MLB Awards Watch: The final ballot
By Brad Rowland
Throughout the 2016 MLB season, we have weighed in with “updates” on each major individual award race in the league. Now, it is time to hand out the hardware.
As baseball fans know full well, the season is a marathon, meaning that the top spot in various races has changed hands on multiple occasions. Still, the best season-long performances are recognized in the end, and we have done our best to incorporate metrics, “traditional” stats and even the (very) occasional narrative.
To the awards we go, beginning with NL Rookie of the Year and moving on from there.
NL Rookie of the Year
Corey Seager. 1. player. 71. In the end, the NL Rookie of the Year race wasn’t a race at all. Corey Seager operated as the favorite throughout the campaign and he finished in a dominant position with 7.5 fWAR and 6.1 bWAR, cruising to the top based on top-flight offensive production and premium defense at arguably the most important position on the field. In truth, Seager is closer to the the top of the MVP race than he is to anyone else in the NL rookie pool, and the 22-year-old also played in 157 games for good measure. It was a banner year for Seager and he’ll be recognized by what should (hopefully) be a unanimous vote.. SS. Los Angeles Dodgers
Kenta Maeda. 2. player. 71. The number two spot is very much up for debate, but I’m rolling with Seager’s much older teammate. One of the “knocks” on Maeda is that he is 28 years old after a lengthy professional career abroad, but that won’t be a deterrent for me and his performance was crucial for the Dodgers in the wake of Clayton Kershaw’s injury issues. The right-hander finished third in the NL in fWAR (3.3) after submitting a season in which he ate through 175.2 innings with a 3.48 ERA (3.58 FIP) and Maeda was also impressive in striking out more than a batter per inning across 32 starts. Maeda’s highs weren’t nearly as high as some of the position players he is competing with here, but there is something to be said for stability and he brought that to the table all year.. SP. Los Angeles Dodgers
Washington Nationals. Trea Turner. 3. player. 90. I don’t love the precedent of anointing Turner after only 73 games, but he was that good. Aledmys Diaz, Trevor Story, Jon Gray and others deserve consideration here, but Turner was absolutely incredible in limited duty, zooming to the number two spot among position players in both WAR categories. His speed (33 SB) is off the charts, but Turner also defended well while adding a .342/.370/.567 slash line (147 wRC+) and, on a per-AB basis, there is an argument that he was even better than Seager. Watching those two players grow up in the near future should be a lot of fun, but Turner was so good that he couldn’t be ignored.. 2B/OF
Next: AL Rookie of the Year