Daily Baseball Update: Season in Review: Awards

Sadly, I don't decide on all the post-season awards, but if I did, this is what the awards field would look like.  Enjoy.

American League Most Valuable Player
Miguel Cabrera (Tigers): 44 HR, 137 RBI, .348 AVG, 3 SB.
The 30 year old Miguel Cabrera may have one-upped his incredible 2012 campaign.  Despite playing in 13 fewer games (161 to 148), he matched his home run total from 2012 at 44, drove in just two fewer runs, and saw his average jump from .330 to .348.  In terms of 2013 he led the American League in every statistical category concerning ratios: average (.348), on base percentage (.442), slugging percentage (.636), and OPS (1.078).  He also finished second in runs (103, behind Mike Trout's 109), hits (193, behind Adrian Beltre's 199), home runs (44, behind Chris Davis' 53), RBI (137, behind Davis' 138), and total bases (353, behind Davis' 370), despite playing in just 148 games.  The players to top him in those categories played in 157 (Trout), 161 (Beltre), and 160 (Davis) games.  Now in terms of the MVP, I picked him over some other players for the following reasons.  First, like last year, is the challenge of Mike Trout.  One reason I believe Miggy tops Trout is, first and foremost, the Tigers went 93-69 to win the AL Central, while the Angels went 78-84, 18 games out in the AL West.  Also, Trout's production did not match last year's (though it was close), while Cabrera one-upped last year's production, which we remember was enough to top Trout that year.  Also, as a leadoff man, Trout's primary job is to get on base and score runs, which he did.  His on-base percentage was an incredible .432 and he scored 109 runs in 157 games.  Now look at Miguel Cabrera, who's job is to drive in runs.  He was still able to meet Trout in the area's where Trout is supposed to excel (don't get me wrong, I love Trout and he is no doubt one of the best and most exciting players in the game).  Cabrera posted a .442 on base percentage and scored 103 runs in 148 games.  He also drove in 137 and hit 44 home runs.  Now we see the wide gap in offense, which I think is enough to overcome Trout's incredible advantage on defense because a good hitter provides more value than a good defensive outfielder.  One concession I have to make on Cabrera's season is that in the month of September, when his team needed him most, he batted .278 with one home run and played in only 21 games.  This is not enough for Trout to overtake him because Trout's Angels were already out of contention and therefore September didn't even matter to the team.  Cabrera also beats Chris Davis because both share the same strength, hitting, and Cabrera simply did it better.  Davis hit for power of historic proportions, but Cabrera matched his own power with the ability to get on base almost half the time.  Davis also batted .245 after the All Star Break and struggled against left handed pitching to the tune of a .235 average and 74 strikeouts in 217 at bats.
Runner up: Mike Trout (Angels): 27 HR, 97 RBI, .323 AVG, 33 SB.  Honorable mentions: Chris Davis (Orioles), Robinson Cano (Yankees), Josh Donaldson (A's), Adrian Beltre (Rangers), Max Scherzer (Tigers).

National League Most Valuable Player
Paul Goldschmidt (Diamondbacks): 36 HR, 125 RBI, .302 AVG, 15 SB.
The 25 year old continued his rapid ascension to stardom in 2013, posting, statistically, the best season in the NL.  Though the D-Backs did not reach the playoffs, Goldschmidt's success was so far ahead of the rest of the National League that I must give it to him anyways.  He led the NL in home runs (36), RBI (125), slugging percentage (.551), OPS (.952), total bases (332), and extra base hits (75).  On top of that, he added 15 stolen bases to show that 6'3", 245 pound first basemen can run.  During a year in which the NL forgot how to hit, he was able to lead in RBI by a huge margin, as Jay Bruce and Freddie Freeman tied for second at 109, 16 behind Goldschmidt.  On top of that, he finished the season on a 19 game hitting streak to finish strong while his team stumbled down the stretch.  On May 8th, he homered off my NL Cy Young, Clayton Kershaw.  To those who say Goldshmidt was playing in a hitters' park (Chase Field in Phoenix), he was able to dispute the claim that playing in the thin-High Desert air padded his numbers.  In 81 games on the road, he hit 19 home runs, drove in 69, and batted .311, against a 17, 56, .293 line at home.  Now picking Goldschmidt was not easy, as there are many challenges to his spot in the NL MVP race.  Andrew McCutchen batted .317 with 27 stolen bases and 21 home runs.  However, McCutchen drove in only 84 runs and scored 97, for the most part posting lower numbers across the board than Goldschmidt.  Joey Votto batted .305 with 24 home runs to lead the Reds into the playoffs.  However, across the board he fails to match Goldschmidt.  Even Clayton Kershaw poses a challenge, but a 16-9 record makes me lean more heavily towards Cy Young than Most Valuable Player.  I'll give Kershaw the runner up.
Runner up: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers): 16-9, 1.83 ERA, 0.92 WHIP.  Honorable mentions: Andrew McCutchen (Pirates), Joey Votto (Reds), Matt Carpenter (Cardinals), Yadier Molina (Cardinals), Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies), Jayson Werth (Nationals).

American League Cy Young
Max Scherzer (Tigers): 21-3, 2.90 ERA, 0.97 WHIP.
Max Scherzer always had the potential to be great, and it finally came out this year.  After going 52-42 with a 3.88 ERA over his first five years, he broke out in 2013 by going 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA and reaching 200 innings for the first time.  While his 2.90 ERA was only good enough to finish fifth in the AL, he was able to post a 0.97 WHIP, enough to lead the league.  To me, WHIP is almost as telling of a statistic as ERA, as it measures the number of base runners a pitcher allows per inning.  Aside from WHIP, Scherzer also led the AL in wins (21), opponents' on base percentage (.254), and opponents' OPS (.583).  He was lights out on the road, going 9-2 with a 2.28 ERA and 0.92 WHIP.  Opponents batted just .177 against him away from Comerica Park.  Really, it's his combination of a great WHIP and a 21-3 record that leads me to choose him over players like Anibal Sanchez (2.57 ERA), Yu Darvish (277 K's),  Hisashi Iwakuma, and Bartolo Colon.  Also, until a pair of September losses, he was 19-1, which is pretty darn good. Runner up: Hisashi Iwakuma (Mariners): 14-6, 2.66 ERA, 1.01 WHIP.  Honorable mentions: Anibal Sanchez (Tigers), Bartolo Colon (A's), Yu Darvish (Rangers), Chris Sale (White Sox), Greg Holland (Royals), Joe Nathan (Rangers).

National League Cy Young
Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers): 16-9, 1.83 ERA, 0.92 WHIP.
The decision to make Kershaw the NL Cy Young should carry as much suspense as a spring training game between the Red Sox and Northeastern University.  Kershaw is hands down the best pitcher in the NL.  Take out two bad starts on June 21st and and September 2nd, and he was 15-8 with a 1.56 ERA in 31 starts.  He ended up leading the NL in ERA (1.83), strikeouts (232), WHIP (0.92), shutouts (2), opponents' on base percentage (.244), and opponents' OPS (.521).  My NL MVP, Paul Goldschmidt, managed to go just 1-9 against Kershaw, striking out four times. Perhaps Kershaw's best game of the season came on Opening Day.  Hosting the hated Giants, he tossed a four hit shutout and struck out seven to get the season rolling.  On July 2nd in hitter-friendly Coors Field, he threw another four hit shutout, this time striking out eight Rockies.  Left handed hitters had all the trouble in the world hitting him, batting just .165.  I would compare him to other Cy Young "options", but there are none.  My guess is that he will be the unanimous Cy Young.
Runner up: Jose Fernandez (Marlins): 12-6, 2.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP.  Honorable mentions: Matt Harvey (Mets), Cliff Lee (Phillies), Zack Greinke (Dodgers), Adam Wainwright (Cardinals), Madison Bumgarner (Giants), Craig Kimbrel (Braves).

American League Rookie of the Year
Wil Myers (Rays): 13 HR, 53 RBI, .293 AVG, 5 SB.
Usually, someone who plays in only 88 games won't be winning any awards, but in a shallow AL ROY field, Myers may have done enough to win.  After his promotion on June 18th, Myers ignited baseball by batting .293 with 13 home runs in just over half a season.  He batted .352 in July to solidify his spot in the running for Rookie of the Year.  With the field so shallow, his only competition was really teammate Chris Archer.  Forget about any position players.  He led AL rookies in doubles (23), RBI (53), on base percentage (.354), slugging percentage (.478), OPS (.831), extra base hits (36), and total bases (160).  He also finished second in runs (50, 10 behind J.B. Shuck), home runs (13, one behind Oswaldo Arcia), and average (.293, .010 behind Jose Iglesias).  Myers showed an incredible affinity for hitting on the road, batting .313 with eight home runs in 47 contests away from Tropicana Field.
Runner up: Chris Archer (Rays): 9-7, 3.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP.  Honorable mentions: Dan Straily (A's), Martin Perez (Rangers), Cody Allen (Indians), Dane de la Rosa (Angels), Yoervis Medina (Mariners), Oswaldo Arcia (Twins), J.B. Shuck (Angels).

National League Rookie of the Year
Jose Fernandez (Marlins): 12-6, 2.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP.
In the midst of Puigsanity emerged a very interesting NL Rookie of the Year race.  In one of the greatest rookie classes in history emerged three frontrunners: Puig, Jose Fernandez, and Shelby Miller.  Miller's rough June (3-3, 4.31 ERA) and August (2-2, 4.55 ERA) knocked him out of the race, and Puig and Fernandez battled for rookie supremacy throughout the summer.  As the nation was swept up in Puig's incredible first month (7 HR, 16 RBI, .436 AVG), it looked as though he could easily win the award.  Into the late summer, when Puig began to return back to Earth, Fernandez began to turn heads and spark debate.  Many were scared that the hype surrounding Puig would bring him the award while the more deserving Fernandez quietly performed. However, an incredible second half from Fernandez (7-1, 1.32 ERA) and a dismal September from Puig (.214 AVG) made the outcome look clear by the end of the season: Fernandez was going to easily earn the award.  For the season, he was 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA despite never pitching above High Class A beforehand.  He led National League rookies in ERA (2.19), strikeouts (187), and WHIP (0.98).  The Florida product took a great liking to pitching in spacious Marlins Park, going 9-0 with a 1.19 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 15 starts in Miami.  It was the site of two of his greatest outings; the first came on August 2nd, where he struck out 14 Indians on eight shutout innings, allowing just three hits.  On September 6th, he limited the Nationals to one hit and two walks through seven shutout innings.  He also held his own at the plate, batting .220 with a home run in 50 at bats.
Runner up: Yasiel Puig (Dodgers): 19 HR, 42 RBI, .319 AVG, 11 SB.  Honorable mentions: Shelby Miller (Cardinals), Hyun-Jin Ryu (Dodgers), Evan Gattis (Braves), Jedd Gyorko (Padres), Julio Teheran (Braves), Matt Adams (Cardinals), Gerrit Cole (Pirates), Tony Cingrani (Reds).

American League Manager of the Year
Joe Maddon (Rays): 92-71 record, .564 WPCT, second AL Wild Card.
I've always been a big fan of Joe Maddon.  He was instrumental in the Tampa Bay Rays' turnaround in 2008, when they went from perpetual losers to American League champions.  Since then, they've been contenders every season despite low payrolls.  Despite a lack of star power aside from Evan Longoria and David Price, Maddon was able to piece together a strong team in arguably baseball's toughest division.  With every team coming into the season with eyes on the division championship, Maddon was able to lead his perpetual underdog Rays to a second place finish, just 5.5 games behind the Red Sox, who finished with baseball's best record.  To me, Maddon deserves this award more than Boston manager John Farrell because I feel the Red Sox' turnaround was more the work of general manager Ben Cherington.
Runner up: John Farrell (Red Sox): 97-65 record, .599 WPCT, AL East championship.  Honorable mentions: Buck Showalter (Orioles), Bob Melvin (A's), Terry Francona (Indians).

National League Manager of the Year
Clint Hurdle (Pirates): 94-68 record, .580 WPCT, first NL Wild Card. 
I think Clint Hurdle is a great manager.  I don't know if he does anymore but I know that he at least used to put a "Q" next to your name in the lineup card every time you had a quality at bat.  A quality at bat ranges from a variety of things such as reaching base, moving a runner, seeing seven pitches in an at bat, or hitting a ball hard somewhere.  It is great that he does that because even if you hit a line drive to the warning track but the center fielder makes a great catch, you can still feel disappointed because it goes into the scorebook as an "F8", or a fly out.  The Q lets the player know that the manager noticed that he did something good and he wasn't just another tick in the scorebook.  This lifts players' confidence.  Hurdle also has turned around a Pirates team that has not had a winning record since 1992, managing the colorful personalities of Andrew McCutchen, A.J. Burnett, and Starling Marte.  The Pirates fought in arguably baseball's toughest division (with the AL East to those who noticed I used the same phrase twice), battling until the season's end with the Reds and Cardinals.
Runner up: Mike Matheny (Cardinals): 97-65, .599 WPCT, NL Central championship.  Honorable mentions: Fredi Gonzalez (Braves), Don Mattingly (Dodgers).

American League Comeback Player of the Year
Victor Martinez (Tigers): 14 HR, 83 RBI, .301 AVG, 0 SB.
The Comeback Player of the Year award goes to the player that shows resilience and posts a dominating season after a rough season, be it because of injury, on-field struggles, or a combination.  Of course, for the AL, it whittled down to two players: Victor Martinez and Mariano Rivera.  V-Mart missed the whole 2012 season with an ACL tear, then came back with a great offensive season.  Mariano missed most of 2012, then came back in 2013 to fanfare to post another dominating season.  The reason I am not giving it to Mo in his final season is that I feel I would give it more out of respect for his career than of the contrast in accomplishments for the past two seasons.  Now that that's out of the way, let's analyze V-Mart.  Shortly before the 2012 season, Victor Martinez tore his ACL and was forced to sit out the whole season.  In 2013, he came back strong, appearing in all but three games and batting .301 with 14 home runs.  As of June 29th, he was still showing lingering signs of rustiness, having batted .225 with four home runs in 50 games.  Since then, however, he has been a one man wrecking crew.  He's knocked ten home runs, driven in 59, and batted .370 in 109 games to drive the offense behind Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.  His .361 second half average his his highest mark since he batted .380 after the 2005 All Star Break.  Martinez also only struck out 62 times in 605 at bats this year, compared to 117 in 624 for Fielder and 94 in 555 for Cabrera.
Runner up: Mariano Rivera (Yankees): 6-2, 2.11 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 44 SV.  Honorable mentions: John Lackey (Red Sox), Evan Longoria (Rays), Adam Lind (Blue Jays), Ryan Raburn (Indians), Scott Kazmir (Indians).

National League Comeback Player of the Year 
Francisco Liriano (Pirates): 16-8, 3.02 ERA, 1.22 WHIP.
Unlike Martinez, Liriano hasn't actually been injured since 2007 Tommy John surgery.  Simply put, he just hasn't pitched well.  After going 14-10 with a 3.62 ERA in 2010 (and winning the AL Comeback Player of the Year award, making it possible that he becomes the first player ever to win the award twice, and in two different leagues no less), he struggled, going 15-22 with a 5.23 ERA between 2011 and 2012.  2012 was the worse year of the two, as he went 6-12 with a 5.34 ERA.  The Pirates signed him in 2013 hoping he would turn it around, and boy did he.  In 26 starts, he went 16-8 with a 3.02 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.  Interestingly, if you take out one nightmarish game game, played on August 9th in Colorado, he was 16-7 with a 2.50 ERA over 25 starts.  That game at Coors Field saw him allow ten earned runs in just over two innings.  Of course, showing the resilience that has defined his season, he returned five days later to dominate the Cardinals in St. Louis, allowing one earned run in a complete game victory.  On August 30th, also against the Cardinals, he allowed two hits in eight shutout innings.  My AL MVP, Miguel Cabrera, struck out two of the three times he faced Liriano (and lined out the third time).
Runner up: Jayson Werth (Nationals): 25 HR, 82 RBI, .318 AVG, 10 SB.  Honorable mentions: Jorge de la Rosa (Rockies), Michael Cuddyer (Rockies), Carl Crawford (Dodgers).

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Teams followed in this update: Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers
If your team is not included, please leave a comment.
HR: home runs.  RBI: runs batted in.  AVG: batting average.  SB: stolen bases.  ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched.  K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage
Zack Silverman