MLB Awards Week: Key MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year info
MLB awards week is here, and that means it’s time to hand out some hardware as baseball’s best of 2019 vie for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year honors.
Will Mike Trout hold off Alex Bregman for his third American League MVP award? Did Cody Bellinger separate himself from Christian Yelich and Anthony Rendon as the National League’s most valuable player? Here’s when each award will be announced, the finalists to win and a quick take to get you in the know. Be sure to check back during the week as we update this page with winners and more key information.
Jump to: Rookie of the Year | Manager of the Year | Cy Young | MVP
Doolittle’s prediction for every award
Monday: AL and NL Rookie of the Year
Tuesday: AL and NL Manager of the Year
Wednesday: AL and NL Cy Young Award
Thursday: AL and NL MVP
(All awards announced at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.)
AL: Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
Runner-ups: Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros; Charlie Morton, Tampa Bay Rays
Why Verlander won the AL Cy Young Award: Verlander won his first Cy Young Award in 2011 and then had second-place finishes in 2012 (to David Price, losing by four points), 2016 (to Rick Porcello, losing by five points even though he had six more first-place votes) and 2018 (losing by 15 points to Blake Snell). In 2012 and 2016, he had the edge over the winner in Baseball-Reference WAR and in 2018 he led the AL in FanGraphs WAR. So this could easily be his fifth Cy Young instead of his second.
Why Verlander over Cole? In a coin flip of a debate, Verlander held two minor edges over Cole: He threw 10⅔ more innings and he held batters to a .171 average versus Cole’s almost-as-ridiculous .185. Verlander also had a slightly lower walk rate, giving him another small edge in OBP allowed. While Cole was dominant over the final four months, winning his last 16 decisions, he wasn’t great the first two months, and Verlander was more consistent with an ERA of 2.51 or lower in five of six months. Throw in a no-hitter, 21 wins and his first 300-strikeout season, and Verlander finally won a close vote. — David Schoenfield
NL: Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
Runners-up: Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers; Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
Why deGrom won the Cy Young Award (again):
For much of the season, it seemed like this was Hyun-Jin Ryu’s award to lose … and then the Dodgers ace lost it thanks to a 7.48 August ERA, opening the door for deGrom to win his second straight Cy Young. The Mets ace wasn’t quite as good overall as he was during his incredible 2018 season, but he was pretty close during the second half of the season when he went 7-1 with a 1.44 ERA and help opposing hitters to a .179 batting average after the All-Star break. — Dan Mullen
I’ve got to go with Verlander here. He’s 36 and already a lock Hall of Famer, but this is a big notch for his legacy. Just eight different pitchers (11 total times) have won the award at his age or older, and even though I’m not totally convinced he was the best pitcher on the Astros this season (Cole was really good), that’s the kind of fact that will look very nice on his plaque in Cooperstown one day. Oh, and perhaps most importantly, he saved us from another year of angry Kate Upton awards analysis tweets. — Mullen
Dan stole my punchline. I’ll also go with Verlander, considering he had much tougher competition with teammate Cole than deGrom did in the NL. Cole won 16 decisions in a row, fanned 326 batters, set a record with nine consecutive double-digit strikeout games and bested Pedro Martinez’s single-season record for strikeout. That’s how good Verlander was: He was better than THAT. As for deGrom, Ryu and Scherzer both had bad Septembers and Scherzer also missed time with an injury, opening the door for him to win again. — Schoenfield
AL finalists: Alex Bregman, Houston Astros; Marcus Semien, Oakland Athletics; Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Quick take: Trout’s September injury opened the door for a close race with Bregman. The big question is how much of a boost voters will give Bregman for playing on a winning team and appearing in 22 more games than Trout in 2019.
NL finalists: Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers; Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals; Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers
Quick take: A strong case could be made for any of the three finalists. Bellinger might be the favorite after Yelich’s season ended in mid-September and with much of Rendon’s best work coming in October. Remember, this is a regular-season award.
AL: Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros (30 of 30 first-place votes)
Runners-up: Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays; John Means, Baltimore Orioles
Why Alvarez won AL Rookie of the Year:
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the overwhelming choice as top rookie heading into the season, but this was an easy call for voters, even though Alvarez didn’t make his debut until June 9 — yes, he homered — and spent most of his time at DH. He hit .313/.412/.655 with 27 home runs in 87 games. Prorate his numbers over 150 games, and you get 47 home runs and 134 RBIs. Among players with at least 300 PAs, he ranked behind only Christian Yelich and Mike Trout in wOBA and behind only Trout in wRC+.
It was one of the great rookie offensive performances in the game’s history. Alvarez’s .655 slugging percentage was the highest by a rookie with at least 300 PAs, and only Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1911 had a higher adjusted OPS. Alvarez’s fellow finalists, Brandon Lowe and John Means, both made the All-Star team. Maybe Guerrero or Bo Bichette is the player you would most want for the next decade, but no AL rookie impressed this season like the young Astros slugger did. — David Schoenfield
NL: Pete Alonso, New York Mets (29 of 30 first-place votes)
Runners-up: Mike Soroka, Atlanta Braves (one first-place vote); Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
Why Alonso won NL Rookie of the Year:
Year of the Home Run or not, hitting 53 homers as a rookie is a pretty good way to state your Rookie of the Year case. Alonso wasn’t just the best rookie in the league this year; he was the best offensive first baseman in baseball.
Fellow finalists Mike Soroka and Fernando Tatis Jr. both showed that they’re well on their way to stardom as well, and it would have been interesting to see how ballots would have looked if Tatis stayed healthy all season, but it’s no surprise that Alonso ran away with the voting here. — Dan Mullen
Which Rookie of the Year would you rather have for the next five years?
Sign me up for Pete Alonso. Yordan Alvarez’s numbers in just over half a season project very close to what Alonso did for a full season, and I think the Astros slugger might have even more potential at the plate, but this isn’t just about the numbers. There was an “it” factor to everything Alonso did this season that I’m buying for the face of my franchise. He handled everything that comes with being a Mets phenom in New York while showing a magnetic personality at every chance.
A rookie slugger becoming the Polar Bear, outlasting Vlad Jr. for the Home Run Derby crown, ripping off his shirt during pennant-race celebrations and tearing up on the field after his record-setting 53rd home run — those are some of the best memories of the entire MLB season, and the guy who produced them in his first year in the Big Apple is the guy I want going forward. — Mullen
Dan is spot-on about Alonso having the “it” factor. The way he won over New Yorkers with his enthusiasm, genuineness, prodigious power and bare-chested interviews was impressive and immediately made him one of the faces of the sport. But I’ll take Alvarez over the next five years, even if he is mostly limited to DH (though I think he has enough athleticism to be not awful if he had to play left field on a regular bases). Of course, Alonso isn’t exactly a Gold Glover at first base.
Anyway, the big difference between the two: Alvarez is more than two years younger, so there is still some growth potential with his bat. Alvarez also has an elite hit tool, as evidenced by his .313 average. He hit more line drives and fewer grounders and popups than Alonso, and he had a slightly lower strikeout rate and higher walk rate. Both are going to mash a lot of home runs, but Alvarez is more likely to post the higher batting averages and higher OBPs. — Schoenfield
AL: Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins
Runners-up: Aaron Boone, New York Yankees; Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays
Why Baldelli won AL Manager of the Year:
In his first season as Twins skipper, the 38-year-old Baldelli guided the Twins to 101 wins, the second-most since the franchise moved to Minnesota in 1961 (the 1965 team won 102 games). It was a 23-win improvement from 2018, and it gave the Twins their first division title since 2010. The Twins bashed an all-time-record 307 home runs as five players hit 30-plus home runs, and Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano had excellent comeback seasons after disappointing years in 2018.
Baldelli’s best work probably came in coaxing excellent work out of a no-name bullpen. He deployed Taylor Rogers first as a high-leverage setup guy, then as the closer. Trevor May and Tyler Duffey joined Rogers with sub-3.00 ERAs. The Twins held the division lead since April 10 and built their lead to 10 games, but the Indians rallied and caught them on Aug. 9. Baldelli kept the team together, and the Twins finished strong, going 31-15 down the stretch and pulling away by eight games. — Schoenfield
NL: Mike Shildt, St. Louis Cardinals
Runners-up: Craig Counsell, Milwaukee Brewers; Brian Snitker, Atlanta Braves
Why Shildt won NL Manager of the Year:
Shildt’s Cardinals were 44-44 at the All-Star break before they rode a strong second half to St. Louis’ first NL Central crown and playoff berth since 2015. If one series can win you this award, the Cardinals’ four-game sweep of the Cubs in September at Wrigley — with all four victories coming by one run — might have done just that for the second-year skipper.
Shildt’s Cardinals committed the fewest errors in the National League, led the NL in stolen bases and got strong starting pitching — especially from ace Jack Flaherty — as they edged the Cubs and Brewers in a tight NL Central race. — Mullen
You know what’s funny? No manager who won 100 games has won a manager of the year award since Lou Piniella in 2001, when the Mariners won 116 games. My point is that sometimes we overlook the managers who have the most talent — AJ Hinch, Dave Roberts, Aaron Boone, Alex Cora, Dave Martinez, Terry Francona (Boston days) — and give extra credit to the guys who seemingly do a lot with less — Kevin Cash, Bob Melvin, Craig Counsell, Terry Francona (Cleveland days). All those guys are good managers. Any of them can run my fictional team.
The manager role today is much different than that of the managers of 30 or 40 years ago. Earl Weaver rarely spoke to his players. Communication with players now is arguably the most important part of the job, along with communicating the organization’s goals and vision to the media. All those guys are good at that. Forced to pick, I’ll go with AJ Hinch. He has experienced failure (he was fired in Arizona), which I think is important. He has developed young players, which is important as today’s game gets younger and younger. He is polished and smart with the media, and when the Astros were suffering an organizational meltdown at the start of the World Series after the clubhouse incident in the ALCS, Hinch was the one guy who immediately said, “This is wrong.” He commands respect, with a physical presence that reminds me of Joe Torre. Oh, he has also won 100 games three years in a row. — Schoenfield
Let’s see. If I’m managing a team, these are the characteristics I value most: ability to communicate the team’s message internally and to the media/public, ability to manage a pitching staff, ability to combine analytics and traditional scouting, ability to handle adversity.
A lot of managers check some of the boxes. But Craig Counsell is the one guy I know who can do everything here because he has been asked to and has succeeded, with back-to-back playoff appearances in Milwaukee. — Mullen