We at Last Word On Sports are proud and excited to bring you the first annual LWOS MLB Season Awards. We hope you enjoy part one: the National League Awards.
Cy Young Award
Brandon Murphy: Jake Arrieta – He had arguably the best second half in the history of baseball (12-1, 0.82 ERA in his last 15 starts). It’s also hard to deny a pitcher who has 20+ wins and a sub-2.00 ERA.
Joshua Greenberg: Jake Arrieta – I’ve got to give it to Arrieta. I know that Greinke had the more consistent season, but the way Arrieta has revived his career in Chicago is just spectacular. And he was the definition of nasty in the second half
Bilal Vakani: Clayton Kershaw – Kershaw has been, well… Kershaw. Somewhere, Vin Scully is smiling to himself.
Sean Couch: Zack Greinke – He truly doesn’t get the respect he deserves and is constantly living in the shadow of last season’s Cy Young and MVP winner, Clayton Kershaw. A career year in 2015 may change that. With his 18-3 record, 1.65 ERA, .848 WHIP, and 8.7 WAR, he is the winner here.
Ryan Ram: Zack Greinke – While Jake Arrieta has been untouchable the second half, Greinke has been more consistent throughout the entire season and had one of the longest scoreless streaks of all time. Kershaw should be strongly considered too, and all three are deserving, but I’ll go with Greinke, who also has the lowest ERA and WHIP.
Andrew Ferrall: Zack Greinke – Jake Arrieta is a close second, but Greinke takes it. While Clayton Kershaw has struggled to live up to his 2014 Cy Young and MVP, Greinke reminded everyone that he could be the ace for any team that didn’t have Kershaw. Let’s not forget the 45 consecutive scoreless inning that he pitched as well.
Ryan Dumouchel: Zack Greinke – This was a very close race between Greinke and Jake Arrieta. While Arrieta has an edge in the actual race (look over there, somebody won 20 games in a season, let’s all act like this is really the best way to evaluate a pitcher), Greinke has been so good it’s absurd. Headed into the last week of the season, his ERA, WHIP, and ERA+ are actually stronger than the totals he posted in his 2009 Cy Young Award-winning season.
Greg Hogan: Jake Arrieta – Nobody could complain about any of Greinke, Kershaw, or Arreita taking this one, but I’m going with Arreita. He had a once-in-a-century type of second half. He’s been at his best when the Cubs needed it most.
Alex Levy: Jake Arrieta – He won 22 games and had a historic second half, posting the lowest post-All Star break ERA ever.
Eric Kabakoff: Jake Arrieta – I wouldn’t argue Greinke here, but Arrieta has provided more value to his team, with Jon Lester having his issues and Jason Hammel cooling off after a hot start. Replace Arrieta with an average pitcher and the Cubs don’t sniff the playoffs. Do the same with Greinke and the Dodgers probably still do. I still regret trading Arrieta off my fantasy team in June.
Nick Primeau: Zack Greinke – His ERA has been sub-two all season long, and he had that midseason scoreless inning streak. He suffered only three losses all season. He owns the best WHIP this season, and one of the best ever, and is nearly top ten in strikeouts. Arrieta has been better down the stretch but Greinke has been the best pitcher in baseball all season.
Most Valuable Player
BM: Bryce Harper – 22-year olds aren’t supposed to be doing what Harper is doing. First in home runs and batting average, and 5th in RBI in the NL… did I mention he’s 22?
JG: Bryce Harper – Usually I love being the contrarian, but there is no way Harper isn’t the unanimous MVP. We must suspend the notion that MVPs play for good teams. Knowing the BBWA, however, that “rule” will keep Harper from winning it unanimously.
BV: Bryce Harper – It’s hard to see Harper not taking this one. It amazes me that Major League Baseball and the Nationals have not found a way to get Harper out there more as one of the faces of the league.
SC: Bryce Harper – This is really a no-brainer for me. His 1.125 OPS and league-leading 10.2 WAR make him the clear choice.
RR: Bryce Harper – Don’t penalize Harper because his team did not make the playoffs; Harper is having a historic season for a player his age and is the clear choice in the NL. He has been the best player in all of baseball this season.
AF: Bryce Harper – Hands down, this one goes to Harper. Say what you will about the Nats’ meltdown this season, but you have to admit that the only constant in DC was Harper. He could take any borderline contender to the next level. Hopefully, the Nationals will realize that they need to lock him down and build around him with a good manager and more consistent players. If they don’t, I see pinstripes or Dodger blue in his future.
RD: Bryce Harper – In my mind, the definitions of “Most Valuable Player” and “Best Player” aren’t necessarily the same thing. Typically, I will reserve my MVP vote for someone who has been a dominant player AND is on a playoff-bound team. However, sometimes a player has a season that is SO dominant that these definitions get thrown out the window and there is no way around giving them the MVP despite the fact that the team they play for is basically a burning dumpster fire, which is exactly what is going on here.
GH: Bryce Harper – This one is a no-brainer. What else could possibly be said about Haper? Him winning this award will be a silver lining in an otherwise awful season for Washington.
AL: Bryce Harper – At just 22 years old, his numbers are monstrous: 41 HR, 117 R, 97 RBI and a 9.9 WAR.
EK: Bryce Harper – He gets it for having the strongest offensive season in ages by many metrics. He finally broke out, and did so without much protection in the batting order. The Nationals spiraled out of the race, but where would they be without him?
NP: Bryce Harper – He is first in the NL in home runs, fifth in RBI, first in average, first in slugging, and first in OPS. He has been far and away the best player in his league all season and even though the Nationals are a huge disappointment, that isn’t on Harper. Imagine how bad they would have been without him.
Rookie of the Year
BM: Kris Bryant – It started in spring training and never stopped. Bryant leads all rookies in home runs and RBI, and the Baby Cubs are poised to end the curse once and for all.
JG: Matt Duffy – After losing Pablo Sandoval to the Red Sox, the Giants were expected to experience a huge drop-off at the hot corner. That never happened. Looking back, I’m quite sure the Giants are thrilled with how that exchange went. Duffy has been a force. He has similar offensive numbers to popular ROTY choice Kris Bryant while being a better defender at the same position. But what really gives him the edge, in my mind, is that nobody saw it coming.
BV: Kris Bryant – I have to admit I laughed when I saw people reaching for Bryant in fantasy drafts. In what may just be a huge coincidence, it was a tough year for me in fantasy sports almost across the board. The Cubs are starting to show some of the promise many had looked for (not me).
SC: Chis Heston – The NL is literally flooded with Rookie of the Year candidates, and it is hard to pick a clear winner. I’m going with Heston because he threw a no-hitter as a rookie. That feat alone puts him in elite company.
RR: Kris Bryant – Bryant is the clear choice in the NL. He is already hitting for power and getting on base at a fantastic clip. It has been a great year for rookies, but Bryant is a cut above the rest and is already living up to his potential.
AF: Kris Bryant – He absolutely lived up to the hype. Even though he got off to a slow start after his delayed call up controversy, he’s been steady ever since. I think he gives the Cubs a real chance once the postseason comes around, and will be an exciting guy to watch for years to come.
RD: Kris Bryant – Going into this season, there was a lot of hype surrounding Bryant. He started the season in the minors for “additional seasoning and, um, other stuff”. Yes, Bryant has some minor things to work on, such as his strike out rate. However, he has been a major contributor to the Cubs turnaround this season, as he’s hit for power and a respectable average. He has been well above the average hitter overall.
GH: Kris Bryant – No real doubt here that Bryant takes it. I would love to put Matt Duffy in this spot, but Bryant has run away with the award over the past month.
AL: Kris Bryant – He crushed the starting pitching of other NL playoff teams and posted a .321 batting average, a .982 OPS, and 26 HR. He is just staggering.
EK: Kris Bryant – He lived up to the hype in a big way and did so while missing the early part of the season.
NP: Kris Bryant – After spending nearly the entire season in the big leagues, he is first in HRs, first in RBI, seventh in AVG., second in OBP, fifth in OPS among rookies, and has been the most impressive rookie in baseball all season. He made himself a huge part of CHC lineup in his first year, with big power numbers and a high average and OBP. Jung Ho Kang may have been my choice if not for his injury.
Manager of the Year
BM: Terry Collins – NO ONE expected the Mets to win the NL East. Collins starts every year on the hot seat in a tough media town, but Sandy Alderson never gave up on him, and his players didn’t either.
JG: Joe Maddon – If he can break the curse, he’ll be catapulted into the ranks of baseball’s legendary managers. As things stand right now, the job he did managing this team, especially during the early-season Kris Bryant drama, deserves to be recognized. I almost went with Clint Hurdle here, but somehow I just expect the Pirates to be good now. It’s weird, I know.
BV: Joe Maddon – The job Maddon has done with the Cubs has almost met the lofty expectations that surrounded the team at the start of the season. Securing a wild card appearance is a big step in the right direction for the future of the club.
SC: Joe Maddon – The Chicago Cubs have arrived in every sense of the word, thanks in large part to the efforts of their new manager. Maddon took a losing team and almost immediately turned them into a playoff contender for the first time since 2008.
RR: Mike Matheny – See this article :http://old.lastwordonsports.com/2015/08/19/congratulations-mike-matheny-your-2015-nl-manager-of-the-year/.
AF: Joe Maddon – I don’t think there is any other manager in baseball who could have made the Cubs into a World Series contender in just one season. He has his team convinced that they are just as good as the Pirates and Cardinals. They will need that attitude in the postseason.
GH: Clint Hurdle – He has the Pirates positioned for one of their best seasons in franchise history. He’s made all the right moves in all the tough spots.
AL: Joe Maddon – Do I even need to justify this?
EK: Don Mattingly – He juggled many egos and moving parts, dealt with injuries to Kershaw and Puig, and managed a patchwork rotation apart from Kershaw and Greinke. And all this after it seemed in the offseason that the team didn’t even want him.
NP: Terry Collins – The Mets were missing David wright for the majority of the season. Collins managed a young pitching staff and Matt Harvey drama, and kept the team above water with a mediocre offense.
Part two of the 2015 LWOS MLB Season Awards will feature our picks for the American League, and part three will follow shortly after that. What will part three cover, you ask? Stay tuned to find out.
Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
