Top Free Agent Infielders/Catchers of the 2019-2020 Offseason

Catchers

1. Yasmani Grandal (2020 Age: 31)
2019: 28 HR, .246/.380/.468, 5 SB, 121 wRC+, 5.2 fWAR in 153 games
We all know Grandal is good, but the Brewers got a complete bargain when they signed him for $18.25 million last offseason. He set career highs in virtually every category, totaling 5.2 fWAR that was enough to place him ninth in the National League and second among all catchers behind only J.T. Realmuto's 5.7. Grandal hits for power, gets on base due to a high walk rate (17.2% in 2019), and plays excellent defense behind the plate, giving a serious argument for being the second best catcher in baseball behind Realmuto at a position that's looking shallower and shallower. This offseason should go much better for him. For his career, the former Miami Hurricane has 141 home runs, a .241/.348/.446 slash line, and 32.6 fWAR over 879 games since 2012.

2. Robinson Chirinos (2020 Age: 35-36)
2019: 17 HR, .238/.347/.443, 1 SB, 113 wRC+, 2.3 fWAR in 114 games
It might be because he has spent most of his career as a back-up catcher with the medium market Texas Rangers, but Robinson Chirinos has flown under the radar as one of the game's more productive catchers over the last half decade. Despite topping out at 114 games in 2019, Chirinos has reached double digits in home runs in five of the past six seasons while drawing enough walks to keep his on-base percentage at at least .314 in each of the past five. Like Grandal, he set a lot of career highs in 2019, and he brings power, decent on-base ability, and solid defense at a shallow position. He might not be good enough to be a full time starter on a contending team, but he produced this year for the Astros and would make a very good back-up on a contender or a starter on a worse team. For his career, the Venezuela native has 85 home runs, a .234/.329/.439 slash line, and 6.1 fWAR over 576 games since 2011.

3. Travis d'Arnaud (2020 Age: 31)
2019: 16 HR, .251/.312/.433, 0 SB, 98 wRC+, 1.6 fWAR in 103 games
When healthy, Travis d'Arnaud is one of the better catchers in the game, inning for inning. He's got pop, gets to it regularly, and plays solid defense. However, he hasn't stayed on the field for any kind of regular basis, topping out at 112 games in 2017 and only topping 75 games three times in his seven year career. He played just four games in 2018 after undergoing Tommy John surgery then slashed just .087/.160/.087 in ten games with the Mets before being designated for assignment. He lasted all of five days with the Dodgers before being sold to the Rays, where he was finally healthy and caught his stride, slashing .263/.323/.459 with 16 home runs in 92 games. The thing is, that's d'Arnaud's true talent level, and if he can just stay healthy, he could be a 20+ home run guy annually. Health will be the big gamble for whichever team picks him up for 2020, but the upside is big. For his career, the Southern California native has 63 home runs, a .246/.307/.412 slash line, and 10.3 fWAR over 500 games since 2013.

Others: Jason Castro (13 HR, .232/.332/.435, 1.6 fWAR, age 32-33)
Yan Gomes (12 HR, .223/.316/.389, 0.8 fWAR, age 32-33)
Martin Maldonado (12 HR, .213/.293/.378, 0.8 fWAR, age 33)

First Basemen

1. Jose Abreu (2020 Age: 33)
2019: 33 HR, .284/.330/.503, 2 SB, 117 wRC+, 1.9 fWAR in 159 games
I know that RBI aren't an accurate way of tracking success, but it's at least correlated with success, and Jose Abreu is fourth in all of baseball with 611 since 2014, when he debuted, behind only Nolan Arenado (682), Edwin Encarnacion (636), and Nelson Cruz (630). He's hit at least 22 home runs and 32 doubles in each of his six major league seasons, his on-base percentage never falling below .325 and his slugging percentage staying at at least .468 in each season. His lower walk rates (5.2% in 2019, 6.3% career) eat into his offensive value a bit, but he's a classic #5 hitting run-producer who could fit into any lineup, contending or non-contending. However, he provides little to no value on defense, so you're buying the bat and the bat only. For his career, the Cuban has 179 home runs, a .293/.349/.513 slash line, and 17.9 fWAR 901 games since 2014.

2. Howie Kendrick (2020 Age: 36-37)
2019: 17 HR, .344/.395/.572, 2 SB, 146 wRC+, 2.9 fWAR in 121 games
With the Nationals' big run to the World Series win, you've probably heard all about Howie Kendrick. After all, the 36 year old slashed .344/.395/.572 this year with 17 home runs and a low 13.2% strikeout rate. If there's one thing he does, it's hit the ball hard. His 48.3% hard hit rate placed him 23rd in baseball, and as someone who watched him all season long, it felt like he made hard contact every time he came to the plate. In other words, that .344 batting average wasn't the product of luck, but of just crushing the ball around the park. Unfortunately, he's certainly slowing down with age, with both his glove and legs losing a bit of value, and even he admitted that his body is no longer able to take the beating of playing every day. In that case, he becomes one of the most valuable, if not the most valuable, bench bats on the market as someone who can start against lefties and get spot starts here and there while providing real, middle-of-the-order caliber offense. For his career, the Jacksonville-area native has 125 home runs, a .294/.337/.431 slash line, and 31.3 fWAR over 1596 games since 2006.

3. Eric Thames (2020 Age: 33)
2019: 25 HR, .247/.346/.505, 3 SB, 116 wRC+, 1.9 fWAR in 149 games
Thames slashed just .232/.273/.399 in 2012 before heading to South Korea for the 2013-2016 seasons, but since he returned to the U.S. in 2017, he's been a very productive hitter for the Brewers and should continue to be in 2020. This past year, he knocked 25 home runs and slashed .247/.346/.505 over 149 games, giving him a third straight season with above-league-average production. He's a much better hitter against right handed pitchers (.254/.348/.529) than against lefties (.200/.339/.340 in a small sample), so Thames profiles much better as a platoon bat than as an every day guy, and he could fill that role successfully even for a contending team. For his career, the Pepperdine product has 93 home runs, a .244/.327/.478 slash line, and 4.8 fWAR over 564 games since 2011.

Others: Mitch Moreland (19 HR, .252/.328/.507, 0.7 fWAR, age 34)
Justin Smoak (22 HR, .208/.342/.406, 0.2 fWAR, age 33)
Neil Walker (8 HR, .261/.344/.395, 0.4 fWAR, age 34)

Second Basemen

1. Brian Dozier (2020 Age: 32-33)
2019: 20 HR, .238/.340/.430, 3 SB, 99 wRC+, 1.7 fWAR in 135 games
The second base class is more balanced than those at catcher and first base, with four players of almost equal caliber all available. Of the four, I give the slight edge to Brian Dozier, but you could make strong arguments for any and the most important thing here will be their fit on the roster. He lost some playing time to Asdrubal Cabrera during the regular season and to Howie Kendrick in the postseason, but Dozier has power and a professional approach at the plate that enables him to produce a satisfactory amount of offense for a second baseman. At the same time, he's a solid defender at the position, making him an overall average all-around player. His upside separates him from the other players on this list, as he's only a few seasons removed from crushing 76 home runs between 2016 and 2017 in Minnesota. For his career, the former Southern Miss Golden Eagle has 192 home runs, a .245/.326/.442 slash line, and 24.0 fWAR over 1137 games since 2012.

2. Starlin Castro (2020 Age: 30)
2019: 22 HR, .270/.300/.436, 2 SB, 91 wRC+, 1.3 fWAR in 162 games
Though not a star, Castro has been one of the more consistently average infielders over the past half decade or so. This past year, he set a career high with 22 home runs while slashing .270/.300/.436 over all 162 games. He's played over 150 games in seven of the past nine seasons and he's posted an OPS of at least .729 in eight of the past ten, though he's also never cracked .800. Defensively, he's solid if unspectacular, and together, he brings a similar end product to Dozier. He doesn't have as much power or as strong of an approach at the plate, but he's been more consistent and is a couple years younger. For his career, the Dominican has 133 home runs, a .280/.319/.414 slash line, and 18.2 fWAR over 1470 games since 2010.

3. Jason Kipnis (2020 Age: 33)
2019: 17 HR, .245/.304/.410, 7 SB, 82 wRC+, 1.1 fWAR in 121 games
Jason Kipnis has played a massive role on the strong Cleveland Indians teams of the 2010's, but at this point, it doesn't look like he's the impact player he was half a decade ago. In 2013, 2015, and 2016 he was worth 5.1 fWAR, 4.5, and 4.7, respectively, but he's slumped in recent years and was down to .245/.304/.410 in 2019. Still, he has a strong track record, strong plate discipline, and enough pop to keep pitchers honest, and he's still a good defender. That should fit the bill as a starting second baseman on a lot of teams, though he'd fit better into a lineup that wasn't set to win 95-100 games. For his career, the Chicago native who spent time with both Kentucky and Arizona State has 123 home runs, a .261/.333/.417 slash line, 135 stolen bases, and 22.8 fWAR over 1121 games since 2011.

Others: Jonathan Schoop (23 HR, .256/.304/.473, 1.4 fWAR, age 28)
Scooter Gennett (2 HR, .226/.245/.323, -0.5 fWAR, age 29-30)
Eric Sogard (13 HR, .290/.353/.457, 8 SB, 2.6 fWAR, age 33-34)

Shortstops

1. Didi Gregorius (2020 Age: 30)
2019: 16 HR, .238/.276/.441, 2 SB, 84 wRC+, 0.9 fWAR in 82 games
So much has happened over such a spread out period of time for Didi that it's hard to believe he's still only 29. He started with Cincinnati in 2012, was traded to Arizona that year and then to New York in 2014 in a pair of three team deals that included Trevor Bauer, Shin-Soo Choo, and Robbie Ray, took over for Derek Jeter at shortstop in The Bronx, posted three straight 20 home run campaigns, went down with Tommy John surgery in 2018/2019, and returned to play a pivotal role in getting the Yankees within two wins of a World Series berth. While his 2019 campaign, even after recovering from the surgery in June, wasn't the prettiest (.238/.276/.441, 84 wRC+), he's still one of the better hitting shortstops in baseball and certainly the best one available on the free agent market. Guys like Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez, Xander Bogaerts, and now Fernando Tatis Jr. have made the impact-hitting shortstop a bit easier to find nowadays, but they still don't grow on trees and Gregorius provides what a lot of teams, even contending teams, don't have. He can hit for some power, get on base fairly well, and play good defense at the toughest non-catcher position. As recently as 2018, when he slashed .268/.335/.494 with 27 home runs, he was worth 4.7 fWAR. For his career, the Netherlands-native has 110 home runs, a .264/.313/.429 slash line, and 17.5 fWAR over 851 games since 2012.

2. Jose Iglesias (2020 Age: 30)
2019: 11 HR, .288/.318/.407, 6 SB, 84 wRC+, 1.6 fWAR in 146 games
The juiced balls helped Iglesias get over the hump and start hitting for power in 2019, and his .288/.318/.407 slash line meant his highest OPS (.724) since 2013. Iglesias is so good with the glove that if he can hit at all, he's valuable, and his wRC+ marks of 89 in 2018 and 84 in 2019 fulfill the "at all" requirement. On a contending team, he would fit better as a slick fielding utility man, but he could certainly start on a non-contending team such as the Reds, where he played 2019. For his career, the Cuban has 32 home runs, a .273/.315/.371 slash line, and 11.6 fWAR over 802 games since 2011.

3. Asdrubal Cabrera (2020 Age: 34)
2019: 18 HR, .260/.342/.441, 4 SB, 98 wRC+, 1.9 fWAR in 131 games
Is Asdrubal Cabrera really a true shortstop at this point? Probably not, but he's spent a lot of time at second, short, and third over the past few seasons, and with shortstop being so shallow in this year's class, I'm including him over here. He's been so consistently average for so many teams for such a long time that he has kind of flown under the radar, but he's topped 130 games while hitting at least 14 home runs and 25 doubles in each of the past nine seasons, and that's enabled him to be worth at least 1.3 fWAR in each of those seasons. Set to turn 34 in November, I'm not sure how much longer he can keep this up, but Cabrera provides a solid bat with a flexible glove to whichever team chooses to pick him up. He was actually already a free agent once this season, as the Rangers released him after he slashed .235/.318/.393 with 12 home runs in 93 games for them, but the Nationals picked him up as bench depth and he caught fire, slashing .323/.404/.565 with six home runs in 38 games, effectively stealing the starting second base job from Brian Dozier. That's not sustainable, but it certainly helps his free agent value. For his career, the Venezuelan has 180 home runs, a .268/.331/.425 slash line, and 27.5 fWAR in 1660 games since 2007.

Others: Adeiny Hechavarria (9 HR, .241/.299/.443, 0.7 fWAR, age 31)
Jordy Mercer (9 HR, .270/.310/.438, 0.6 fWAR, age 33-34)

Third Basemen

1. Anthony Rendon (2020 Age: 29-30)
2019: 34 HR, .319/.412/.598, 5 SB, 154 wRC+, 7.0 fWAR in 146 games
Over the past three years, Christian Yelich leads the National League in fWAR at 20.0, but Anthony Rendon is *right* behind him with 19.9. That mark leads all third basemen in either league, topping Alex Bregman (19.5), Jose Ramirez (17.9), and Nolan Arenado (17.4). He's grown tremendously as a ballplayer since slashing .270/.348/.450 with 20 home runs in 2016, jumping from 4.3 fWAR that year to 6.7 in 2017, 6.2 in 2018, and 7.0 in 2019. At this point, there are very few holes in his game, as he is the complete package at the plate with three straight seasons with at least 24 home runs, 41 doubles, and a .374 on-base percentage, and he topped out in all three with 34, 44, and .412 this year. Defensively, his exceptional reactions make him one of the best defenders in the league at the hot corner, and all together, he has a very strong argument against Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado as the best third baseman in baseball. That should net him nearly a decade on his contract and well north of $200 million, as he already turned down a seven year deal from the Nationals worth $210-215 million. For his career, the former Rice Owl has 136 home runs, a .290/.369/.490 slash line, and 32.7 fWAR over 916 games since 2013.

2. Josh Donaldson (2020 Age: 34)
2019: 37 HR, .259/.379/.521, 4 SB, 132 wRC+, 4.9 fWAR in 155 games
Donaldson slashed .246/.352/.449 with just eight home runs in 52 games during an injury-ravaged 2018 season, then took a one year, $23 million deal with the Braves as he bet on himself. As I, a big Josh Donaldson fan, figured, that turned out to be the right decision for both teams as Donaldson hit 37 home runs, drew 100 walks, and played great defense over at third base, looking almost like his old self. That should help him land a much larger deal this offseason as a middle of the order hitter with lots of defensive value, though teams will have to be cognizant that he turns 34 in December and has a bit of an injury history. Still, remaining healthy all year long in 2019 and playing in 155 games is a big help. For his career, the Auburn product has 219 home runs, a .273/.369/.509 slash line, and 41.4 fWAR over 1038 games since 2010.

3. Mike Moustakas (2020 Age: 31)
2019: 35 HR, .254/.329/.516, 3 SB, 113 wRC+, 2.8 fWAR over 143 games
Hopefully, the third time is the charm for Mike Moustakas. Two unlucky free agencies caused him to make much less than market value, but 101 home runs over the past three seasons as well as more leverage will help him fare better. Moustakas is a power hitter who also does a solid job of getting on base, and he proved some defensive versatility in 2019 by filling in at second base as well as playing his typical third base. He was young enough when he originally hit free agency after the 2017 season that he'll play most of the 2020 season at age 31, so he's still a solid, semi-long term piece who could hit near the middle of the lineup with some defensive value. For his career, the Los Angeles native has 182 home runs, a .252/.310/.441 slash line, and 16.1 fWAR over 1131 games since 2011.

Others: Todd Frazier (21 HR, .251/.329/.443, 1.9 fWAR, age 34)
Pablo Sandoval (14 HR, .268/.313/.507, 1.0 fWAR, age 33-34)
Jedd Gyorko (2 HR, .174/.248/.250, -0.7 fWAR, age 31)

2019 Dugout Edge Regular Season Awards: MVP's and Cy Youngs

These awards are based on how I would assign them, not how I believe they will end up. Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Reliever of the Year will follow, time permitting

American League MVP
Winner: CF Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
Stat Line: 45 HR, 104 RBI, .291/.438/.645, 11 SB, 180 wRC+, 8.6 fWAR in 134 games
Alex Bregman's white-hot second half paired with Mike Trout's season ending three weeks early made this a much tougher call than it was a month ago, but ultimately, I think Trout pulls ahead by a hair here. Trout finished with 45 home runs, an on-base percentage well north of .400, excellent base running that goes beyond his eleven stolen bases, good defense, and overall consistent performance. He led the American League wOBA (.436), wRC+ (180), and fWAR (8.6), and when I compared his cumulative stats to Bregman's (that's the way to do it when it comes to weighing performances over significantly different numbers of games, right?), he topped him in most of them. RE24 is a bit of a flawed stat that I prefer for pitchers, but it's still a good stat that measures run expectancy impact and Trout accumulated 71.5 "runs" of value provided while Bregman finished second in the AL with 59.9. Bregman was so, so good down the stretch, but Trout was so, so much better when he was on the field and it gave him the edge. He held an OPS above 1.000 in each month, managed 16 home runs in a 26 game stretch from July 3rd to August 6th, and at one point scored a run in eleven straight games despite a fairly futile offense around him. Trout is unquestionably the best player of our era and is closing in on becoming the best player of all time if he isn't already. Now with 285 career home runs, 200 stolen bases, and 73.4 fWAR in 1199 games, he has moved up to 47th on the all time list despite only having turned 28 in August. In the last few months of the season, he past the likes of Frank Thomas (72.1), Rod Carew (72.3), and Derek Jeter (73.1). Easily within reach for 2020 are Johnny Bench (74.8) and Ken Griffey Jr. (77.7).

Runner up: 3B/SS Alex Bregman (Houston Astros)
Stat Line: 41 HR, 112 RBI, .296/.423/.592, 5 SB, 168 wRC+, 8.4 fWAR in 156 games
Even though I picked Trout as being a hair ahead of Bregman, it's true that the Astros' third baseman had a tremendous season that would have netted him the MVP in many other seasons. He was solid through the first chunk of the season, though his .259/.393/.516 line on July 31st resembled much more of an All Star-type season than that which could get him compared to Mike Trout. However, he flipped a switch in August and stayed white hot throughout the rest of the season, slashing .372/.487/.750 with 15 home runs, 21 doubles, 49 driven in, and nearly twice as many walks (37) as strikeouts (20) in 51 games over the final third of the season. It's not like the Astros necessarily needed that to propel them to what was an easy AL West crown, but Bregman was certainly front and center in the success that led them to an MLB-high 107 wins. And if his bat and steady defense at third base weren't enough, he also appeared in 65 games at shortstop while Carlos Correa was hurt, more than holding his own. It really is so close, but playing in the same league as Trout is tough, and I have to hand Trout the award here. Bregman's 8.4 fWAR would have led the National League had the Astros not switched over back in 2013, and he was the only player in the majors (min. 400 PA) with more walks than strikeouts.

Honorable mention: SS Marcus Semien (Oakland A's)
Stat Line: 33 HR, 92 RBI, .285/.369/.522, 10 SB, 137 wRC+, 7.5 fWAR in 162 games
Who saw this one coming? Marcus Semien, who had never put up more than 56 extra base hits in a season, had 83 this season (43 2B, 7 3B, 33 HR) to finish third in the American League behind only Red Sox teammates Rafael Devers (90) and Xander Bogaerts (85). All those extra base hits, including 33 home runs, helped him slash .285/.369/.522 despite a pitcher-friendly home park, his 137 wRC+ placing tenth in the AL. Like Bregman, he also got hot late, slashing .304/.396/.621 with 19 home runs in the second half and .347/.441/.693 with eight home runs in September, helping propel the A's to the AL Wild Card Game. Of course, possibly even more valuable than his bat was his glove, as he played Gold Glove defense at shortstop all year long to team with Matt Chapman in giving the A's the best left side infield defense in the game. Additionally, Semien was one of only four American League players to appear in all 162 games, joining the Royals' Whit Merrifield and Jorge Soler and the Orioles' Jonathan Villar. Semien's numbers might not pop out like Trout's or Bregman's, but his combination of well above average hitting, excellent defense, and durability made him the third most valuable player in the American League (and, as it turns out, in the AL West).

Others:
RHP Justin Verlander (HOU, 2.58 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 300/42/223 K/BB/IP)
RHP Gerrit Cole (HOU, 2.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 326/48/212.1 K/BB/IP)
SS Xander Bogaerts (BOS, 33 HR, .309/.384/.555, 6.8 fWAR)
3B Rafael Devers (BOS, 32 HR, .311/.361/.555, 5.9 fWAR)
RF Mookie Betts (BOS, 29 HR, .295/.391/.524, 6.6 fWAR)

National League MVP
Winner: RF Cody Bellinger (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Stat Line: 47 HR, 115 RBI, .305/.406/.629, 15 SB, 162 wRC+, 7.7 fWAR in 156 games
If Christian Yelich hadn't gotten hurt, I'd be handing him this award. However, he did, and Bellinger's monster first half and strong second half carried him just past Yelich over the final few weeks of the season. I know that a lot of people will look at his .263/.371/.546 second half line and dislike it, and while it would be ideal to have your best player be more consistent, I really have no problem with it. Most people would have no problem if he slashed .263/.371/.546 in the first half before catching fire in the second half, because his performance "in the stretch run" would be what "propelled the Dodgers into the postseason." However, I think it's important to note that a win in mid-April counts every bit as much as a win in mid-September, and you could even argue that the early season games were more important for the Dodgers as they established their stranglehold on the NL West before coasting for most of the rest of the season, even if Bellinger slowed down in that stretch. Now, he was truly incredible out of the gate. Over his first 30 games, Bellinger slashed .434/.508/.906 with 14 home runs. I don't care what you do after that, if you're worth 2.9 wins in 30 games, you earn plenty of slack. Those first 30 games included 15 multi-hit games, 13 separate games with a home run, and an appearance on base in all but one of those games. From there on out, he slashed .274/.382/.564 – All Star caliber numbers, but not quite MVP totals. However, all together, that .305/.406/.629 line with 47 home runs represents one of the most potent bats in the National League. Throw in his 15 stolen bases and high level defense in the outfield as well as at first base and you have a National League MVP worth 7.7 fWAR in 156 games.

Runner-up: RF Christian Yelich (Milwaukee Brewers)
Stat Line: 44 HR, 97 RBI, .329/.429/.671, 30 SB, 174 wRC+, 7.8 fWAR in 130 games
As I said with Bellinger, Yelich was the MVP when he got hurt on September 10th, but unlike Trout, he couldn't hang on while on the shelf, at least in my opinion. Now unlike Bellinger, Yelich was much more consistent throughout the season. By posting at least a .935 OPS in every month and splitting his slash lines at .329/.433/.707 in the first half and .330/.423/.611 in the second half, he managed to finish at .329/.429/.671 with 44 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 130 games. Not many players can go 40-30-.400 (HR-SB-OBP); in fact, nobody has this century, with Jeff Bagwell and his 42 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and .454 OBP in 1999 marking the last time anybody has done it. It's a real disappointment that Yelich didn't get to finish his fantastic season, but he still has a real shot at the MVP award and I would not throw a fit if he won over Bellinger. He had a couple of incredible games during the season, too: on April 15th, he homered three times against the Cardinals, on August 5th, he went 4-5 with a couple home runs in Pittsburgh, and on August 17th, he went 5-6 with a couple home runs in Washington.

Honorable mention: 3B Anthony Rendon (Washington Nationals)
Stat Line: 34 HR, 126 RBI, .319/.412/.598, 5 SB, 154 wRC+, 7.0 fWAR in 146 games
For most of the season, the NL MVP was a two horse race, but a red-hot second half from Anthony Rendon, coupled with a quieter second half from Cody Bellinger and an injury to Christian Yelich, made it interesting at the end. Rendon slashed an impressive .304/.386/.611 with 20 home runs in the first half, but he caught fire in the second, slashing .389/.462/.674 with 12 home runs over 49 games from there until September 4th. However, he slowed back down over the last few weeks of the season, slashing .194/.381/.347 the rest of the way and effectively falling out of the race. Still, the final product of 34 home runs, a .319/.412/.598 line, and a major league-leading 126 RBI made him perhaps the biggest on-field reason why the Nationals surged the way they did. On the glove side, Rendon was as steady as they come, making all the routine plays as well as the regular highlight reel play. In the National League, perhaps only Cody Bellinger could match Rendon's value on both sides of the ball this year.

Others:
CF/SS Ketel Marte (ARI, 32 HR, .329/.389/.592, 10 SB, 7.0 fWAR)
RHP Jacob deGrom (2.43 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 255/44/204 K/BB/IP)
CF Ronald Acuna (ATL, 41 HR, .280/.365/.518, 5.6 fWAR)
3B Nolan Arenado (COL, 41 HR, .315/.379/.583, 5.9 fWAR)
C Yasmani Grandal (MIL, 28 HR, .246/.380/.468, 5.7 fWAR)

American League Cy Young
Winner: RHP Justin Verlander (Houston Astros)
Stat Line: 21-6, 2.58 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 300/42 K/BB in 223 IP
You could pick either Justin Verlander or Gerrit Cole here and you wouldn't be wrong. Those who pick Cole probably value more strikeouts, which Cole had (326 to 300 or 39.9% K-rate to 35.4%), while those who value limiting baserunners probably choose Verlander (0.80 WHIP to 0.89). Now, the 36 year old Verlander had one of his finest seasons to date, reaching 200 innings for the 12th time in the past 13 years and reaching 300 strikeouts for the first time ever. He led the American League in wins (21), innings pitched (223), WHIP (0.80), and strikeout to walk ratio (7.14:1), tied for the lead in starts (34), finished second to Cole in ERA (2.58) and strikeouts (300), and even threw a no-hitter. He went at least six innings in 29 of his 34 starts, which in today's game is unheard of. He never allowed more than four runs, earned or unearned, in any game, and struck out at least seven batters in 27 starts. That consistency also carried over to the longer term, as he never posted a WHIP above 0.92 in any given month and only had one month with an ERA above 2.68. At this point, he has cemented himself as one of the top pitchers of the 21st Century.

Runner-up: RHP Gerrit Cole (Houston Astros)
Stat Line: 20-5, 2.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 326/48 K/BB in 212.1 IP
Gerrit Cole struck out 326 batters in 2019 and led the American League in ERA. Nobody has struck out that many in a season since Randy Johnson struck out 334 in 2002. Furthermore, Cole's 39.9% strikeout rate was the best EVER a starting pitcher. And not just by a hair, by 2.4% over Pedro Martinez's 37.5% in 1999! That's incredible. He also finished the season exceptionally strong, going 11-0 with a 1.79 ERA, a 0.74 WHIP, and a 156/18 strikeout to walk ratio over 95.2 innings in the second half. In the month of September, he was absolutely untouchable, posting a 1.07 ERA, a 0.64 WHIP, and a 74/7 strikeout to walk ratio over 42 innings – if you're counting, that's a 48.7% strikeout rate over an entire month. All those strikeouts combined with elite run prevention and baserunner prevention makes for one hell of a season.

Honorable mention: RHP Shane Bieber (Cleveland Indians)
Stat Line: 15-8, 3.28 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 259/40 K/BB in 214.1 IP
Before the season, how many of you had Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole finishing one and two for the Cy Young? Probably quite a few. How about Shane Bieber finishing third? Now that's a surprise. His season started modestly enough, as he ran a 3.81 ERA through May 13th, threw a complete game shutout to bring it down to 3.22 on May 19th, but had it back up at 4.07 by June 9th. However, he spun a 12 strikeout gem against the Tigers on June 15th, and from that start onwards, he went 10-6 with a 2.89 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and a 163/20 strikeout to walk ratio over 137 innings to close out the season. While his complete game, 15 strikeout, no run performance against Baltimore on May 19th was his best by the numbers, he came back on July 24th with a second complete game shutout, this time allowing just three baserunners while striking out ten. His third complete game on August 3rd made him one of only two AL pitchers this year with three complete games, the other being Lucas Giolito. Despite relative anonymity at the start of the season, he led all American League pitchers not named Verlander or Cole in innings (214.1), strikeouts (259), WHIP (1.05), and strikeout to walk ratio (6.48:1), though of course he was third to those two in each category.

Others:
RHP Charlie Morton (TB, 3.05 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 240/57/194.2 K/BB/IP)
RHP Lance Lynn (TEX, 3.67 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 246/59/208.1 K/BB/IP)
LHP Mike Minor (TEX, 3.59 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 200/68/208.1 K/BB/IP)
RHP Lucas Giolito (CWS, 3.41 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 228/57/176.2 K/BB/IP)
RHP Mike Clevinger (CLE, 2.71 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 169/37/126 K/BB/IP)

National League Cy Young
Winner: RHP Jacob deGrom (New York Mets)
Stat Line: 11-8, 2.43 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 255/44 K/BB in 204 IP
For a while, it was a two horse race between Hyun-Jin Ryu and Max Scherzer, but both slowed down in the second half while Jacob deGrom picked it up. After starting the season with 13 shutout innings and 24 strikeouts to two walks, he scuffled a bit over the rest of April and had a 4.85 ERA when the month closed, and another rough start on May 17th left him 2-5 with a 3.98 ERA through nine starts. However, he turned it on from there, finishing 9-3 with a 1.91 ERA over his last 23 starts. He continually got stronger as the season wore on, as that run included a 1.44 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP, and a 117/19 strikeout to walk ratio over 94 innings in the second half. He went exactly seven innings in eleven of his last twelve starts, allowing one earned run or fewer in nine of those. In the end, the only thing he led the NL in was strikeouts (255), but he still finished a close second in ERA (2.43) and WHIP (0.97) and third in innings pitched (204).

Runner-up: RHP Jack Flaherty (St. Louis Cardinals)
Stat Line: 11-8, 2.75 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 231/55 K/BB in 196.1 IP
Jack Flaherty's 2019 season started plainly enough, holding a 3.77 ERA over the first two months of the season, but a rough June left him with a 4.90 ERA heading into his July 7th start. However, since then, he's been the best pitcher in the National League, going 7-3 with a 0.93 ERA, a 0.70 WHIP, and a 130/24 strikeout to walk ratio over 106.1 innings to close out the year. Over those last 16 starts, he allowed zero or one run 13 times and only once allowed more than five hits in a game (six on July 21st). The end result was that he and Jacob deGrom were the only National League pitchers to throw at least 190 innings with an ERA below 3.20, and his 0.97 WHIP was the best in the league.

Honorable mention: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Stat Line: 14-5, 2.32 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 163/24 K/BB in 182.2 IP
This one was really close between Ryu and Stephen Strasburg, but I ultimately went with Ryu based on the complete dominance he had in most of his starts despite missing some time. The major league ERA leader stumbled a bit in the second half, including a four start stretch in August and September where he allowed 21 earned runs and 38 baserunners in 19 innings (9.95 ERA, 2.00 WHIP), but up until there, he had been virtually untouchable. Heading into that stretch, Ryu was 12-2 with a 1.45 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and a 121/17 strikeout to walk ratio over 142.2 innings. He never struck out a ton of batters, reaching double digits in just one start, but he still had ten scoreless starts of at least six innings out of his 29 total, and in two more he allowed unearned runs but no earned runs. His two best starts of the season may have come back to back, when he tossed a four hit, no walk, six strikeout, complete game shutout against a strong Braves lineup on May 7th then followed it up with eight shutout innings on one hit, one walk, and nine strikeouts against a strong Nationals lineup on May 12th. In the end, he led the majors with a 2.32 ERA and the National League with a 3.3% walk rate.

Others
RHP Stephen Strasburg (WSH, 3.32 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 251/56/209 K/BB/IP)
RHP Max Scherzer (WSH, 2.92 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 243/33/172.1 K/BB/IP)
RHP Walker Buehler (LAD, 3.26 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 215/37/182.1 K/BB/IP)
LHP Clayton Kershaw (LAD, 3.03 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 189/41/178.1 K/BB/IP)
LHP Sonny Gray (CIN, 2.87 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 205/68/175.1 K/BB/IP)

End of Season Awards: MVP

Below are my picks for the AL and NL MVP's. These are my picks, not predictions

American League Most Valuable Player

Winner: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees): 52 HR, 114 RBI, .284/.422/.627 slash, .430 wOBA, 173 wRC+, 9 SB, 8.2 fWAR

One of the greatest rookie seasons in history came to a close with the end of the regular season, with Aaron Judge setting the rookie record with 52 home runs in 155 games for the Yankees. It took him just 82 games to reach 30 home runs, then after hitting just seven over his next 48 games, he finished with 15 in his final 25 games get the Yankees to the Wild Card. His .185/.353/.326 August, which included just three home runs, knocked him out of the top spot for MVP contention, but his September turned back all the doubters when he slashed .311/.463/.889 with 15 home runs, the 15 home runs and .889 slugging percentage being his highest marks for any month. He may have finished with 208 strikeouts, but when he hit the ball, it was going somewhere, as he slugged 1.018 on balls he actually made contact with. For reference, that's an expected value of more than one base just for making contact. When everything is put together, Judge the American League in home runs (52), runs scored (128), walks (127), and fWAR (8.2), all by surprisingly wide margins. The next best in each of those stats, respectively, were Khris Davis (43 HR), Jose Altuve (112 runs), Edwin Encarnacion (104 walks), and Altuve (7.5 fWAR). Mike Trout was able to top Judge in most rate stats, so Judge's .422 on-base percentage, .627 slugging percentage, 1.049 OPS, .430 wOBA, and 173 wRC+ were just behind Trout, but Judge gets the edge due playing 41 more games than his counterpart.

Runner-up: Jose Altuve (Houston Astros): 24 HR, 81 RBI, .346/.410/.547 slash, .405 wOBA, 160 wRC+, 32 SB, 7.5 fWAR

For much of the second half of the season, Altuve was engaged in a race with the slumping Aaron Judge for the AL MVP Award, and even looked like a frontrunner for stretches. However, Judge caught fire again in September, and Altuve's relatively pedestrian final month (.296/.390/.442, 3 HR) allowed Judge to take back over. This takes nothing away from the monster season that Altuve had, as the 5'5" second baseman proved  in hits (204) and batting average (.346) while also stealing 32 bases and knocking 24 home runs. Much of that was buoyed by a stretch of hitting between June 27th and July 28th that can be described as nothing short of insane. Over that 24 game stretch, Altuve slashed .510/.549/.765 with four home runs and nine stolen bases, raising his slash line from .319/.393/.521 to .369/.433/.585. At least in my book, it is a second straight season of just missing the award, but if he keeps hitting like this, he will win one eventually.

Honorable Mention: Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels): 33 HR, 72 RBI, .306/.442/.629 slash, .437 wOBA, 181 wRC+, 22 SB, 6.9 fWAR

Had Trout played a full season, he likely would have beaten out Aaron Judge for his third AL MVP Award. Unfortunately, a thumb injury forced him to miss nearly two months, and playing in 114 games, he was "only" able to be the third most valuable player in the AL. In those 114 games, though, he was a one-man wrecking crew, leading the AL in most rate stats, including on-base percentage (.442), slugging percentage (.629), OPS (1.071), wOBA (.437), and wRC+ (181). Additionally, he finished third in fWAR (6.9) and walks (94) despite playing 40+ fewer games than the players ahead of him. He did this all with virtually no protection in the lineup (hence the 94 walks, or an 18.5% rate), creating his own production and punishing opposing teams. He also posted his second straight 20-20-20-.400 season (HR, SB, 2B, OBP) and the third of his career (would be fourth if not for a .399 OBP in 2012). He now has 54.4 career fWAR, 156th all time and easily the most among players with fewer than 1000 games (next is 1880's second baseman Fred Dunlap at 39.5).

Just missed: Corey Kluber (18-4, 2.25 ERA, 0.87 WHIP), Jose Ramirez (29 HR, .318/.374/.583, 6.6 fWAR), Chris Sale (17-8, 2.90 ERA, 0.97 WHIP)

National League Most Valuable Player

Winner: Giancarlo Stanton (Miami Marlins): 59 HR, 132 RBI, .281/.376/.631 slash, .410 wOBA, 156 wRC+, 2 SB, 6.9 fWAR

As it turns out, our two MVP's are very similar players. In fact, Aaron Judge was frequently compared to Giancarlo Stanton as a "best case scenario" as he was rising through the minors, and look what we've got. As it turns out, Stanton had a pretty fantastic season in his own right, cracking 59 home runs in a pitchers' park while setting career highs in every offensive category except walks, batting average, and on-base percentage. Stanton led the National League in home runs (59), RBI (132), and slugging percentage (.631), meanwhile finishing second in fWAR (6.9), wRC+ (156), OPS (1.007), and runs scored (123) and third in wOBA (.410). In addition, he did so in Marlins Park, which isn't the most hitter-friendly venue, didn't have a significant amount of lineup protection outside Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich, and played solid outfield defense, saving runs with his cannon arm. Perhaps the most notable piece of his season was a 25 game stretch from August 4th to August 29th, when he cracked 18 home runs, drove in 36, scored 27 runs, and slashed .387/.532/1.032 to place himself in the MVP race. Despite slashing just .245/.355/.509 with eight home runs in September/October, he was able to hold on in the absence of Bryce Harper, combining some of the best offense in baseball with enough defense to earn the MVP award.

Runner-up: Joey Votto (Cincinnati Reds): 36 HR, 100 RBI, .320/.454/.578 slash, .428  wOBA, 165 wRC+, 5 SB, 6.6 fWAR

Nobody in baseball hit like Joey Votto this year. If he provided any defensive value at all, he'd be the easy MVP, but as a first baseman in a hitters' park, he'll take the runner-up slot. Votto this year led the NL in games played (all 162), walks (134), on-base percentage (.454), OPS (1.032), wOBA (.428), and wRC+ (165), being as close to a machine at the plate as you can get. This is the third time in his career he has tallied more than 130 walks in a season, but although walks are his calling card, he does much more. When he was actually swinging, the Reds first baseman cracked 36 home runs and 34 doubles, slugged .578, and struck out just over once every other game (83 total). It actually took him a little bit of time to get going this year, as he slashed .237/.333/.539 with six home runs through his first 21 games. Then, in 141 games from April 26th onwards, he slashed .333/.472/.584 with 30 home runs, a pace nobody else in baseball could keep up with.

Honorable Mention: Anthony Rendon (Washington Nationals): 25 HR, 100 RBI, .301/.403/.533 slash, .394 wOBA, 142 wRC+, 7 SB, 6.9 fWAR

The National League's fWAR leader isn't Stanton, Votto, Blackmon, or Bryant, but Anthony Rendon. By combining excellent offense and defense, his numbers fit Fangraphs just right to make him, according to their data evaluation, the most valuable player in the NL. I don't fully trust their defensive evaluation, but Rendon had a darn good season. Sparked by arguably the greatest single-game performance of the season on April 30th, Rendon posted an on-base percentage north of .400 while adding power (25 HR, 41 doubles) and amazing defense at third base. As of the morning of April 30th, his season actually wasn't going too well, as he was slashing .226/.316/.250 without a home run through the season's first 22 games. Then, against the Mets in game 22, he cracked out six hits: two singles, a double, and three home runs, while scoring five runs and driving in ten. From that game on, he slashed .316/.420/.590 with 25 home runs over 126 games, of course with some of the best defense in the league at third base. Rendon was one major reason that when potential MVP Bryce Harper went down in August, the Nationals were able to keep hitting and winning in his absence (with a shoutout to Ryan Zimmerman).

Just missed: Charlie Blackmon (37 HR, .331/.399/.601, 6.5 fWAR), Kris Bryant (29 HR, .295/.409/.537, 6.7 fWAR), Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, 0.90 WHIP)