MLB awards: Way-too-early 2019 award predictions
By Drew Douglas
Now that all of the 2018 MLB awards have been given out, we take a shot at predicting who might be honored a year from now.
In order to ease baseball fans into the offseason and pass time until the hot stove begins, MLB gives out its awards throughout the first couple weeks of November. 2018 was a great season around the league, and we have had the pleasure of seeing baseball’s biggest stars rewarded for their efforts with MLB awards.
Ronald Acuna and Juan Soto, each under 21 years of age, battled it out in the National League East and NL Rookie of the Year race. Acuna ended up taking home the hardware, but both players have tremendous futures ahead of them.
In the American League, Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani was named Rookie of the Year over Yankee youngsters Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres. Although Ohtani’s rookie year was cut short by injuries, he displayed the unprecedented potential as a two-way player that made him a highly-coveted free agent last offseason.
Acuna’s manager, Brian Snitker, was named the National League Manager of the Year for leading the Atlanta Braves to their first division title since 2013. Meanwhile, Bob Melvin was named the American League’s top skipper for leading the Oakland Athletics throughout their magical 97-win season.
After winning two consecutive National League Cy Young Awards, Max Scherzer finished in second behind Jacob deGrom. Scherzer’s 300 strikeouts propelled him to a top-five finish for the sixth straight year, but deGrom’s historic 1.70 ERA was impossible to ignore.
In the junior circuit, 25-year-old Blake Snell took home the Cy Young Award over veterans Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber. With just 180.2 innings pitched, Snell set the record for fewest innings pitched in an award-winning season.
Finally, Christian Yelich was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player after falling just short of the triple crown. His breakout year played a large role in the Milwaukee Brewers supplanting the Chicago Cubs atop the NL Central, and he was rightly rewarded for it.
The Boston Red Sox had a historic season, winning 119 games between the regular season and playoffs, and their leader, Mookie Betts, was rewarded for his efforts with the American League MVP Award. Betts’ first World Series ring is the real prize, but an MVP Award is a nice cherry on top.
Now, with 132 days until Opening Day, we take a shot at predicting who will be honored a year from now.