Award Winners Predictions

Something I originally intended to do before the season started on March 29th ended up being forgotten and put off for nearly 2 weeks until I sat down at my computer yesterday and realized that I still hadn't voiced my award winners predictions for the 2018 MLB season.

It's still too early in the year to tell who's gonna be a fluke and who will actually stay consistently good, but I still would've liked to get this post out sooner so the first 10 or so games didn't affect my choices. However, for the most part, my choices stayed the same with the only change coming regarding my pick for AL ROY. 

For the award winners, I stuck to the big 3 by choosing MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year winners for each league. I'll start with my choices for AL and NL MVP.

AL MVP: Francisco Lindor

2017 saw Lindor make drastic improvements in almost every category, most notably home runs, RBI, and doubles. However, this newfound power came at a price, his batting average which dropped from .301 to .273. His 2017 average was still very respectable, and the improvements he made in other areas allowed him to further establish himself as a top player in baseball. If he can keep his home run total around 30, hit 100+ RBI, and hit closer to what he hit back in 2016, I don't think he'll have much trouble securing the AL MVP award.

NL MVP: Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper will likely be playing at a higher level and with more effort this season than in any season in his career. This is because he will be a free-agent this offseason and is expected to earn possibly the largest contract in sports history. The dollar signs in Harper's eyes are going to propel him to become an unbelievable talent this season, maybe even more than his 2015 MVP season. He could even reach a level that could take the Nats past the first round of the playoffs (not likely though). Anyway, with free-agency looming and his future on his mind, the best thing Harper can do is play better than ever before, which would nearly guarantee him the NL MVP.

AL Cy Young: Chris Sale

It's pretty damn hard for a player to repeat as a Cy Young award winner, just look at Sale's teammate Rick Porcello. Therefore, while I do think the 2017 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber will have a good year, I don't think it will be a Cy Young season. Chris Sale was nearly unhittable last season until he ran into problems down the stretch where he started to pitch less, allow more runs, and simply wasn't the player he was up until the All-Star break. If he can evade his late season woes, he'll finally win the award he's finished in the top 6 in voting for since 2012. If not, Sale's first Cy Young award will have to wait another year to be won.

NL Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg 

While Strasburg's teammate Max Scherzer will be on most people's radars to take home the award for the 4th time in his career this season, I'll be watching Strasburg who became one of baseball's most improved pitchers in 2017. His 2.52 ERA was 4th in all of baseball and was 0.01 behind Scherzer's. He also finished top 15 in the league in strikeouts with 204, impressive for the 175 innings he pitched. If he stays healthy and ups his total number of strikeouts to around 240, I'd expect to see Strasburg at least back in the top 3 in voting for the 2nd year in a row. But a consistent season in which he can separate himself from Scherzer is what I'll be looking for from Strasburg to take home the Cy Young in 2018. 

AL Rookie of the Year: Rafael Devers

I'm not super knowledgeable when it comes to rookies, but Rafael Devers' performance when he was called up last season was nothing short of exceptional. He fit right in quickly became a fan-favorite at 3rd base, a position the Red Sox were struggling to fill all throughout last season. His power hitting was superb last season, but defense is where he lacked. So he learned to play 3rd from Mike Lowell over the offseason and looks poised to have a fantastic all-around season at 3rd base and take home AL ROY (barring any possibility of Miguel Andujar becoming the next Aaron Judge).

NL Rookie of the Year: Rhys Hoskins

I don't focus on the NL as much as I focus on the AL. I don't focus on rookies as much as I focus on veterans. I don't watch the Phillies much, or at all really. In fact, I don't think I could name 7 NL rookies this season if you paid me. Therefore, NL ROY is the award I have the least confidence in regarding my pick, so I played it safe by choosing Rhys Hoskins. He too had a similar fate as Devers last season as he tore it up as a call-up last summer, even more so than Rafael. That's about all I know about Hoskins because, once again, I don't watch the Phillies. But if he does what people say he can do, then maybe my pick will be safe.