MLB awards: Way-too-early 2019 award predictions

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 28: National League Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer speaks during the 2018 Baseball Writers' Association of America awards dinner on Sunday, January 28, 2018 at the Sheraton Times Square hotel in New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

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AL Manager of the Year: Bob Melvin, Oakland Athletics

After being named the American League Manager of the Year in 2018, Bob Melvin became just the eighth manager to win the award three times. In 2019, he will join Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox as the only managers to win the award four times.

Melvin led the A’s on a magical run that resulted in their first postseason appearance since 2014. They fell short, but that should not take away from their extraordinary season. Now, they will return a very similar roster in 2019.

If the A’s are able to add a starting pitcher or two this offseason, they will remain a force in the American League. A.J. Puk, their second-ranked prospect, should also make his major league debut in 2019 after missing all of last year recovering from Tommy John Surgery, which will help.

Dethroning the Astros atop the AL West is a tall task, especially for a team with as low a budget as the A’s, but Oakland will at least be in the running for a Wild Card spot.

With three Manager of the Year awards already under his belt, Melvin has a good shot at Cooperstown. A fourth would make him a virtual lock.

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