team that won more games, hit more home runs and had a higher slugging percentage than any in franchise history. Falling eight outs short of a World Series championship still looms as the ingrained image of an otherwise impeccable season.
Monday will conjure better memories. Yordan Alvarez will win the American League Rookie of the Year award, barring results that would redefine the word “unexpected.” The days that follow will settle two debates — first between Cole and Verlander, then Alex Bregman and Mike Trout for American League MVP.
Votes for all of the awards were cast before the postseason. Rookie of the Year will be awarded Monday, and Cy Young winners will be announced Wednesday. One day later, the Most Valuable Players in both leagues are revealed, ending a weeklong awards circus the Astros have become accustomed to enjoying.
At least one Astro has been a finalist for a BBWAA award in every season of manager A.J. Hinch’s five-year tenure. The franchise has won all three awards — Rookie of the Year, MVP and Cy Young — under his watch.
Never, though, has any major league team taken all three in the same year. The Astros can accomplish that next week.
“What the players did on the field was nothing short of sensational,” Hinch said two days after the loss in Game 7 of the World Series, trying to remove some sting that still lingered.
“I don’t know who’s going to win the Cy Young, but he lockered in our clubhouse. I don’t know if Bregman is going to win the MVP or not, but I lived it all through with him. Yordan Alvarez coming to the big leagues on a team that was supposedly ready-made and didn’t need an addition and homered his way all the way into the middle of the order. … The players and what they put into this season to accomplish what we did stands out.”
The battle between Cole and Verlander is the most difficult to discern. Both men won 20 games, threw 200 innings and struck out 300 batters. Cole finished with a 2.50 ERA. Verlander’s was 2.58.
Verlander, a one-time winner and six-time finalist, put together the more complete, consistent season from April through September. Cole’s final four months were masterful.
Historical context and two career milestones may aid Verlander. The 36-year-old threw the third no-hitter of his career against the Blue Jays on Sept. 1. He struck out the 3,000th batter of his 15-year career on Sept. 28. Verlander can pair that with the third-lowest WHIP in major league history (0.80) and the seventh-lowest opposing batting average (.172).
Verlander operated with workmanlike efficiency for 34 starts. Cole concluded his season with more magnificence.
Cole got 10 or more strikeouts in each of his last nine starts, a major league record. Opponents mustered only a .579 OPS against him, lower than any American League starter. Verlander, of course, bested him in opponent batting average and WHIP. Cole’s FIP was 2.64; Verlander’s was 3.27.
Whether Cole’s fantastic finish is fresher in voters’ minds is a legitimate question. Most seem to forget he had a 4.02 ERA at the end of May. A nine-run nightmare against the Rangers on April 20 was most to blame.
This race is so close that, if Cole finishes second, that sole start might be responsible.
Bregman’s battle with Trout does not have near the nitpicking. Though the Astros third baseman built a compelling case to take Most Valuable Player honors, Trout remains the favorite. The Angels outfielder played 22 fewer games than Bregman but bested him in slugging percentage, onbase percentage, OPS and home runs.
Trout’s OPS+ and wRC+ were better than Bregman’s, too. Both men were Gold Glove finalists at their respective positions. Neither won the award.
How heavily voters weigh team success may decide the race. Trout was the lone standout of an otherwise horrific Angels team that fired its manager and won only 72 games. Bregman was a vital piece of a playoff-bound ballclub, surrounded by terrific teammates such as Alvarez.
Alvarez’s award is assured. Intrigue only surrounds the margin of victory.
Twenty-one other men have been unanimous Rookie of the Year selections. If he receives all 30 first-place votes, Alvarez would be the 10th American Leaguer to capture the crown unanimously, joining a list that includes Trout, Aaron Judge, Derek Jeter Mark McGwire and Carlton Fisk.
Alvarez is a finalist alongside Tampa Bay infielder Brandon Lowe and Baltimore reliever John Means. Lowe took 42 fewer plate appearances than Alvarez and finished with an .850 OPS.
Alvarez’s 1.067 OPS was the highest for any rookie in major league history. His 27 home runs were the most ever by an Astros rookie. Eloy Jimenez slugged 31, surpassing Alvarez for the most among American League rookies.
Constructing a legitimate argument to cast a first-place vote for anyone other than Alvarez is difficult. One of the seven voters in the Baseball Digest/eBay Rookie of the Year found a way — opting for Jimenez over Alvarez.
Jimenez played in 120 games. He started 114 of them in left field. Lowe played everyday defense, too. Alvarez made nine starts in left field. Dinging Alvarez for being a designated hitter might produce a second-place vote or two.
But the award is not in doubt. Alvarez will accept it Monday. The three days that follow will offer much more uncertainty.