By: Jonathan Goad

The top three finalists for each award were recently announced. We will list them and then make a pick on who we think should win the award.

AL Rookie of the Year:

Gleyber Torres, 2B, Yankees – .271/.340/.820, 24 HR, 77 RBI

Miguel Andujar, 3B, Yankees – .297/.328/.855, 27 HR, 92 RBI

Shohei Ohtani, DH/SP, Angels – .285/.361/.925, 22 HR, 61 RBI | Pitching: 51 2/3 IP, 3.31 ERA, 63 SO

Our Pick: While Ohtani is a nice story, he was injured for much of his rookie season. Miguel Andujar has to be the choice here. He has a higher average, more HRs and RBI than the other two. The numbers don’t lie.

Photo credit to River Ave Blues

NL Rookie of the Year:

Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Braves – .293/.366/.917, 26 HR, 64 RBI

Juan Soto, 2B, Nationals – .292/.406/.923, 22 HR, 70 RBI

Walker Buehler, SP, Dodgers – 137.1 IP, 2.62 ERA, 151 SO

Our Pick: Walker Buehler. He started 23 games for the NL Champion Dodgers, winning eight games and losing five. A 2.62 ERA is darn good for any pitcher, but especially a rookie. He struck out more than one per inning and also only walked 27 in 137.1 innings pitched.

Photo credit to ESPN.com

AL Manager of the Year:

Kevin Cash, Rays – 90 wins, no playoff appearance

Alex Cora, Red Sox – 108 wins, World Series champion

Bob Melvin, A’s – 97 wins, AL Wild Card appearance

Our Pick: How can it not be Alex Cora? Sure, Bob Melvin winning 97 games with the A’s is impressive, but the Red Sox won 108 games and won the World Series. It’s obvious that the Red Sox have a much better roster than the A’s, but this has to go to Cora.

Photo credit to the Boston Herald

NL Manager of the Year:

Bud Black, Rockies – 91 wins, NLDS appearance

Craig Counsell, Brewers – 96 wins, NLCS appearance

Brian Snitker, Braves – 90 wins, NLDS appearance

Our Pick: Craig Counsell. The Brewers weren’t expected to win the NL Central, but they did. The Brewers made a great late season push and dethroned the Cubs as NL Central Champs. Brian Snitker has a decent case as well as the Braves surprised a lot of people with their play. But Counsell deserves it this year.

Photo credit to WUWM

AL Cy Young:

Corey Kluber, SP, Indians – 215 IP, 2.89 ERA, 222 SO

Blake Snell, SP, Rays – 180 IP, 1.89 ERA, 221 SO

Justin Verlander, SP, Astros – 214 IP, 2.52 ERA, 290 SO

Our Pick: Blake Snell. How Snell finished with a sub-2 ERA pitching in the AL East, I’ll never know. That’s absolutely remarkable. While I don’t believe win-loss record is that valuable of a stat for pitchers, it’s worth noting that Snell went 21-5. Again, that’s in the AL East. It won’t be too surprising no matter who wins the Cy Young, but Snell should be the one to have his named called.

Photo credit to DRaysBay

NL Cy Young:

Jacob deGrom, SP, Mets – 217 IP, 1.70 ERA, 269 SO

Aaron Nola, SP, Phillies – 212 1/3 IP, 2.37 ERA, 224 SO

Max Scherzer, SP, Nationals – 220 2/3 IP, 2.53 ERA, 300 SO

Our Pick: All three had solid years. Scherzer struck out 300! That’s not something we see every year. However, Jacob deGrom is our pick. The reason that win-loss record isn’t a reliable stat is because pitchers can’t control whether they get any run support. deGrom was a victim of that and he still went 10-9 with a 1.70 ERA! He only was given 3.49 runs of support per game. You have to be pretty good to win those games. deGrom deserves this award.

Photo credit to the New York Post

AL MVP:

Mookie Betts, OF, Red Sox – .346/.438/1.078, 32 HR, 80 RBI

Jose Ramirez, 3B, Indians – .270/.387/.939, 38 HR, 105 RBI

Mike Trout, OF, Angels – .312/.460/1.088, 39 HR, 79 RBI

Our Pick: Mookie Betts. Not only did he lead the league in average, he slugged 32 HRs and drove in 80 from the leadoff spot. He also led the league in WAR at 10.9. He also was tied for the league lead in runs scored with 129 and stole 30 bases. Betts is the no brainer here.

Photo credit to the Celebs Closet

NL MVP:

Christian Yelich, OF, Brewers – .326/.402/1.000, 36 HR, 110 RBI

Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies – .297/.374/.935, 38 HR, 110 RBI

Javier Baez, IF, Cubs – .290/.326/.881, 34 HR, 111 RBI

Our Pick: Christian Yelich. There’s no doubting all three of these guys deserve this award. Where Yelich should win is in the average department. He led the NL in average by 16 points and also led the NL in slugging percentage and OPS. While he didn’t win the Triple Crown, Yelich deserves the MVP.

Photo credit to WLUK