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)

2018 Dugout Edge Regular Season Awards: MVP's and Cy Youngs

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

American League MVP
Winner: Mookie Betts (Boston Red Sox)
Stats: 32 HR, .346/.438/.640, 30 SB, 185 wRC+, 10.4 fWAR in 136 games
This award is so, so close with Mike Trout and I want so, so badly to give it to him, but I think Mookie Betts has Trout by just a hair. While Trout has the higher on-base percentage (.460 to .438), Betts has the higher slugging percentage (.640 to .628), leading to very similar wOBA's of .449 for Betts and .447 for Trout. Adding in park factors, Trout's 191 wRC+ tops Betts' 185, though Betts' stronger defense helps him win the fWAR battle 10.4 to 9.8. To help confirm the defensive edge for Betts, he recorded ten outs above average (Statcast) to Trout's eight. And, though I don't believe in using team winning percentage to qualify an MVP, it can help be a tiebreaker (but only in absolute ties), and Betts wins there. Again, as much as Trout deserves more MVP awards and as much as I want to give it to him, Betts was just a hair better. Now, to focus on Betts, his season was absolutely phenomenal. With a .346/.438/.640 slash line as well as 30 stolen bases and ten outs above average, he showed not only skill but exceptional proficiency in all facets of the game: power, on-base ability, speed, and defense. Meanwhile, his 14.8% strikeout rate was fairly low for today's standards, especially for a power hitter, and he established himself as arguably the second best player in the game after Trout. His 13.2% walk rate was also a career high. Betts lead the American League in runs (129), batting average (.346), slugging percentage (.640), extra base hits (84), wOBA (.449), and fWAR (10.4) while finishing second in doubles (47), on-base percentage (.438), OPS (1.078), and wRC+ (185). This was mostly possible due to an exceptionally hot stretch from April 1st to May 25th in which he slashed .372/.446/.793 with 17 home runs and a 23/20 strikeout to walk ratio over 44 games. That included his best game of the season on April 17th when he homered three times and walked twice in five trips to the plate in the Red Sox 10-1 win over the Angels, including leading off the game with a home run off Shohei Ohtani.

Runner-Up: Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
Stats: 39 HR, .312/.460/.628, 24 SB, 191 wRC+, 9.8 fWAR in 140 games
Another year, another exceptional season from Trout. In fact, his 191 wRC+ and .447 wOBA set career highs in what has likely been his best offensive season ever. This is why it is so difficult for me not to give Trout the MVP award, and it reflects more on Mookie's incredible season than any shortcomings whatsoever for Trout, and Trout remains the best player in the league by far. In 2018, he led the American League in wRC+ (191), walks (122), on-base percentage (.460), and OPS (1.088) while finishing second in wOBA (.447) and fWAR (9.8) and fourth in home runs (39) and batting average (.312). He also added eight outs above average and stole 24 bases, showing, like Betts, the ability to change the game in every facet. He continued his career trend of being completely allergic to slumps, posting an OPS of at least 1.045 in all five full months that he was healthy (.867 in three March games and .873 when missing all but eight August games to injury). He was unstoppable at home (.296/.469/.583) and on the road (.328/.450/.672), against lefties (.292/.452/.540) and righties (.318/.462/.656), and before (.310/.454/.606) and after (.316/.472/.684) the All Star Break. Of note is an eight game stretch in June where he knocked four home runs and slashed .696/.771/1.261 against Seattle, Oakland, and Arizona. He also had his best game of the season on September 8th, when he punished the White Sox by swatting three singles and two home runs as part of a 5-5 performance in the Angels' 12-3 win.

Honorable Mention: Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Indians)
Stats: 39 HR, .270/.387/.552, 34 SB, 147 wRC+, 8.1 fWAR in 157 games
As with Trout and Betts, the race for third place is exceptionally close between Jose Ramirez and Alex Bregman, though I think Ramirez wins by a hair. He didn't league the league in anything, but he finished in the top five in walks (106), fWAR (8.1) stolen bases (34), home runs (39), runs scored (110), RBI (105), slugging percentage (.552), OPS (.939), total bases (319), on-base percentage (.387), extra base hits (81), wRC+ (147), and wOBA (.393). While his .270 batting average hampered his real stats enough that he doesn't quite factor into the MVP conversation, his power/patience/speed combination was among the best in baseball. In fact, he was the first player to hit 30 home runs, steal 30 bases, and draw 100 walks in a season since Bobby Abreu way back in 2004 (though Mike Trout came three home runs away in 2013 and one home run away in 2016). He was fantastic and on pace with Trout and Betts in the first half (.302/.401/.628, 29 HR), but a second half slump (.218/.366/.427, 10 HR) dropped him out of the MVP race.

Others
Alex Bregman (HOU, 31 HR, .286/.394/.532, 10 SB, 157 wRC+, 7.6 fWAR)
J.D. Martinez (BOS, 43 HR, .330/.402/.629, 6 SB, 170 wRC+, 5.9 fWAR)
Francisco Lindor (CLE, 38 HR, .277/.352/.519, 25 SB, 130 wRC+, 7.6 fWAR)
Justin Verlander (HOU, 16-9, 2.52 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 290/37 K/BB, 214 IP)
Blake Snell (TB, 21-5, 1.89 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 221/64 K/BB, 180.2 IP)

National League MVP
Winner: Jacob deGrom (New York Mets)
Stats: 10-9, 1.70 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 269/46 K/BB, 217 IP in 32 starts
Again, while this wasn't as close as the AL MVP race, choosing a pitcher, in this case Jacob deGrom, ahead of a hitter, in this case Christian Yelich, is always difficult. Not only are comparisons difficult, but it's hard to get over the stigma that the MVP award ~should~ go to a position player. That said, while Yelich had a great season, deGrom was exceptional. In 31 of his 32 starts, he allowed no more than three runs (earned or unearned), and he allowed just four in that one other start. That means that deGrom gave his team the chance to win, without exception, in every single one of his 32 starts. Of course, the Mets' offense and bullpen had other ideas, but that's not deGrom's fault. Yelich was pretty great, but while his season was more in line with typical top-of-the-league production (i.e. typical MVP candidate), deGrom put up one of the finest pitching seasons in recent memory, and that's why I chose him over Yelich. I'll write more in the Cy Young section.

Runner-Up: Christian Yelich (Milwaukee Brewers)
Stats: 36 HR, .326/.402/.598, 22 SB, 166 wRC+, 7.6 fWAR in 147 games
In terms of the best position player, Christian Yelich is a fairly easy pick. He led the National League in fWAR (7.6), wRC+ (166), wOBA (.422), batting average (.326), slugging percentage (.598), and total bases (343). With four outs above average in the outfield, he proved to be a positive contributor on defense as well, helping him check all the boxes between power, on-base ability, speed, and defense. Unlike Betts and Trout, who were consistent contributors throughout the season, Yelich was pretty good before the All Star Break (.292/.364/.459, 11 HR) before catching fire for the entire second half of the season. In 65 games post-break, he knocked 25 home runs and slashed .367/.449/.770, with the batting average, slugging percentage, and 1.219 OPS leading all major leaguers after the break. His second half run helped spur the Brewers on a furious chase for the NL Central crown, which they ultimately won in Game 163 as Yelich knocked three hits and stole a base. Yelich also became the first player since Aaron Hill in 2012 and just the fifth ever with two cycles in the same season, with his first cycle on August 29th being his best game of the season: 6-6, three singles, double, triple, home run, three RBI, two runs scored in Brewers' 13-12, extra inning win over the Reds.

Honorable Mention: Javier Baez (Chicago Cubs)
Stats: 34 HR, .290/.326/.554, 21 SB, 131 wRC+, 5.3 fWAR in 160 games
This number three spot was really difficult to choose from, with Javier Baez, Anthony Rendon, and Nolan Arenado all coming very close. In fact, Rendon and Arenado put up virtually identical seasons when taking ballpark into context. Even though Baez's 5.3 fWAR was lower than both Rendon's 6.3 and Arenado's 5.7, I have to go with Baez. The .326 on-base percentage is low, in most cases too low to be considered the third most valuable player in the league and second most valuable position player, but everything else about his game was top notch. He slugged 34 home runs for a very good .554 slugging percentage, stole 21 bases, played great defense, and provided a spark for his team every time he touched the ball. It's that last part that makes me look past the fWAR and let Baez rank ahead of Rendon and Arenado, because Baez made his teammates better and because he simply makes baseball fun. It's good for the Cubs' brand, and while branding shouldn't play a significant role in selecting MVP candidates, it's a nice tiebreaker. It's also cool that his first half (.292/.326/.566) and second half (.289/.326/.540) were virtually identical, which is not common for a player who strikes out as much as Baez does.

Others
Anthony Rendon (WSH, 24 HR, .308/.374/.535, 140 wRC+, 6.3 fWAR)
Nolan Arenado (COL, 38 HR, .297/.374/.561, 132 wRC+, 5.7 fWAR)
Paul Goldschmidt (ARI, 33 HR, .290/.389/.533, 144 wRC+, 5.1 fWAR)
Max Scherzer (WSH, 18-7, 2.53 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 300/51 K/BB, 220.2 IP)
Aaron Nola (PHI, 17-6, 2.37 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 224/58 K/BB, 212.1 IP)

American League Cy Young
Winner: Justin Verlander (Houston Astros)
Stats: 16-9, 2.52 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 290/37 K/BB, 214 IP in 34 starts
We're over a year past the trade that sent Justin Verlander from Detroit to Houston, yet it still feels weird to write "Houston Astros" next to his name. Anyways, Verlander's 2.52 ERA may have been the third best in the American League (fourth if you include Chris Sale, who just missed qualifying for the ERA title), but his season was truly remarkable if you look a little bit deeper. Among qualifiers (sorry Chris Sale), he led the AL in games started (34), strikeouts (290), WHIP (0.90), opponents' on base percentage (.242), strikeouts per walk (7.84), and strikeout rate (34.8%) while finishing second in innings (214) and third in ERA (2.52) and walk rate (4.4%). While Blake Snell's ERA is significantly better, Verlander threw far more innings, kept more runners off base, and did so while working with a somewhat less effective defense behind him. Verlander's season itself was fairly streaky, as he began the season on a mad run that saw him with a 7-2 record, a 1.11 ERA, a 0.71 WHIP, and a 98/15 strikeout to walk ratio at the end of May. However, from the start of June through the end of August, he went 6-7 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP, though his K/BB was an excellent 142/17 over 99.2 innings in that stretch. He then closed the season with a 1.09 ERA, a 0.64 WHIP, and a 50/5 strikeout to walk ratio in September. I chalk it up to BABIP (luck): his opponents' BABIP was .210 in that first stretch, .249 in the second, and .238 in the third. His best start came on May 2nd, when he kept the Yankees off the board for eight shutout innings, allowing three hits, no walks, and one hit batsmen while striking out 14.

Runner-Up: Blake Snell (Tampa Bay Rays)
Stats: 21-5, 1.89 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 221/64 K/BB, 180.2 IP in 31 starts
On the surface, Blake Snell's numbers look better than Verlander's. I don't care that he won more games, but the ERA is significantly lower (with RA9's checking out similarly between Snell's 2.04 and Verlander's 2.65) is certainly a factor. However, as I explained with Verlander, Snell threw 33.1 fewer innings over three fewer starts, which in and of itself is not a deal breaker, but he also allowed more baserunners (0.97 WHIP to Verlander's 0.90) due to a 9.1% walk rate that was more than double Verlander's 4.4%. His 31.6% strikeout rate was also slightly lower than Verlander's 34.8%, and he had the benefit of slightly better defense behind him. Snell got better and better as the season went on, because as of May 13th, he was 4-3 with a 3.12 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and a 53/16 strikeout to walk ratio. However, he turned his season from a good one to a great one right there, going 17-2 with a 1.37 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP, and a 168/48 strikeout to walk ratio over 131.2 innings. After the All Star Break, he never allowed more than two runs (earned or unearned) in any single start, his 1.17 ERA and 0.79 WHIP both leading the majors. Overall, that helped him lead the AL in ERA (1.89) and opponents' OPS (.554).

Honorable Mention: Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox)
Stats: 12-4, 2.11 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 237/34 K/BB, 158 IP in 27 starts
Further down the workload chain is Chris Sale, who missed qualifying for the ERA leaderboards by just four innings due to a shoulder injury that limited him to just 17 innings in August and September combined. However, if he did qualify, he would have led the league in WHIP (0.86), opponents' OPS (.532), and strikeout rate (38.4%). Even with that massive strikeout rate, he was able to keep his walk rate down at a very reasonable 5.5%, well below Snell's 9.1%. He is the kind of pitcher where on his best days, he's unhittable, and I'd wager that Sale's best is better than anyone else's best. From June 24th to September 16th, he had the best nine start stretch of any pitcher this season: 6-0, 0.19 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, 82/6 K/BB in 48 innings.

Others
Corey Kluber (CLE, 20-7, 2.89 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 222/34 K/BB)
Gerrit Cole (HOU, 15-5, 2.88 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 276/64 K/BB)
Trevor Bauer (CLE, 12-6, 2.21 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 221/57 K/BB)
Blake Treinen (OAK, 9-2, 0.78 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 100/21 K/BB)
Mike Clevinger (CLE, 13-8, 3.02 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 207/67 K/BB)

National Leauge Cy Young
Winner: Jacob deGrom (New York Mets)
Stats: 10-9, 1.70 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 269/46 K/BB, 217 IP in 32 starts
I wrote a bit about Jacob deGrom in the MVP section, but I'll expand a bit here. Not only does deGrom deserve this award, but he deserves to be unanimous. It's not even close. The major league ERA leader was untouchable in his 32 starts, allowing three or fewer runs in all but one and allowing just four runs in the other start. In no individual month was his ERA above 2.36, and he never posted a WHIP above 1.07. Literally every time he took the mound, he put the Mets in a position to win. He wasn't streaky and he didn't get blown up from time to time and make up for it with gems. He simply dominated from his first start (5.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 K vs Cardinals) to his last start (8 IP, 0 ER, 10 K vs Braves). Through it all, opponents slashed just .196/.244/.277, their .521 OPS coming out to the MLB's lowest since Zack Greinke and Jake Arrieta both allowed a .507 OPS in 2015. This wasn't just the best year by any pitcher this year, but I'd wager it was the best since 2015's Greinke (1.66 ERA, 200/40 K/BB) and Arrieta (1.77 ERA, 236/48 K/BB.

Runner-Up: Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals)
Stats: 18-7, 2.53 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 300/51 K/BB, 220.2 IP in 33 starts
Max Scherzer may have had the third best ERA in the National League, but his 0.91 WHIP, 300 strikeouts, 34.6% strikeout rate, and 220.2 innings pitched all led the league. It may have actually been the best year of his Hall of Fame career, yet deGrom was so good that he finishes second here and it's not really that close. He did seem to slide just a bit as the season progressed, beginning with a 1.62 ERA in March/April, a 2.21 ERA in May, 2.31 in June, 3.18 in July, 1.89 in August, and a 4.24 ERA in September. His best start of the season came on April 9th, when he tossed a complete game shutout against the Braves while allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out ten. Overall, opponents slashed just .188/.247/.332 against Scherzer, hitting for some moderate power but otherwise struggling to get on base.

Honorable Mention: Aaron Nola (Philadelphia Phillies)
Stats: 17-6, 2.37 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 224/58 K/BB, 212.1 IP in 33 starts
From the start of September, we knew that it was going to be a three horse race for the NL Cy Young Award between deGrom, Scherzer, and Aaron Nola. Nola comes out in third place here, but not by much. His 2.37 ERA beat Scherzer's 2.53 despite poor defense behind him, and by throwing 212.1 innings, his workload was in the same ballpark as deGrom's 217 innings and Scherzer's 220.2. However, his 224/58 K/BB, which is still great, falls behind deGrom's 269/46 and Scherzer's 300/51. Interestingly, Nola only had five scoreless starts all season, instead relying on consistency and never allowing more than four runs, earned or unearned, in a single start. He was like deGrom in that sense, only not as good, in giving the Phillies the chance to win every single time he took the mound. His best start came on July 9th against the Mets, where he tossed seven shutout innings on one hit, one walk, and ten strikeouts in New York.

Others:
Kyle Freeland (COL, 17-7, 2.85 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 173/70 K/BB)
Miles Mikolas (STL, 18-4, 2.83 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 146/29 K/BB)
Patrick Corbin (ARI, 11-7, 3.15 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 246/48 K/BB)
Mike Foltynewicz (ATL, 13-10, 2.85 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 202/68 K/BB)
Zack Greinke (ARI, 15-11, 3.21 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 199/43 K/BB)

Brewers Pull Off Major Trade to Acquire Christian Yelich

Brewers Get: Christian Yelich: 18 HR, .282/.369/.439, 16 SB, 115 wRC+, 4.5 fWAR

Marlins Get: Lewis Brinson: 2 HR, .106/.236/.277, 1 SB, 30 wRC+, -0.2 fWAR

Minor leaguers Isan Diaz: 13 HR, .222/.334/.376, 9 SB, 104 wRC+ at High Class A

Monte Harrison: 21 HR, .272/.350/.481, 27 SB, 135 wRC+ at Class A and High Class A

Jordan Yamamoto: 9-4, 2.51 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 113/30 K/BB, 111 IP at High Class A

This Marlins-Brewers trade is clearly a lot to take in, and I think both sides were big winners here. First, we'll talk about the Brewers and Christian Yelich. To get him, the Brewers dealt from positions of depth, namely outfield (Brinson and Harrison), middle infield (Diaz), and the mound (Yamamoto). Because they had depth at these positions, despite the quality of the prospects given up, the farm system won't hurt too bad, especially with regards to Yelich coming on board., who will play all of 2018 at 26 years old, has a very team-friendly contract with four years and $44.5 million left on it, which could be turned into a five year deal worth $58.25 million if they skip the buyout and pick up his $15 million option for 2022. Simply put, he'll be a Brewer for a long time and he won't be overly expensive. The Milwaukee super outfield, which before the trade consisted of Ryan Braun, Keon Broxton, and Domingo Santana with Lewis Brinson and Brett Phillips as backups, now includes Braun, Yelich, and Lorenzo Cain, who was signed on the same day, with Santana and Broxton serving as backups. Santana and Broxton may be the two best backup outfielders in the league, as Santana cracked 30 home runs with a .371 on-base percentage last year, while Broxton hit 20 homers and stole 21 bases. In my opinion, they have to trade one of them and get something of value in return, because both (especially Santana) would be worth more as another team's starter than as a Brewers backup. Yelich can hit at or near the top of the lineup with Cain to set up for Braun, Eric Thames, Travis Shaw, and Orlando Arcia. Yelich himself is a complete player who hasn't gotten much attention due to playing in Miami, but he is coming off back to back 4.5 win seasons. In 2016, he slashed .298/.376/.483 with 21 home runs and nine stolen bases for a 132 wRC+, and in 2017, he slashed .282/.369/.439 with 16 home runs and 16 stolen bases for a 115 wRC+. Fangraphs liked his defense and base running better in 2017, which enabled him to match his 4.5 fWAR from 2016 despite the lower offense. He also had interesting home/road splits, slashing .271/.356/.401 with seven home runs at pitcher-friendly Marlins Park but upping his line to .292/.380/.472 with nine home runs on the road. Considering Milwaukee's Miller Park tends to lean hitter-friendly, his numbers could get a big boost. This is huge for the Brewers. For his career, the Southern California native has 59 home runs, a .290/.369/.432 slash line, 72 stolen bases, and 17.2 fWAR over 643 games, all with the Marlins.

Going back to Miami is a massive haul of prospects, and for once, I think the Marlins did very well. First off, Lewis Brinson is a potential star who could, at best case scenario, single handedly replace Yelich on the team. One of those "mega-athletes," Brinson was selected 29th overall out of a Florida high school in 2012, and while it took him some time to climb the ladder, he's ready to make a big impact in 2018. Missing time in the minors due to a hamstring injury, he still slashed .331/.400/.562 with 13 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 76 games for AAA Colorado Springs, an admittedly Coors Field-type atmosphere, but still good enough for a 146 wRC+. His 62/32 strikeout to walk ratio wasn't remarkable, but given the type of player Brinson is, it's good enough and the Marlins will take it. He struggled a bit in his 21 games in the majors, slashing .106/.236/.277 with a pair of home runs in 21 games, but he did draw seven walks in 55 plate appearances. With his combination of power and speed, he could be a star in Miami. He turns 24 in May. Second baseman Isan Diaz isn't coming off his best season, as he slashed just .222/.334/.376 with 13 home runs for High Class A Carolina, but there is reason to believe there is more in the tank. The 70th overall pick in the 2014 draft out of a western Massachusetts high school, he has a powerful uppercut swing with some nice bat speed that reminds many of Cody Bellinger. He has trouble recognizing pitches and putting the barrel to the ball (evidenced by a 26.6% strikeout rate this year), but he is patient and can draw a walk as well (13.6% walk rate). If he can get his hands and his eyes in sync, he could be a starting second baseman in the majors with some pop. He turns 22 in May. Monte Harrison was another high draft pick, having been taken 50th overall in the same 2014 as Diaz out of a Kansas City-area high school, though it took until this year to get going. After three mediocre seasons, he began 2017 at Class A Wisconsin, and he finally got his bat going by slashing .265/.359/.475 with 11 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 63 games. Promoted to High Class A Carolina, he handled the transition with ease, slashing .278/.341/.487 with 10 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 59 games. His walk rate may have dropped from 11.1% to 5.6%, but given that the rest of his game transitioned up without a hitch, it's a success. Compare it to his three mediocre seasons before hand (where he hit 12 total home runs in 204 games). He has work to do to maintain this success, and he turns 23 in August so he's not the youngest prospect around, but he's certainly trending in the right direction. Lastly, Jordan Yamamoto, a 12th round pick from the same 2014 draft out of a Hawaii high school, had a decent breakout season at Class A Wisconsin in 2016 (3.82 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 152/31 K/BB) before really coming into his own at High Class A Carolina this year. In 22 games (18 starts), Yamamoto went 9-4 with a 2.51 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and a 113/30 strikeout to walk ratio 111 innings. In his final four starts, he tossed 27 shutout innings on 17 hits, four walks, and 27 strikeouts. He should be ready for AA in 2018, and he turns 22 in May.