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MLB Awards Predictions

By Brad Rowland

Mar 24, 2015; Surprise, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout bats against the Texas Rangers in a spring training game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2015; Surprise, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout bats against the Texas Rangers in a spring training game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) sprints to first base with a single in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) sprints to first base with a single in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

AL MVP

  1. Mike Trout, OF Los Angeles Angels – If you aren’t picking Mike Trout to win the AL MVP, you are being cute. Trout is the best player in baseball by any stretch of the imagination, and only an outdated notion of what the MVP looks like has kept him from taking home the hardware in three consecutive seasons. Amusingly, the now 23-year-old Trout “took a step back” in 2014, earning only 8.0 fWAR as a result of some shaky defensive metrics, but the outfielder flashed previously unseen power (36 home runs) to off-set that perceived decline. It would be nice to see Trout cut down on the strikeouts in favor of more walks or “improve” his defense to the level of the previous two years, but all that Mike Trout must do to win another MVP is replicate what he has accomplished in three straight MLB campaigns. I’m betting that he can do just that.
  2. Miguel Cabrera, 1B/DH Detroit Tigers – Cabrera will be 32 years old for the majority of the 2015 season, and with that, this may be his last season as a full-blown megastar. However, he has one more elite season in his bat. A “down” year for Cabrera in 2014 consisted of a .312/.371/.524 slash line and 25 home runs, but if he can inch closer to his per-season averages from the 10 previous seasons, the MVP race may be more than a one-man runaway. It should help Miguel Cabrera to get some DH at-bats, provided Victor Martinez is healthy enough to play first, and staying upright for 162 games could be the difference between a top-10 finish and a top-2 finish.
  3. Josh Donaldson, 3B Toronto Blue Jays – Like Jason Heyward in the National League, Donaldson’s candidacy is predicated on his elite defense at an important position. If he isn’t the best defensive 3B in MLB, he’s close, and Donaldson has blasted 24 home runs or more in back-to-back seasons. His new home in Toronto should be helpful in building on the all-important power numbers that many associate with the MVP award, and Josh Donaldson is the rare combination of offense, defense, age (29) and a perfect new setting for his talents.
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