With the MLB Postseason wrapping up and the World Series starting, it’s time to get around to handing out awards. The MLB hands out multiple awards, but there are three that are the most prestigious. The Cy Young award is handed out to one pitcher the National and American League who have been voted the top pitcher. The Most Valuable Player award and the Rookie of the Year award are self-explanatory.
The Cy Young award should be unanimous, with Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers winning his second award in three seasons. Although Kershaw only went 16-9 this season, he led all of Major League Baseball in Earned Run Average for the third straight year with a mark of 1.83. He also led the league in Strikeouts (232) and WHIP (0.91). At 25 years old, Kershaw became only the fourth pitcher in the live ball era to lead the league in ERA for three straight seasons.
After taking the whole league by storm and having a fantastic rookie season despite missing the first sixty games, Cuban sensation Yasiel Puig won’t win the Rookie of the Year award this season. The Dodgers right fielder, who many credit with helping turn the team from last place to first place, will finish second to fellow Cuban, Miami pitcher Jose Fernandez. While he has been handicapped playing on the last place Marlins, Fernandez had what many analysts have called the greatest rookie pitching season ever.
Fernandez finished with a 12-6 record but an ERA of 2.17, second best in all of baseball. Even though he was shut down for the season with only 172 innings, Fernandez struck out 187 batters. He also was able to edge out Cy-Young-To-Be-Winner Clayton Kershaw with a hits per 9 innings average of 5.8. Even though the Marlins lost 100 games and finished the season with the second worst record in the league, the future looks bright for them and their 21-year-old ace.
The MVP award is the only one out of the three that doesn’t have a clear winner. Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates and Yadier Molina of the Cardinals battled each other for the award all season. Though there is a great case to be made for both, in the end, McCutchen will come out victorious. The biggest argument for McCutchen is that he was able to help anchor a team that hadn’t had a winning season since 1992 to within one game of the NLCS.
With a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 8.2, a .317 batting average and 27 stolen bases, McCutchen has finally made being a Pittsburgh Pirates fan something to be proud about. Molina will come in second, being affected by the time he missed due to injury during the season, and the Pirates finally reaching the playoffs after 20 years of heartbreak. With these awards almost comically predictable, it will be interesting to see the mess that will be the major awards in the American League.
Connor Anthony can be reached at connor.anthony@spartans.ut.edu.