Let the debates begin. 

The Players’ Choice Awards were handed out on Monday night, but those were really just the appetizer to the main meal that is the Baseball Writers Association of America awards. 

The official winners won’t be announced until the start of next week, but on Tuesday, the BBWAA gave us an early look at the three finalists for each award.

Let’s take a look—and remember to play nice.

 

AL MVP

We’ve seen this episode before.

Miguel Cabrera had another monster season, hitting .348/.442/.636 with 44 home runs and 137 RBI, while Mike Trout hit .323/.432/.557 and led the AL in runs scored, base on balls and WAR, per Baseball Reference.

If last year was any indication, Cabrera’s huge numbers will win out over Trout’s advanced statistical prowess. 

However, there is one little wrinkle: This time around, Chris Davis, a legitimate contender in his own right, crushed 53 home runs and 138 RBI and could easily take some votes away from Cabrera. 

Moreover, how will voters react without the Triple Crown narrative this year?

Cabrera won the Players’ Choice award, but this one is going to be tight just like it was in 2012

 

NL MVP

If you’re going by the Triple Crown statistics, Paul Goldschmidt would be the frontrunner for the prestigious award, as he hit .301 and led the NL in home runs (36) and RBI (125). He also led the league in slugging percentage and OPS.

It may not be that simple, though, as Goldy’s Diamondbacks weren’t nearly as good as Andrew McCutchen’s Pirates or Yadier Molina’s Cardinals. If the voters look at team strength, the young first baseman may be out of luck. 

McCutchen, who hit .317/.404/.508 with 21 homers, 84 RBI, 97 runs scored and 27 stolen bases, was named as the players’ NL MVP.

Molina, meanwhile, hit .319/.359/.477 with 12 homers, 80 RBI and 68 runs to go with more Gold-Glove caliber defense behind the plate. He finished fourth in voting last year. 

 

AL Cy Young

Of the three finalists, the Tigers’ Max Scherzer led the group in wins (it’s silly, but some voters put a lot of stock into that) and WHIP. The Rangers’ Yu Darvish led in strikeouts and ERA+. The Mariners’ Hisashi Iwakuma led in ERA, innings pitched and SO/BB ratio. 

Scherzer won this award from the players, but a case could legitimately be made for any one of these studs. A three-sided coin flip may be needed. 

 

NL Cy Young

Congratulations to Jose Fernandez and Adam Wainwright on finishing second and third in the NL Cy Young race. 

Both pitchers turned in fantastic years, but there is no way Clayton Kershaw isn’t winning this award. 

The Dodgers lefty was by far the most dominant pitcher across the entire major leagues, finishing with a 1.83 ERA (the lowest for a qualified starter since Pedro Martinez in 2000), 0.92 WHIP and 232 strikeouts. 

 

AL Manager of the Year

This is rough, because Terry Francona, who took the Indians from 68 wins in 2012 to 92 victories and a wild-card berth, and Bob Melvin, who won the West with no real superstars in Oakland, are both really good candidates. 

But it would take a major miracle for them to beat out John Farrell—all he did was take a team that finished last in the AL East in 2012 and lead them to the best record in baseball and a World Series title in his first year. 

 

NL Manager of the Year

If you’re going by wins, than Fredi Gonazelz would have the edge after leading the Braves to a 96-66 record. 

However, Don Mattingly dealt with quite a few significant injuries yet still managed a 92-win season, while Clint Hurdle’s Pirates squad won 94 games despite having less raw talent than the other finalists. 

This one should be close, but if I were a betting man, I’d go with Hurdle, who led the Pirates to their first postseason appearance since 1992. 

 

AL Rookie of the Year

The Players’ Choice Award in this category went to Wil Myers, who hit .293/.354/.478 with 13 homers and 53 RBI in just 88 games.

It will be intriguing to see if he played enough to persuade the writers to choose him over Jose Iglesias, who hit .303/.349/.386 between the Red Sox and Tigers in 109 games, or teammate Chris Archer, who notched a 3.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 7.1 K/9 ratio in 23 starts. 

Archer sounded just a little excited about landing in the final three:

 

NL Rookie of the Year

This will undoubtedly be one of the more hotly contested awards next week.

The Cardinals’ Shelby Miller, who finished with a 3.06 ERA and 1.21 WHIP as a major contributor for one of the best teams in the league, is a major underdog—which should tell you just how strong this year’s group is.

Instead, it will come down to Yasiel Puig and Jose Fernandez. 

Puig hit .319/.391/.534 with 19 homers, 42 RBI, 66 runs scored and 11 stolen bases in 104 games. He also provided a rocket arm in right field and was a major catalyst in the Dodgers turning around their season in June. 

Beating out Fernandez, who won the Players’ Choice Award for this category, will be difficult, however. 

The Marlins’ 21-year-old was one of the best pitchers—let alone rookies—in the league, compiling a 2.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 187 strikeouts in 172.2 innings. 

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