The Baseball Writers of America have announced the finalists for their awards for the just completed baseball season. It is a good bet that none of my original predictions for the winners will be accurate. Hopefully, these new predictions will be slightly better, especially since I’ll have a 33% chance of being right.
American League
Most Valuable Player: Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Chris Davis
Mike Trout was my pre-season selection to win this award, but I also picked the Angels to win the American League. They dropped out of contention early, and I think the same can be said for Trout’s candidacy. My guess is Miguel Cabrera, who was having an even better year than his triple crown winning season a year ago before nagging injuries dragged him down towards the end of the year, takes home his second straight MVP.
Cy Young Award: Yu Darvish, Hisashi Iwakuma, Max Scherzer
My initial guess of David Price obviously did not make the cut. While books have been written about how wins are not a reliable way to track pitching effectiveness, my guess is that if you add in a 20 win season with a trip to the post-season, Max Scherzer will take home the prize.
Manager of the Year: John Farrell, Terry Francona, Bob Melvin
I didn’t make any predictions for this award prior to the season. I imagine that Terry Francona, beloved former manager of the Red Sox, will take home the award for turning around a putrid Indians team and keeping them in contention for the majority of the year.
Rookie of the Year: Chris Archer, Jose Iglesias, Wil Myers
Another award I didn’t predict prior to the season. It is somewhat ironic, given the current value placed on young talent, that all 3 finalists for the award were traded to their current teams, one during this past season. My guess is that Wil Myers will win the award.
National League
Most Valuable Player: Paul Goldschmidt, Andrew McCutchen, Yadier Molina
Matt Kemp was my pre-season selection to win this award, but injuries hampered him all year even as the Dodgers ran off with the NL West crown. Given that Andrew McCutchen is the face of everybody’s favorite Cinderella story, my guess is that he brings home the award.
Cy Young Award: Jose Fernandez, Clayton Kershaw, Adam Wainwright
My initial guess of Clayton Kershaw isn’t looking too shabby. There is an old saying that one should always dance with the date you bring to the dance, so I will stick with this pick.
Manager of the Year: Fredi Gonzalez, Clint Hurdle, Don Mattingly
Which team had a winning record and reached the post season for the first time since 1992? And who manages the Pirates? Clint Hurdle should run away with this award.
Rookie of the Year: Jose Fernandez, Shelby Miller, Yasiel Puig
Despite all of the hype around Yasiel Puig and the obvious impact he had on the Dodgers season, my guess is that Marlins hurler Jose Fernandez will take home the hardware.