WINNING BETTS
Dodgers star leads NL pack in annual Hardball awards
LET’S take the playoffs to an absurd place, that 14 out of 15 teams in each league make it. So if the player with the best stats played for the 15th-place team — the only one that failed to reach the playoffs — should that player really be the MVP? We are living in absurdity this year. More than half of each league — eight of 15 teams — are making the playoffs in a 60-game season. Are we really going to honor folks who didn’t even contend within a 10-week schedule? I know the Angels being horrible is not the fault of Anthony Rendon and Mike Trout. But the Angels stink. So let’s think about Rendon and Trout for the best player in the American League. But Most Valuable? The greatest chef in a restaurant that closes is not as valuable as a really good one who helps his establishment thrive. Which explains, to a degree, why I really wanted to give the NL MVP to Fernando Tatis Jr. I know how biased narratives can be — what you think is vital, the next person might not. But the Padres hadn’t made the playoffs since 2006. Heck, they hadn’t produced more than 76 wins since 2010. If they got off to a bad start this year, then maybe they are the Mets — a talented team that goes nowhere.
San Diego, though, opened 6-2 and finished August 22-15, and Tatis was the best player in the league. But, again, it is only a 10-week season. So just falling apart in September — as Tatis did — overcomes narrative. That makes this Freddie Freeman vs. Mookie Betts.
Freeman has the numbers and is a brilliant, clutch player. But I am not even sure he is the Braves’ MVP, not with Atlanta going 10-1 when Max Fried starts amid a devastated rotation.
Betts combines valuable and best player. He reminds me of Prince in virtuosity of craft. Betts is just a genius at everything you can do on a baseball field. The Dodgers’ right fielder became the Dodgers’ second baseman one game, reaching into his minor league past just to show Los Angeles it is there if it is needed.
For those of us who wish the game was not such a strikeout/walk/home run yawn-fest, Betts is what the sport is at the best — on the bases, in the field and defying strikeouts at the plate. 2. Freeman, Braves. 3. Tatis, Padres. 4. Manny Machado, Padres. 5. Mike Yastrzemski, Giants. NL ANTI-MVP
Jeff Bridich, Rockies
It could have been Daniel Murphy, but how about the GM who let DJ LeMahieu get away for two years at $24 million to the Yankees and paid Murphy the same? Or invested $106 million after the 2018 season in relievers Wade Davis, Jake McGee and Bryan Shaw? That trio pitched to a 5.89 ERA in 361 games for the Rockies. None made it to the finish line of their three-year contracts — McGee and Shaw were released before this season, Davis during it.
Ian Desmond, a five-year, $70 million bust so far, opted out of the season. Bridich antagonized the face of the franchise, Nolan Arenado, who wants out. It is one thing to be unable to assemble pitching in thin air, but offense? Because of the atmospheric conditions it may be impossible to win persistently in Colorado. It certainly is with these kinds of moves. 2. Javier Baez/Kris Bryant, Cubs. 3. Christian Yelich, Brewers. 4. Gregory Polanco, Pirates. 5. Adam Eaton, Nationals. AL MVP
Jose Abreu, White Sox
Because Wins Above Replacement has become such a determinative stat for so many voters, and that first basemen often have tougher times accumulating WAR because the metric makes it hard to amass defensive points at that position, I have wondered if we would ever see a first baseman MVP again. As an example, the top first baseman in major league WAR last year (Fangraphs version) was Pete Alonso at 21st. Freeman at 15th was the best in 2018. Yet, this season — perhaps the 60 games helps — could see two MVP first basemen in Abreu and Freeman. Someone call 2006 and alert Ryan Howard and Justin Morneau.
Abreu has been consistent, clutch, defensively strong and durable — don’t minimize durable because though the season was short, the obstacles were large to playing all the time. 2. Jose Ramirez, Indians. 3. DJ LeMahieu, Yankees. 4. Brandon Lowe, Rays. 5. Tim Anderson, White Sox. AL ANTI-MVP
Jose Altuve, Astros
If I were a cynic, I might point out that in the year in which cheating scandals were largely exposed and punished and video shut off during games, a member of the Astros (Altuve) and a member of the Red Sox (J.D. Martinez) were neck-and-neck for this distinction. Thankfully, I am not a cynic. 2. Martinez, Red Sox. 3. Gary Sanchez, Yankees. 4. Elvis Andrus/Rougned Odor, Rangers. 5. Chris Davis, Orioles. NL CY YOUNG
Trevor Bauer, Reds
Corbin Burnes and Zack Wheeler do not appear on this ballot. They could. The top five could be scrambled in just about any order and was sensitive to what occurred in this last weekend. A season of 11 or 12 starts is such a small sample that I do believe Jacob deGrom’s three-run, twoinning shortened start on Sept. 16 in which he had a hamstring spasm might cost him a third straight Cy Young. Innings matter as much as ever this year, and Bauer was averaging the second-longest starts in the NL. His strikeouts and road work (I am big on how you fare away from your comfort zone) have been excellent. But it is splitting hairs with Yu Darvish, who was so superb with high strikeouts and limited walks and homers. 2. Darvish, Cubs. 3. DeGrom, Mets. 4. Dinelson Lamet, Padres. 5. Fried, Braves. NL ANTI-CY YOUNG
Steven Matz, Mets
The Mets never needed him more and received less. He wanted to be in the rotation, and an injury to Noah Syndergaard and an opt-out by Marcus Stroman assured not only that, but the absence of that duo raised the need for Matz to pitch at least like the final 14 starts last year (3.52 ERA). Instead, he went 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA and .995 OPS against in his first five starts to fall out of a rotation that didn’t even have a replacement for him. He is a year from free agency. Do the Mets even tender the lefty a contract this winter?
I strongly considered the Phillies’ bullpen here. I saw Joe Girardi, especially in his early Yankees managerial years, conjure quality work from a lot of Brian Bruneys and Boone Logans and Clay Rapadas and Jose Verases, and thought he could do that in his first year as Phillies skipper. But the Philly pen went into the weekend with a 7.17 ERA, the secondworst ever. The OPS against was .958. Jim Thome entered the Hall of
Fame with a .956 OPS. 2. Phillies pen. 3. Madison Bumgarner, Diamondbacks. 4. Trevor Williams, Pirates. 5. Carlos Martinez, Cardinals. AL CY YOUNG
Shane Bieber
The only award lay-up. The worst of his 12 outings literally was the definition of a quality start: six innings, three runs. The other 11 ranged from outstanding to out of this world. He was the best starter in the majors. 2. Kenta Maeda, Twins. 3. Hyun-jin Ryu, Blue Jays. 4. Gerrit Cole, Yankees. 5. Lucas Giolito,
White Sox. AL ANTI-CY YOUNG
Kyle Gibson/Corey Kluber/ Jordan Lyles, Rangers
Texas signed or traded for this trio to lengthen and improve the rotation and make the Rangers’ first year at Globe Life Field a success. Well, the World Series is in Arlington — but that is to play it at a neutral site. The Rangers had the AL’s worst record to some significant extent because Kluber made one start before breaking down again and Gibson and Lyles combined to go 3-12 with a 6.44 ERA. 2. Matt Boyd, Tigers. 3. Julio Teheran, Angels. 4. Michael Fulmer, Tigers. 5. Ian Kennedy, Royals. NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Devin Williams, Brewers
It was such a good season — even at 60 games — for NL rookies that the Mets’ Andres Gimenez and David Peterson had superb debuts and didn’t make the top five. My suspicion is that the Padres’ Jake Cronenworth or the Phillies’ Alec Bohm will win the award. But for dominance, the nod here goes to Williams, who rode a devastating changeup (nicknamed “The Airbender”) to hold opponents to a .090 batting average (8-for89) while allowing one earned run in 22 appearances (27 innings). 2. Cronenworth. 3. Bohm. 4. Tony Gonsolin/ Dustin May, Dodgers. 5. Ian Anderson, Braves. AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Kyle Lewis, Mariners
This became the second easiest award to pick once White Sox center fielder Luis Robert crumbled in September. 2. Robert. 3. Cristian Javier, Astros. 4. Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles. 5. Willi Castro, Tigers. NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Don Mattingly, Marlins
He is going to win this award because it annually goes to the manager of the surprise team, and the Marlins went through hell this year, but are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. But just a reminder that the Braves’ rotation in March was looking like this: Fried, Mike Foltyniewicz, Cole Hamels, Felix Hernandez and ace Mike Soroka. Fried pitched great. The other four hardly pitched, making a combined five starts. Yet, Brian Snitker’s Braves won their third straight NL East title.
In this category, we tend not to appreciate the managers who take teams that were supposed to win and cash that in. Yep, the Dave Roberts Dodgers are a super team that won an eighth straight division title. But Aaron Boone’s Yankees were supposed to be a super team too, and how did that go? 2. Snitker. 3. Roberts. 4. Jayce Tingler, Padres. 5. Gabe Kapler, Giants. AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Kevin Cash, Rays
Tampa Bay’s winning percentages since 2016 under Cash: .420, .494, .556, .593, .655 this year and the AL’s top seed. The Rays’ lineup scares no one and their pitching was devastated by injuries, yet they went into the weekend the AL’s No. 1 seed. And the way they stand up to the Yankees — on the field and the scoreboard — shows their fortitude. This all reflects on a manager. 2. Charlie Montoya, Blue Jays. 3. Rick Renteria, White Sox. 4. Bob Melvin, A’s. 5. Rocco Baldelli, Twins.