Major League Baseball begins announcing winners of the eight major postseason awards next week on Monday, beginning first with the announcement of the Jackie Robinson Rookies of the Year. Let's take a look at each award, and I will tell you who I think the voters will pick.
National League Rookie of the Year (announced on November 11th)
Jose Fernandez, RHP, Miami Marlins
Shelby Miller, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
Yasiel Puig, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Prediction: Jose Fernandez
I think any of these candidates would have won this award in the American League.
Jose Fernandez was out of this world throwing the baseball in his rookie season. He won 12 games for a Marlins team that struggled all year and was a real silver lining for them.
Fernandez is also in the mix for the Cy Young, but I don't think he'll be able to take on two veteran pitchers that made it deep into the postseason.
American League Rookie of the Year (announced November 11th)
Candidates:
Chris Archer, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Jose Iglesias, INF, Boston Red Sox/Detroit Tigers
Will Myers, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Prediction: Will Myers
The American League really had to scrounge for this award this year. Will Myers is the only logical winner, but both the other candidates had decent years and will continue to impact their teams in the future.
National League Manager of the Year (announced November 12th)
Candidates:
Fredi Gonzalez, Atlanta Braves
Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh Pirates
Don Mattingly, Los Angeles Dodgers
Prediction: Clint Hurdle
Clint Hurdle did a couple things that hadn't been done in the 'Burgh for quite some time: he had a winning season and made the playoffs. The disappointment of an early exit in the postseason doesn't nearly outweigh the excitement Hurdle's Pirates created by reviving the spirit of baseball in Pittsburgh.
American League Manager of the Year (announced November 12th)
Candidates:
John Farrell, Boston Red Sox
Terry Francona, Cleveland Indians
Bob Melvin, Oakland Athletics
Prediction: John Farrell
This one is a no-brainer. This team finished last in the AL East in 2012 after high expectations from all over.
John Farrell reignited the magic in Boston that has just sort of lingered for about the past ten years by bringing home another World Championship.
National League Cy Young Award (announced November 13th)
Candidates:
Jose Fernandez, RHP, Miami Marlins
Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Adam Wainwright, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
Prediction: Clayton Kershaw
While Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright are close in most statistical categories, Kershaw has the edge in almost every stat.
The one thing that could prevent Kershaw from winning this award is if the voters remember that he lost to a rookie (Michael Wacha) twice in the National League Championship Series.
That shouldn't be enough of a reason to snub him, though - he's the most dominant pitcher in the National League right now.
American League Cy Young Award (announced November 13th)
Candidates:
Yu Darvish, RHP, Texas Rangers
Hisashi Iwakuma, RHP, Seattle Mariners
Max Scherzer, RHP, Detroit Tigers
Prediction: Max Scherzer
Max Scherzer is the pretty obvious choice here.
He was phenomenal this season for the Tigers and was the only 20+ game winner in all of Major League Baseball.
National League Most Valuable Player Award (announced November 14th)
Candidates:
Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Yadier Molina, C, St. Louis Cardinals
Prediction: Paul Goldschmidt
You can't go against Goldschmidt's numbers (.304 AVG, 34 HR, 119 RBI) when choosing this award.
While Yadi and McCutchen had fantastic seasons, it truly takes a special player to post these kind of numbers on a team that didn't even make the postseason.
American League Most Valuable Player Award (announced November 14th)
Candidates:
Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Detroit Tigers
Chris Davis, 1B, Baltimore Orioles
Prediction: Miguel Cabrera
Cabrera is overwhelmingly the best hitter in the game. His numbers don't lie: .348 average, 44 homers, and 137 RBIs.
He's truly a pitcher's worst nightmare and will go down as one of the game's best ever hitters when all is said and done.
Mike Trout was overshadowed for a second straight year, and I think he would have easily won this award in the National League.
All awards will announced on the MLB Network.
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