AL Manager of the Year: A.J. Hinch-Houston Astros
Throughout the 2017 season, the Houston Astros have consistently been one of the best, teams in all of major league baseball. Joining both the Dodgers and Indians as one of the three teams with 100 wins during the regular season, the Astros have been downright dominant for the entire season. Hinch was able to lead this team to such an impressive record despite injuries to key members of their rotation, such as Dallas Keuchel, over the course of the season. The Astros are poised to enter the postseason as a serious threat for the AL title.
NL Manager of the Year: Torey Lovullo-Arizona D-Backs
The 2016 season was certainly one to forget for the Diamondbacks, as they went an unimpressive 69-93 which was good for fourth in the National League (NL) West. There was little hope to believe this season would be any different, as the Diamondbacks had a quiet offseason in comparison to the 2016 blockbuster filled offseason. Despite this, Lovullo was able to manage the Diamondbacks to a wildcard berth, and must like his chances of advancing to the NLDS with Zach Greinke on the hill.
AL Rookie of the Year: Aaron Judge-New York Yankees
What has Aaron Judge done to earn the 2017 American League (AL) ROTY? Oh, he just had one of the most historic rookie seasons in major league baseball history. The most eye-popping statistic for Judge is his 52 home runs — an MLB rookie record. Judge was a monster at the plate in general, as he drove in 114 RBI’s, and held a batting average of .284. Judge wasn’t just a pure masher, he had an OBP of .422. All of these insane stats helped Judge lead the Yankees to a wild card berth and the ROTY.
NL Rookie of the Year: Cody Bellinger-Los Angeles Dodgers
Much like the race for ROTY in the AL, the race for the ROTY award in the NL has been decided for quite a while. Bellinger may not have stats that jump off the page at you like Judge, but his numbers are nothing to scoff at. The Dodgers rookie has shown some power of his own, with 39 home runs on the season. To go along with this show of power, Bellinger has driven in 96 runs and hit a .266 average and .931 OPS. He also has a WAR of 4.0, and he will lead the Dodgers into the postseason. He hopes to bring home a World Series ring.
AL Cy Young Award: Corey Kluber-Cleveland Indians
The AL Cy Young race was a tight one for much of the season, with Chris Sale and Corey Kluber neck and neck to take home the award. Following a late season surge, Corey Kluber ran away with the award. Kluber looked to add a second Cy Young award to his résumé, as he took home the honor in 2014. In the process of doing so, Kluber has compiled an impressive 2017 season. It’s hard to look past Kluber’s 18 wins and his sparkling 2.25 ERA to go along with 265 strikeouts. Kluber has been dominant down the stretch and it looks likely that he will take home his second Cy Young award.
NL Cy Young Award: Max Scherzer-Washington Nationals
Early in the season, this award would have easily gone to Clayton Kershaw. However, Kershaw spent an extended period of time on the DL, which allowed Scherzer to surge past him and lock up this award. What has Scherzer done to essentially lock down this award? He had his usual dominant season on the mound. He racked up 16 wins, a dazzling 2.51 ERA and a whip of .9 — all numbers of a true ace. Along with these stats, Scherzer has a WAR of 7.5. He is well on his way to winning his third Cy Young award. This will be his second straight title.
AL MVP: Jose Altuve- Houston Astros
Jose Altuve has had the MVP award wrapped up for a good majority of the season, and it’s never truly been close. In helping lead the Astros to a dominant 2017 season, Altuve has been downright impressive. Altuve compiled 204 hits, while batting .347, with an OBP of .411 and 32 stolen bases. His performance helped lead the Astros to the 2017 AL West crown and the AL MVP.
Despite the Reds not making the playoffs this season, you should not overlook the season Votto put together. Over the course of the season, Votto has consistently proven to be one of the best hitters in the game with a .319 average, 177 hits and an OBP of .454. Not only does Votto get on base at a high rate, he still has power, hitting for 36 home runs and a slugging percentage of .575. To put Votto over the top for this award, his WAR is a dazzling 7.4, which easily gives him the 2017 NL MVP.
