On Tuesday, Major League Baseball’s GIBBY Awards were announced, as voted on by “media, front-office personnel, MLB alumni, fans at MLB.com and the Society for American Baseball Research,” according to MLB.com.
While traditional awards like Most Valuable Player, Top Pitcher and Top Hitter are handed out, the GIBBY’s also include some more unique awards, like Storyline of the Year, Oddity of the Year and Moment of the Year, adding a bit of flair to the event.
While some GIBBY Awards echoed the awards already handed out to players, there were a few surprises to be found along the way. Below, you’ll find a full listing of the GIBBYs awarded and a closer look at some of the more surprising decisions.
Analysis
It’s not much of a surprise that Miguel Cabrera would win the MVP and best hitter awards. His .348 average, 44 homers, 137 RBI, 103 runs and 1.078 OPS all speak for themselves.
Likewise, Clayton Kershaw (16-9, 1.83 ERA, 232 strikeouts, 0.92 WHIP) was the logical choice for top pitcher, though with 30.6 percent of the vote, he narrowly beat out Yu Darvish (28.6) and Max Scherzer (27.3 percent) for the award.
Jose Fernandez was a fitting pick for top rookie, while Chris Davis winning breakout player, Matt Harvey winning breakout pitcher and the Boston Red Sox claiming the top manager (John Farrell) and executive (Ben Cherington) seemed apt.
The Pirates were worthy winners for top storyline, one of the few things that was worthy enough to best Mariano Rivera’s final game in a storied career. Of course, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement award, so he was recognized.
The hidden ball tricks seen in the MLB was a fun oddity, though nothing funnier happened this year than both the New York Yankees and Red Sox being spooked in the dugout by thunder, which was runner-up for the award.
Finally, while Giancarlo Stanton’s walk-off was more unique, Cleveland Indians fans might argue that Jason Giambi’s walk-off home run against the Chicago White Sox on September 24 was more important, as it helped the team eventually clinch a Wild Card berth.
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