The Baseball Writers of America have announced the finalists for their awards for the just completed baseball season, which will be announced next week.  It is a good bet that few 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: Jose Altuve, Mookie Betts, Mike Trout

Mike Trout was my pre-season selection to win the award this year and, sadly, I think the failure of the Angels to compete has left his accomplishments unappreciated.  My guess is Mookie Betts gets rewarded for the division-winning Red Sox.

Cy Young Award: Corey Kluber, Rick Porcello, Justin Verlander

If the voting had taken place after the post-season, then Corey Kluber would likely get more love for leading the Indians within a game of winning the World Series.  So, I’m going to assume Rick Porcello, with his gaudy win total, will take home the award.

Manager of the Year: Jeff Banister, Terry Francona, Buck Showalter

Once again, I didn’t make any predictions for this award prior to the season.  I’m guessing Terry Francona will win the award for the second time.

Rookie of the Year: Michael Fulmer, Gary Sanchez, Tyler Naquin

Another award I didn’t predict prior to the season.  I imagine that Michael Fulmer will be taking home the award.

National League

Most Valuable Player: Kris Bryant, Daniel Murphy, Corey Seager

A year after winning the Rookie of the Year award, Kris Bryant is primed to take home another piece of hardware after leading the Cubs to the best record in the Major Leagues and, eventually, their first World Series title in 108 years.

Cy Young Award: Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Max Scherzer

The Cubs love continues, but may end up splitting the vote between Lester and Hendricks, who led to league in ERA.  My guess is that Scherzer benefits from the split and takes home the award.

Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, Dusty Baker, Dave Roberts

While a strong case could be made for any of these men, my guess is Joe Maddon will win for the fourth time, and second year in a row, for leading the Cubs to the leagues best record and, eventually, their first World Series title in 108 years.

Rookie of the Year: Corey Seager, Kenta Maeda, Trea Turner

I think it is safe to say that if you are a finalist for the MVP award, your odds of also taking home Rookie of the Year are pretty good, so my money is on Seager.