Major League Baseball has officially announced the winners of its most prestigious awards of the season, which are given to individual players to recognize their accomplishments. The most recent awards given out have been the Rookie of the Year Awards, Manager of the Year Awards, Cy Young Awards and the Most Valuable Player Awards. Each award is given to a player in the National League and the American League. Although none of these awards are anywhere close to the importance of a World Series trophy, it is important to reward those players who had amazing seasons.
In the American League, Carlos Correa earned the Rookie of the Year Award, and Kris Bryant won the award in the National League. Correa, by far the best rookie in the AL, was called up from the minors much later in the season than Bryant and played only 99 games. But, in those 99 games, he hit 22 home runs, had 22 doubles and stole 14 bases. He was called up when the Astros were falling, and he provided the spark. This season marks the first time since 2005 that the Astros went to the playoffs, and it was Correa who pulled them there.
Kris Bryant immediately became a star in Chicago once he was called up. On a team full of young and talented players, Bryant was mature about the way he played and about the process of becoming a big leaguer. After an amazing spring training, Bryant was sent down to Triple-A before the regular season began. He did not let that rattle him or ruin his confidence; instead, Bryant worked hard in the Triple-A and was eventually called up to play 151 games of the regular season. He hit 26 home runs and also had 99 RBI while batting in the middle of the Cubs’ potent offense. Bryant deserved the award not just because of his impressive season, but also because of his impressive work ethic.
The winners of the Manager of the Year Awards were Joe Maddon and Jeff Banister. It is important to note that the votes for all awards are cast before the postseason begins, so awards are given based on accomplishments of the regular season; for that reason, neither of the managers for the 2015 World Series teams were winners of the award. Joe Maddon of the Cubs won his third Manager of the Year Award. But this time, he won it in a new league and a new uniform. Maddon was always an amazing manager in the with the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League, and last season he was given a team that had a lot of potential but needed a leader. This season, he led the Cubs, a group of strong starting pitchers and young position players, to their first playoff appearance since 2008.
Maddon deserved the award in the National League, but Jeff Banister is another story. Banister is the manager of the Texas Rangers and brought them to a playoff appearance this fall. It was their first appearance since 2011, when an error by Nelson Cruz cost them the World Series title. The problem I have with Banister winning the award is that the Rangers were a good team before he joined the franchise. Last season, because the Rangers were decimated with injuries, they had a much worse record than they should have had. The manager who deserves the award is A.J. Hinch. Nobody, except maybe residents of Houston, expected the Astros to be competing for a playoff spot. Even Sports Illustrated issued an article about how, maybe, the Astros could build up their team in the next few years for a 2017 World Series win. A.J. Hinch managed his team to perfection this season, and I believe he should have won that award because the Astros were, supposedly, not ready for a playoff run.
The winners of the Cy Young awards were Dallas Keuchel in the American League and Jake Arrieta in the National League. Both pitchers dominated their respective leagues during the regular season. Dallas Keuchel is a left handed pitcher for the Houston Astros, who had a 2.48 ERA and took over the role of being an ace. The Astros needed him and the rest of their pitching staff to carry them through offensive ruts. During the regular season, Keuchel shut down some of the most dominant lineups in the game.
In the National League, Arrieta threw a no-hitter against the Dodgers in August and also had 22 wins. The Cubs needed him to step up this year if they wanted to go to the playoffs, and he came through. Once again, I believe that the writers (MLB Awards voters) awarded the appropriate players not just for their skill, but also for their leadership.
Bryce Harper and Josh Donaldson were the two MVP Award winners. In the National League, Bryce Harper was the clear-cut winner of this award. Harper had a career year, with a batting average of .330, 42 home runs and 118 runs scored. He was also exciting to watch: I remember trying to see as many of his at-bats as possible throughout the season.
In the American League, Donaldson deserved the MVP Award. Of all the trades that Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane made over the last few years, the Donaldson move, which brought Donaldson to Toronto in exchange for average talent, was the one that I disliked the most. Moving to a home run-friendly ballpark, Donaldson excelled in Toronto. He led the American League with 122 runs and 123 RBIs. With this award under Donaldson’s belt, Billy Beane probably wishes he could have that trade back.
Editor’s Note: To see part 1 of the recap of the MLB awards, go here.
