MLB Awards Watch: The final ballot

The AL rookie pursuit turned out to be closer than most people thought it would be, but the “incumbent” held on (for dear life) in my view. Fulmer has been the leader in the clubhouse for some time, and there is a reason for that. The right-hander finished among the top 10 pitchers in the AL in bWAR (4.9) while zooming past 3 fWAR, and Fulmer’s 3.06 ERA was good for a top-five mark in the league. The peripherals painted a different picture throughout the year, but Fulmer’s lack of strikeout upside did not come back to bite him in a huge way, and he was able to maintain his year-long numbers despite relative struggles in the final weeks. This isn’t a decisive victory (and we’ll see why in a second), but Fulmer is deserving.. SP. Detroit Tigers. Michael Fulmer. 1. player. 63

43. What an incredible performance. Gary Sanchez played in only 53 MLB games in 2016, but he did enough to warrant legitimate consideration for AL ROY and that tells you just how impressive he was. New York’s catcher of the future (and present) finished with 20 home runs in only 229 plate appearances, and Sanchez put together a slash line of .299/.376/.657 for good measure. His 171 wRC+ is off the charts and Sanchez was able to accumulate 3.1 fWAR despite his limited role throughout the year. Many people will lean in Sanchez’s direction over that of Fulmer, but I just can’t do it. The case would be different if not for a legitimate candidate in Fulmer, but Sanchez earning second place is noteworthy in and of itself.. C. New York Yankees. Gary Sanchez. 2. player