2020 Awards Picks: MVP's and Cy Young's

If I were given a vote, below would be my picks for the AL and NL MVP and Cy Young Awards.

AL MVP: RHP Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians
Stat line: 8-1, 1.63 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 122/21 K/BB in 77.1 IP.
I think most people would prefer to choose a hitter as an MVP, but in a year in which not one American League hitter put up a 1.000 OPS while staying healthy for the whole two months, the door was opened for Shane Bieber and his unbelievable season. With all due respect to strong seasons from Jose Ramirez, DJ LeMahieu, Jose Abreu, and of course Mike Trout, it's a pretty easy pick for me to choose Bieber. Bieber led all AL pitchers in wins, ERA, and strikeouts and had the second best WHIP, and he did so with the second most innings in the league. With Francisco Lindor stumbling to a .258/.335/.415 slash line, the Indians really struggled to score runs with a lineup that saw only Ramirez break even an .800 OPS. The Tribe could not afford bad starts this year, and Bieber went at least five innings and allowed no more than three runs in each of his twelve starts. In fact, he allowed zero or one earned runs in seven of his twelve starts, putting even a futile Cleveland offense in position to win every single time he took the mound. And without his contributions, they would have been no better than a seven or eight seed, rather than the four seed they ended up with. The crowning achievement of his season likely came in just his second start, when he limited the eventual AL Central champion Twins to three baserunners over eight shutout innings while striking out thirteen.

Runner-Up: 3B Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians
Stat line: 17 HR, .292/.386/.607, 10 SB, 163 wRC+, 3.4 fWAR in 58 games.
Behind Shane Bieber, the AL MVP race is pretty jumbled, with five players finishing with an OPS between .987 and 1.011, none of which were particularly standout defenders. Jose Ramirez didn't actually lead the league in anything besides his 3.4 fWAR and 45 runs scored, but instead, was simply Very Good in lots of areas. He finished second in OPS (.993), third in home runs (17), doubles (16), RBI (46), and slugging percentage (.607), fifth in wRC+ (163) and stolen bases (10), and sixth in on-base percentage (.386). On an Indians team that absolutely could not hit, he was the only player with above an .800 OPS and essentially carried the entire offense. Bieber shut down the AL and NL Central divisions on his own, but when he wasn't on the mound, Ramirez was often tasked with single-handedly keeping pace with the Twins, White Sox, Cubs, and Cardinals offenses. His numbers need a slight asterisk because he wasn't facing the most difficult schedule in the Central division, but with good defense and baserunning ability that could not be matched by anybody in his realm of the MVP range, in addition to playing in all but two of the Indians' games, he still gets the edge.

Honorable Mention: OF Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Stat line: 17 HR, .281/.390/.603, 1 SB, 164 wRC+, 2.6 fWAR in 53 games.
If Mike Trout hadn't missed a few games for the birth of his son, I think he would clearly have the third spot, but at this point it's so close that I wouldn't argue with DJ LeMahieu, Jose Abreu, or even Anthony Rendon in this spot. Trout gets the slight edge because even though he only played in 53 games (T-45th in the AL), he still collected 241 plate appearances that had him tied for 15th in the league. Throw in 17 home runs and nearly a .400 on-base percentage, and you're pretty darn close to an MVP, never mind that his .993 OPS was actually below his 1.000 career OPS. Even in what wasn't his best season (and missing a few games), the best player in the world finished third in the league in home runs (17), RBI (46), and wRC+ (164), fourth in on-base percentage (.390), slugging (.603), and runs scored (41), and fifth in fWAR (2.6). He and guys like Rendon, Dylan Bundy, and David Fletcher did all they could to keep the Angels in the playoff hunt, but their extreme lack of depth cost them as they stumbled to a 26-34 record, three games out of a postseason spot.

Others: 2B DJ LeMahieu (NYY, 2.7 fWAR), 1B Jose Abreu (CWS, 2.7 fWAR), 3B Anthony Rendon (LAA, 2.8 fWAR), Kenta Maeda (MIN, 2.70 ERA), Gerrit Cole (NYY, 2.84 ERA)

NL MVP: 1B Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
Stat line: 13 HR, .341/.462/.640, 2 SB, 187 wRC+, 3.3 fWAR in 60 games.
To me, it's very very close between Freeman and Fernando Tatis, but Freeman just barely gets the edge because of his absolute dominance at the plate. The Braves' rotation was decimated by injuries and other problems in 2020, throwing their status as the NL's consensus second best team in doubt. But Freeman, combined with Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuña, made sure that runs were never really an issue and that they could win any slugfest. Freeman in particular was a one man wrecking crew, and if not for Juan Soto, his monster .341/.462/.640 slash line would have led the NL in each category. Not only that, but Freeman was one of just seven NL players to appear in all sixty games, and his 262 plate appearances put him third in the league. He hit in August (.330/.440/.582) and he hit in September (.375/.496/.750), not just bursting out with a couple weeks of excellence but maintaining it all season long. Aside from Soto and his 200 wRC+, no National League player has topped Freeman's 187 since Bryce Harper's 197 in 2015, and before that, not since Barry Bonds' 233 in 2004.

Runner-up: SS Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
Stat line: 17 HR, .277/.366/.571, 11 SB, 149 wRC+, 3.0 fWAR in 59 games.
I wanted to give this award to Tatis, I really did, and I would have strongly considered him ahead of Shane Bieber if he were in the AL. Even though he hit just .164/.242/.291 over his last 16 games, which is more than a quarter of the season, what he did in his first 43 games was unparalleled anywhere in either league. As of September 7th, before the slump started, he was hitting .314/.405/.663 with a league leading 15 home runs, but his value went beyond that. Tatis was one of the best defenders in baseball by multiple different measures, and with eleven stolen bases, he even finished fourth in the NL in that category. He energized the Padres' players, organization, and socially distant fanbase in a way that no other player did in 2020, and for that reason I believe his value goes well beyond the 3.0 fWAR he put up in 59 games. Take Tatis out of that lineup and I don't think the 37-23 Padres drop to 34-26, but to something more like 30-30. San Diego's biggest asset in 2020 was its energy, and Tatis was at the center. Had he played even average baseball over the last couple weeks of the season, I think he would have been the clear MVP.

Honorable mention: OF Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves
Stat line: 18 HR, .338/.431/.636, 0 SB, 179 wRC+, 2.5 fWAR in 60 games.
Here in the third spot, I wouldn't argue with Manny Machado, who carried the Padres through Tatis' slump on his way to a strong .304/.370/.580 season + his trademark defense, or Trea Turner, who had an unbelievable stretch in which he hit .471/.526/.816 over 21 games (over a third of the season!) and at one point collected fifteen hits in a four stretch. But Marcell Ozuna's continued offensive dominance over a "full," sixty game season could only be matched by his teammate Freddie Freeman, and his 18 home runs and 56 RBI finished atop the National League while his .431 on-base percentage and .636 slugging percentage weren't far behind. Looking at the Braves' final 35-25 record, you'd have no idea about their rotation problems or the fact that Ronald Acuña missed nearly a quarter of the season, and that's due to Freeman and Ozuna forming the best middle of the order in baseball by far. He kept Freeman from getting the Juan Soto/Barry Bonds treatment, and in total he produced as much offense as any non-Freeman player in baseball.

Others: RHP Trevor Bauer (CIN, 1.73 ERA), 3B Manny Machado (SD, 2.5 fWAR), SS Trea Turner (WSH, 2.7 fWAR), OF Mookie Betts (LAD, 2.9 fWAR), OF Juan Soto (WSH, 2.4 fWAR)

AL Cy Young: RHP Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians
Stat line: 8-1, 1.63 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 122/21 K/BB in 77.1 IP.
This was the easiest award to hand out by far, didn't have to think twice. See Bieber's MVP writeup for more details.

Runner-up: RHP Kenta Maeda, Minnesota Twins
Stat line: 6-1, 2.70 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 80/10 K/BB in 66.2 IP.
This #2 slot is very close between Maeda and Gerrit Cole, but Maeda's incredible ability to not only limit runs but limit baserunners gives him the edge. His 0.75 WHIP led both leagues by a good margin ahead of second place Trevor Bauer (0.79) and third place Dinelson Lamet (0.86), and it's actually the second lowest ever in a season behind Pedro Martinez's 0.74 in 2000 (Bauer, interestingly, is fourth best all time). In his eleven starts, Maeda went at least five innings in all of them and never allowed more than three runs in a start, but more impressively, he never allowed more than six baserunners in any start. His best work came on August 18th against the Brewers when he allowed one run on just three baserunners over eight innings, striking out twelve. With a lack of superstar seasons ahead of him (aside from Bieber), it's enough to place second in the league despite a 2.70 ERA.

Honorable mention: RHP Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
Stat line: 7-3, 2.84 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 94/17 K/BB in 73 IP.
I'm a sucker for a large body of work, so the fact that Gerrit Cole finished fourth in the American League with 73 innings is a big plus for me. Obviously that's not all he had going for him, also racking up the third most strikeouts (94), fourth best WHIP (0.96), and sixth best ERA (2.84) despite pitching in a heavy hitters' park and pitching most of his road starts in hitters' parks as well in Baltimore, Atlanta, and Buffalo. Still, he spun some gems and finished the season with three consecutive seven inning starts in which he allowed one run or fewer, and he struck out at least seven in ten of his twelve starts. Yankees fans may have had sky high, Cy Young or bust expectations (I should know – I'm engaged to one) and a 2.84 ERA might feel like a let down, but given the fact that he made just two starts in pitcher friendly parks this year and that he still kept his WHIP under 1.00 and struck out nearly 100, I'd call this exactly what New York paid for.

Others: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (TOR, 2.69 ERA), LHP Dallas Keuchel (CWS, 1.99 ERA), RHP Lance Lynn (TEX, 3.32 ERA), RHP Zach Plesac (CLE, 2.28 ERA), LHP Marco Gonzales (SEA, 3.10 ERA).

NL Cy Young: RHP Trevor Bauer, Cincinnati Reds
Stat line: 5-4, 1.73 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 100/17 K/BB in 73 IP.
It's been an interesting few years for Trevor Bauer, who never posted an ERA below 4.18 from 2012-2017 but dropped all the way to 2.21 in 2018, only to rocket back up to 4.48 in 2019. Now in 2020, he's coming off a year that could very well win him a Cy Young Award, and it was a 1.24 ERA and a 39/4 strikeout to walk ratio over his final four starts that fully pushed him past Jacob deGrom. Bauer's entire season was exceptional, with four different starts of a dozen or more strikeouts, eight out of eleven starts allowing either zero or one earned run, and all eleven where he pitched into the sixth inning. He led the National League in ERA (1.73) and WHIP (0.79) while finishing second in strikeouts (100) and sixth in innings pitched, all while pitching in a tough hitters' park in Cincinnati. This year, it was the Reds' offense that scuffled at times, not its pitching as had been the case in years past, and Bauer combined with Luis Castillo to form one of the best one-two punches in baseball. The short season obviously matters, but his 0.79 WHIP is technically the lowest in the history of the National League, and that counts for something.

Runner-up: RHP Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs
Stat line: 8-3, 2.01 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 93/14 K/BB in 76 IP.
I went back and forth between Yu Darvish and Dinelson Lamet for this spot, but Darvish gets the edge with seven more innings pitched, a slightly lower ERA, and similar dominance in terms of keeping runners off the bases. He was one of baseball's better pitchers from 2012-2016 with the Rangers before falling into more of an inconsistent, mid-rotation profile with the Dodgers and Cubs from 2017-2019. 2020 was the best we've ever seen from the Japanese hurler, in which he had the second best ERA in the National League. After allowing three runs over four innings in an unremarkable first start of the season, he allowed zero or one earned run in eight of his final eleven starts and went at least six innings in each of them. That consistency was key for a Cubs team that won the NL Central for the first time since 2017, and by eating 76 innings, he was third in the league. He did it by the strikeout, his 93 finishing fourth in the league, but he also did it with excellent command, his 1.66 walks per nine finishing second only to his teammate Kyle Hendricks.

Honorable mention: RHP Dinelson Lamet, San Diego Padres
Stat line: 3-1, 2.09 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 93/20 K/BB in 69 IP.
A three win pitcher as a top three Cy Young candidate? 2020 really is a different animal. After flashing strikeout stuff over his first two seasons sandwiched around Tommy John surgery, Dinelson Lamet put it all together in 2020 for baseball's most exciting team. In twelve starts, he put up a 2.09 ERA, struck out 93, and allowed just 39 hits in 69 innings. Aside from a precautionary early exit in his final start of the season, Lamet went at least five innings in all of his starts and never allowed more than six hits or three earned runs in any. He finished second in the NL in WHIP (0.86), third in ERA (2.09), and fourth in strikeouts (93). His .250 xwOBA (expected opponents' offense, essentially) was third in the NL behind only Bauer and Jacob deGrom, showing that his exceptional season was earned, too. If you've never seen a Lamet slider, you need to watch one of his starts.

Others: RHP Jacob deGrom (NYM, 2.38 ERA), RHP Kyle Hendricks (CHC, 2.88 ERA), LHP Clayton Kershaw (LAD, 2.16 ERA), RHP Corbin Burnes (MIL, 2.11 ERA), RHP German Marquez (COL, 3.75 ERA)

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)

First Half Awards

AL MVP: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees): 30 HR, 66 RBI, .329 AVG, 6 SB, 197 wRC+.

After a fairly miserable debut in 2016 (.179/.263/.345), Judge has been unstoppable in his first full season, slashing .329/.448/.691 with 30 home runs through 84 games, already setting the Yankees rookie home run record and winning a Home Run Derby. His 197 wRC+ shows that he's creating nearly twice as many runs as the league average hitter, and although he has struck out in 29.8% of his plate appearances, he has also walked in 16.7%, providing value in more than just home run power. His outside-the-zone swing percentage is down from 33.6% last year to 24.1% this year, showing sustainable success. Mark McGwire holds the rookie record with 49 home runs, but Judge is just 19 away and could easily become the first rookie ever to hit 50 in a season. His on-base percentage sits at .448 right now, and even if he follows Steamer's fairly pessimistic projection and posts a .352 OBP for the rest of the season, he'll still finish at .408, so he's the whole offensive package. He's been worth 5.5 fWAR this year, well ahead of second-place Jose Altuve's 4.4.

Runner-up: Jose Ramirez (Cleveland Indians): 17 HR, 48 RBI, .332 AVG, 10 SB, 157 wRC+.

After Judge, there are a lot of players who have produced about the same amount this year, but I chose to put Ramirez in the runner-up spot because of the ridiculous amount of lineup protection in Houston, where George Springer, Jose Altuve, and Carlos Correa all could easily fill this spot. Ramirez has put up his own crazy-good numbers without the same amount of protection in the lineup, slashing .332/.388/.601 with 17 home runs and 27 doubles through 86 games. Adding ten stolen bases and good defense at third base, he has been worth 3.9 fWAR, holding up more than his fair share of the responsibility as part of the Indians young dynamic duo with Francisco Lindor. He's been especially hot as of late, slashing .401/.446/.774 since June 3rd, spearheading the Indians' run to the top of the AL Central.

Honorable mentions: Jose Altuve (13 HR, .347 AVG, 18 SB, 161 wRC+), George Springer (27 HR, .310 AVG, 2 SB, 164 wRC+), Carlos Correa (20 HR, .325 AVG, 0 SB, 161 wRC+), Mike Trout (16 HR, .337 AVG, 10 SB, 208 wRC+)

NL MVP: Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals): 20 HR, 65 RBI, .325 AVG, 2 SB, 161 wRC+.

Bryce has been producing back at his 2015 levels, slashing .325/.431/.590 in the middle of a lineup that has been one of the most prolific in baseball. He sits second to Joey Votto in just about every offensive category, but because he adds value with good defense in right field, he truly contributes to the Nationals in every way he can. He slumped a bit in late May and into early June, but he seems to have rebounded and is slashing .433/.528/.700 in the month of July, currently sitting on an eight game hitting streak. Overall, he has been worth 3.8 fWAR.

Runner-up: Joey Votto (Cincinnati Reds): 26 HR, 68 RBI, .315 AVG, 3 SB, 167 wRC+.

Votto's edge over Paul Goldschmidt is razor thin, but I think he has just enough to take the runner-up spot, slashing .315/.427/.631 with 26 home runs through 88 games. Arguably the closest thing this generation of baseball players has to Ted Williams, Votto has walked in 16.1% of his plate appearances while striking out in just 10.9%. He hits for power, he gets on base, he makes the hitters around him better, and he's overall one of the very first bats I'd pick to be in my lineup this year. What's even crazier is that his .291 BABIP says that he may have been the recipient of bad luck so far, especially considering his career rate is .354, though his hard hit rate and soft hit rates aren't quite as stellar as they have been in the past, so who knows. What we do know is that Votto leads the NL in home runs (26), slugging percentage (.631), OPS (1.058), wOBA (.432), and wRC+ (167), and that he has been worth 3.8 fWAR.

Honorable mentions: Paul Goldschmidt (20 HR, .312 AVG, 13 SB, 153 wRC+), Daniel Murphy (14 HR, .342 AVG, 1 SB, 146 wRC+), Justin Turner (10 HR, .377 AVG, 2 SB, 183 wRC+), Ryan Zimmerman (19 HR, .330 AVG, 1 SB, 148 wRC+).

AL Cy Young: Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox): 11-4, 2.75 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 178/22 K/BB.

During his time with the White Sox, Sale bounced back and forth between "very good" and "excellent," and when he was shipped over to a tougher division and a tougher home park in Boston, it was expected that his numbers would revert back to "very good," at least at first, as had happened with David Price. However, Sale had no intentions of letting that happen, instead putting himself on pace for what may be the best season of his career with a 2.75 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. He has struck out 35.9% of the batters he has faced, which is a ridiculous number for a starter, meanwhile walking only 4.4%. He has been surprisingly consistent, as you might be surprised to hear he has just three scoreless starts this season, but he hasn't been blown up in any, either. His best start came on April 20th, when he struck out 13 Blue Jays over eight shutout innings, allowing four hits and walking just one. His worst start came in his return to Chicago, when the White Sox touched him up for six runs (five earned) over five innings, but he still struck out nine.

Runner-up: Dallas Keuchel (Houston Astros): 9-0, 1.67 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 69/18 K/BB.

Keuchel has only made eleven starts due to injuries, but no pitcher other than Chris Sale has been able to step in and firmly take over this runner-up spot, with even the best pitchers' ERA's creeping up close to 3.00. Over a month ago, when Keuchel made his most recent start, he was the clear front runner for the AL Cy Young Award, holding a 1.67 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and just 48 hits allowed in 75.2 innings. He has given up more than two runs in just one of his eleven starts, when manager A.J. Hinch left him in too long and he gave up three runs in the ninth inning while vying for a complete game. Other than that easily avoidable bad-on-paper start, he is 9-0 with a 1.20 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. When he's on the mound, he's easily been the most dominant pitcher in baseball this year, and we're eagerly awaiting his imminent return.

Honorable mentions: Corey Kluber (7-3, 2.80 ERA, 0.99 WHIP), Jason Vargas (12-3, 2.62 ERA, 1.15 WHIP), Ervin Santana (10-6, 2.99 ERA, 1.08 WHIP), Carlos Carrasco (10-3, 3.44 ERA, 1.08 WHIP).

NL Cy Young: Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals): 10-5, 2.10 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 173/27 K/BB.

Slowly and steadily, Max Scherzer has put up an amazing season. His 0.78 WHIP is lower than any full National League season since 1876, and if he can maintain the pace he is on, it will be the second lowest in MLB history, trailing only Pedro Martinez's 0.74 in 2000. He's also leading the MLB in ERA this year at 2.10, enough to give him the rare edge over Clayton Kershaw for NL Cy Young. He has absolutely dominated almost every time out, reaching double digits in strikeouts in 11 of his 18 starts and striking out at least one batter per inning in all 18. In terms of consistency, his worst month in terms of both ERA and WHIP was April, when he went 3-2 with a 2.94 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP, striking out 40 batters in 33.2 innings. Not bad for your worst month.

Runner-up: Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers): 14-2, 2.18 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 159/22 K/BB.

We're seeing classic Clayton Kershaw, as he is in the middle of posting his fifth straight season with an ERA below 2.20 and a WHIP below 0.95. Like Scherzer, the highest ERA he has posted in any month was a 2.43 mark in May, and he has shown the uncanny ability to bounce back from tough starts and keep them from snowballing. He has only allowed more than two runs in a game four times this year, but in his subsequent start after each of those games, he is 4-0 with a 0.94 ERA and a 0.59 WHIP, striking out 39 in 28.2 innings. Nobody gets to Kershaw two starts in a row, and that's part of what makes him great.

Honorable mentions: Zack Greinke (11-4, 2.86 ERA, 1.00 WHIP), Robbie Ray (8-4, 2.97 ERA, 1.22 WHIP), Ivan Nova (9-6, 3.21 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), Gio Gonzalez (7-4, 2.86 ERA, 1.23 WHIP).

AL Rookie of the Year: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees): 30 HR, 66 RBI, .329 AVG, 6 SB, 197 wRC+.

See MVP write-up. If Judge gets his projected 252 additional plate appearances this year (Steamer) and literally strikes out in every single one, he'd still slash .176/.290/.370 with 30 home runs, which would still theoretically have him in the running.

Runner-up: Andrew Benintendi (Boston Red Sox): 12 HR, 51 RBI, .279 AVG, 9 SB, 106 wRC+.

Benintendi won't catch Judge, but he's having a fine season in his own right. Through 82 games, Benintendi, who just over two years ago was still suiting up for the Arkansas Razorbacks, is slashing .279/.357/.446 with 12 home runs and nine stolen bases, showcasing an all around game that will be hugely valuable for the Red Sox in the coming years. If you look closer, though, he's actually having a better season than the numbers say. He had a horrible slump in which he went hitless in seven straight games from May 10th to the 17th, totaling 26 at bats, but outside of that, he's been putting up All Star numbers: all 12 of his home runs (obviously) with a .305/.375/.487 slash line. With his low .299 BABIP, he'll likely finish the season with better numbers than he has right now. He has been worth 1.4 fWAR this year.

Honorable mentions: Trey Mancini (14 HR, 44 RBI, .312 AVG, 1 SB, 133 wRC+), Jordan Montgomery (6-4, 3.65 ERA, 1.23 WHIP), Yulieski Gurriel (11 HR, 44 RBI, .297 AVG, 1 SB, 115 wRC+), Danny Barnes (2-2, 2.31 ERA, 0.90 WHIP)

NL Rookie of the Year: Cody Bellinger (Los Angeles Dodgers): 25 HR, 58 RBI, .261 AVG, 5 SB, 145 wRC+.

While Bellinger hasn't quite dominated the NL the way Aaron Judge has dominated the AL, he's been quite amazing in his 70 games, slashing .261/.342/.619 with 25 home runs. He may not hit .300 to back up his power, but he has supplemented his average .261 batting average with 33 walks, good for 11.3% of his plate appearances and a .342 on base percentage. Of course, when you're slugging over .600 with those 25 home runs, anything more than an acceptable OBP is just a bonus. He already has six multi-homer games. From May 5th to June 25th, a span of just 48 games, he blasted 21 home runs. His uppercut is, in my opinion, baseball's most aesthetically pleasing swing, and when you add in his great defense, he's a complete player. He's been worth 2.3 fWAR this season.

Runner-up: Kyle Freeland (Colorado Rockies): 9-7, 3.77 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 65/41 K/BB.

Freeland has been an enigma this year. The 8th overall pick of the 2014 draft, Freeland has kept his ERA under 4.00 despite pitching half his games in Coors Field, an extremely difficult place to be a pitcher. Oddly enough, he has been way better at Coors (5-4, 3.23 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) than he has been on the road (4-3, 4.35 ERA, 1.51 WHIP). Additionally, he's somehow getting it done with a low strikeout rate (14%) and a high walk rate (8.8%) that should theoretically hurt him in an environment where any ball put in play is dangerous. He has induced 1.8 ground outs for every fly out, so he does have that going in his favor. In his final start before the All Star Break, he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the White Sox and finished with 8.1 shutout innings on one hit, three walks, and nine strikeouts at Coors Field.

Honorable mentions: Jesus Aguilar (9 HR, 34 RBI, .294 AVG, 0 SB, 131 wRC+), Josh Bell (16 HR, 44 RBI, .239 AVG, 2 SB, 107 wRC+), Antonio Senzatela (9-3, 4.63 ERA, 1.24 WHIP), Ian Happ (13 HR, 31 RBI, .257 AVG, 3 SB, 122 wRC+).