From Joe Sheehan:
With the BBWAA awards being announced this week, here are my picks:
AL MVP: Mookie Betts
NL MVP: Jacob deGrom
AL Cy Young: Blake Snell
NL Cy Young: Jacob deGrom
AL Rookie: Shohei Ohtani
NL Rookie: Ronald Acuna, Jr.
AL Manager: Alex Cora
NL Manager: Bud Black
It would be a crime if Snell won the Cy Young.
31 starts over just 180 IP. That’s under 6 IPs per start. Failed to complete 6 innings in over 1/3 of his starts (11 of 31). Didn’t even come close to pitching 8 innings in any start (highest was 7.1 IP). I’d give it to Verlander.
Have no problems with Acuna but i’d pick Soto because of his meteoric rise.
Acuna and Soto both have a 3.7 fWAR. But Soto has the WPA edge by a 3.46 to 1.96 edge.
FWIW, McNeil had a 2.7 fWAR and a 0.85 WPA in about half the playing time. Soto really came through in some big spots.
Managers:
Council by a hair over Snitka
Kevin Cash by a mile over Cora. Sorry Brian.
MVPs:
Betts and Yelich
CY:
Snell by a hair over Verlander
The Man by a mile over Nola
After looking at baseball savant, I would go Verlander over Snell.
These were Joe Sheehan’s picks, not mine.
Yankee fans seem to be quite incredulous that Ohtani won. It was no contest for me, one of the two did something historic, period.