MLB awards not as easy to hand out this season

Some years it’s a yawner. Everyone knew last year, for instance, that Mike Trout was going to win the American League MVP, that Clayton Kershaw was a shoo-in for the National League Cy Young, and he was a pretty good bet for the NL MVP, too.

This year, though, won’t see so many cakewalks. There will be two, both in the NL, but six others look to be too close to call. Not even CNN, MSNBC and Fox News are ready to declare winners.

Let’s begin with a layup:

NL MVP: Bryce Harper, Nationals

This isn’t close and shouldn’t be close, and the Yoenis Cespedes for MVP movement better not have any serious traction. He’ll appear on some ballots, for sure, but his work in two months in no way has been as valuable as Harper’s in six months, even if his work has been for the most disappointing team in the majors. He’s been an on-base machine (.462 on-base percentage) with incredible pop (42 homers, .650 slugging percentage) and an average that has waffled around .330 the past five months. Native Texan Paul Goldschmidt has been excellent for Arizona, and Joey Votto has quietly been an elite player for Cincinnati. Right-handers Zack Greinke and Jake Arrieta could even appear on some ballots, but none should threaten Harper in his breakthrough season.

AL Cy Young: David Price, Tigers/Blue Jays

Dallas Keuchel could very easily win this award, for his outstanding work for the surprising Astros. Going 15-0 at Minute Maid Park is no joke, nor is what he did against the Astros’ top division rivals. But it’s not a complete picture, as he has endured some road woes and September has been his worst month. Price, meanwhile, has lived up to the trade-deadline hype, going 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA, but he was pretty darn good before Detroit sent him north of the border (9-4, 2.53 ERA). He also has been better, albeit marginally, in the second half and considerably better on the road. Don’t forget the hype factor. Price, the 2012 winner, has been in front of more cameras late this season than Keuchel, too.

NL Cy Young: Jake Arrieta, Cubs

No Zack Greinke? It could happen. As fantastic as the Dodgers’ right-hander was over the first half, Arrieta has been better for the Cubs in the second half. The former TCU star has a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium among his brilliant second half (record 0.75 ERA) and even more amazing August and September (10-0, 0.44 ERA). For those who still value the win, Arrieta has 22 of them. Greinke, on the other hand, has been special all season. His ERA has ballooned from 1.39 at the All-Star break all the way to 1.68. That’s Greg Maddux territory. Yeah, not bad. Greinke benefits from pitching in LA, San Francisco and San Diego much of the season, but also has to toil some at Colorado and at Arizona. Arrieta could benefit from playing for a team no one expected to be this good.

AL Rookie of the Year: Carlos Correa, Astros

In the Year of the Rookie across baseball, the Astros’ shortstop proved to be the best in the AL. But it was close, with hits machine Francisco Lindor, another shortstop, in Cleveland making a push and possibly overtaking Correa. Correa, though, is the best player on the Houston club at age 21, combining power, maturity and quality defense the numbers don’t recognize. He’s going to hit 30 homers a season and be a future MVP candidate. He might even appear at the bottom of some MVP voters’ ballots this year.

NL Rookie of the Year: Kris Bryant, Cubs

The second awards layup. A popular preseason choice for this award, Bryant was called up a few weeks into the season and hasn’t disappointed. He hasn’t hit for the same kind of average he did in the minors and is far from a finished product defensively, but the power and production were there. He has made good on his status as the game’s top prospect entering the season. The pool of candidates is deep, and Bryant isn’t the lone quality rookie on the Chicago roster. The vote beneath him should be interesting just because the sheer volume of good rookies, but they’ll all be looking up at Bryant.

AL Manager of the Year: Jeff Banister, Rangers

To the victor go the spoils. If the Rangers win the AL West, a shocker considering the injuries and early-season struggles of a few key cogs, Banister becomes the front-runner for this award over the Astros’ A.J. Hinch. Banister benefitted from a trade-deadline roster overhaul, but he survived until then without a hot Shin-Soo Choo, with a shouldn’t-have-been-playing Adrian Beltre and a had-to-go-to-the-minors Rougned Odor. Banister also turned the Rangers’ fortunes by putting Mike Napoli in left field and Mitch Moreland at first base against left-handers. Unorthodox? Sure. Desperate? Yeah. But it worked.

NL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, Cubs

Mike Matheny withstood injuries galore in St. Louis to post the best record in baseball, but Joe Maddon took a team full of rookies and unproven, disappointing or discarded older players, aside from Jon Lester, Jason Hammel and Anthony Rizzo, to an unexpected playoff appearance in his first year. Having the top rookie and two top starting pitchers didn’t hurt the Cubs’ chances, but no one thought they had much of a chance to avoid a losing season. They have, and they have a chance to make a postseason run.

This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 4:20 PM with the headline "MLB awards not as easy to hand out this season."