2016 Gold Glove Awards

The 2016 Major League Baseball Gold Glove award winners were announced Tuesday night on ESPN. Given out each year to the players who are judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League, the award is voted on by the managers and coaches in each league (managers can not vote for their own players).

Marking the 60th annual Gold Glove Awards, which began back in 1957, there have been some terrific players to receive the honor. However, no other player has won more Gold Gloves in their career or in a row than Greg Maddux, who took home 18 total and 13 consecutively.

While Maddux’s records seem fairly safe for now, there were some winners for 2016 who could win quite a few Gold Gloves as the years go on. Here’s a recap of the winners, with my thoughts on each:

CATCHER

AL Nominees – James McCann, Carlos Perez and Salvador Perez

AL Winner – Salvador Perez (4th career)

NL Nominees – Jonathan Lucroy, Yadier Molina and Buster Posey

NL Winner – Buster Posey (1st career)

Salvador Perez picked up his fourth Gold Glove award, and rightfully so. His defense behind the plate has proved to be extremely valuable over the past several seasons, and he could easily win several more before his career is over. In the National League, despite Yadier Molina having won eight straight Gold Gloves, this year the award went to Buster Posey, who picked up his first ever Gold Glove.

PITCHER

AL Nominees – R.A. Dickey, Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander

AL Winner – Dallas Keuchel (3rd career)

NL Nominees – Jake Arrieta, Zack Greinke and Adam Wainwright

NL Winner – Zack Greinke (3rd career)

Pitchers aren’t generally known for being good fielders, but there are a number of them who can pick it. Dallas Keuchel and Zack Greinke each won their third career Gold Glove awards on Tuesday night, with each having proven their defensive worth in 2016. While they aren’t near Greg Maddux’s record number of Gold Gloves, they each are very deserving of the honor.

LEFT FIELDER

AL Nominees – Brett Gardner, Alex Gordon and Colby Rasmus

AL Winner – Brett Gardner (1st career)

NL Nominees – Adam Duvall, Starling Marte and Christian Yelich

NL Winner – Starling Marte (2nd career)

It came as a surprise to many that Brett Gardner was able to win his first career Gold Glove award, but his defense in left field for the Yankees was terrific this season and certainly worthy of the award. In the NL, Starling Marte truly broke out as one of the best left fielder in the game, taking home his second career Gold Glove award for the Pirates.

CENTER FIELDER

AL Nominees – Jackie Bradley Jr., Kevin Kiermaier and Kevin Pillar

AL Winner – Kevin Kiermaier (2nd career)

NL Nominees – Billy Hamilton, Odubel Herrera and Ender Inciarte

NL Winner – Ender Inciarte (1st career)

Jackie Bradley Jr., Kevin Kiermaier and Kevin Pillar were all absolutely amazing this season for their respective teams, making great plays night after night. But in the end, Kiermaier ended up winning the Gold Glove. Picking up the award for the opposite league was Ender Inciarte, who went from a somewhat unknown to a breakout player defensively in 2016.

RIGHT FIELDER

AL Nominees – Mookie Betts, Adam Eaton and George Springer

AL Winner – Mookie Betts (1st career)

NL Nominees – Carlos Gonzalez, Jason Heyward and Nick Markakis

NL Winner – Jason Heyward (4th career)

Despite his teammate, Jackie Bradley Jr., not winning the Gold Glove for center field, Mookie Betts was able to win his first career G.G. award for his play in right field. Also getting the award was Jason Heyward, who had a down year offensively, despite his huge offseason contract, but continued to dazzle with his glove, catching nearly every ball hit his way this season.

FIRST BASE

AL Nominees – Chris Davis, Eric Hosmer and Mitch Moreland

AL Winner – Mitch Moreland (1st career)

NL Nominees – Paul Goldschmidt, Wil Myers and Anthony Rizzo

NL Winner – Anthony Rizzo (1st career)

Both Mitch Moreland and Anthony Rizzo picked up their first career Gold Glove awards on Tuesday night, and both were very deserving. Although known more for their offense more that their defense, they each can pick it at first, and make key plays for their teams throughout any given season. While both are unique players, they each share the honor of winning a Gold Glove.

SECOND BASE

AL Nominees – Robinson Cano, Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia

AL Winner – Ian Kinsler (1st career)

NL Nominees – DJ LeMahieu, Joe Panik and Jean Segura

NL Winner – Joe Panik (1st career)

Although nothing beats watching Robinson Cano make a smooth play each night at second base for the Mariners, seeing Ian Kinsler make the great plays he does each season is a close second. Picking up the first Gold Glove of his career, Kinsler will look to maintain his defense into 2017. Joe Panik also wins his first Gold Glove award of his career, also making him a big player to watch moving forward.

SHORTSTOP

AL Nominees – Jose Iglesias, Francisco Lindor and Andrelton Simmons

AL Winner – Francisco Lindor (1st career)

NL Nominees – Brandon Crawford, Freddy Galvis and Addison Russell

NL Winner – Brandon Crawford (2nd career)

Francisco Lindor truly emerged onto the scene in 2016, becoming a household name and subsequently winning the first Gold Glove award of his career, and the first for an Indians shortstop since Omar Vizquel in 2001. Over in the National League, Brandon Crawford wins his second straight Gold Glove and has cemented himself as one of the best in baseball.

THIRD BASE

AL Nominees – Adrian Beltre, Manny Machado and Kyle Seager

AL Winner – Adrian Beltre (5th career)

NL Nominees – Nolan Arenado, Anthony Rendon and Justin Turner

NL Winner – Nolan Arenado (4th career)

The future Hall of Famer, Adrian Beltre, was able to win his fifth career Gold Glove award for his great performance all season long at the hot-corner in Texas. But the player who may turn out to be one of the top few third basemen defensively of all-time when all is said and done is Nolan Arenado. With the great plays Arenado makes each day, it’s no surprise to see him win the award for the fourth time in his career.

BBWAA Award Finalists Announced

It’s that time of year again. After months spent grinding things out throughout the baseball season, all leading up to the first World Series title for the Cubs in 108 years, award season is finally here.

Although the winners of the major awards won’t be officially announced until next week, the top three vote-getters were unveiled on Monday evening. For the mot part, I agree with the finalists for the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP awards, but there were a few I was surprised about.

Here are the top three players still in the running for the major MLB awards:

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

American League: Tyler Naquin, Gary Sanchez and Michael Fulmer

National League: Kenta Maeda, Trea Turner and Corey Seager

I have Gary Sanchez and Corey Seager winning the Rookie of the Year award.

CY YOUNG FINALISTS

American League: Corey Kluber, Rick Porcello and Justin Verlander

National League: Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and Max Scherzer

I have Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer winning the Cy Young award.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER FINALISTS

American League: Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Jose Altuve

National League: Kris Bryant, Daniel Murphy and Corey Seager

I had David Ortiz and Kris Bryant winning the Most Valuable Player award. However, with Ortiz not being a finalist, I am thinking Mookie Betts will likely take home the award.

The winner of each award will begin being announced next week on MLB Network.

Here’s the schedule:

AL & NL Rookie of the Year: November 14th

AL & NL Cy Young: November 16th

AL & NL Most Valuable Player: November 17th

I plan on posting a recap of each winner, along with a look at how well I did with my predictions, in a blog entry after each award is officially announced. So be sure to check back for that at some point next week.

2015 Gold Glove Awards; BBWAA Award Finalists

The 2015 Major League Baseball Gold Glove award winners were announced Tuesday night on ESPN2. Given out each year to the players who are judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League, the award is voted on by the managers and coaches in each league (managers can not vote for their own players).

Marking the 59th annual Gold Glove Awards, which began back in 1957, there have been some terrific players to receive the honor. However, no other player has won more Gold Gloves in their career or in a row than Greg Maddux, who took home 18 total and 13 consecutively.

While Maddux’s records seem fairly safe for now, there were some winners for 2015 who could win quite a few Gold Gloves as the years go on. Here’s a recap of the winners, with my thoughts on each:

CATCHER

AL Nominees – Jason Castro, Russell Martin and Salvador Perez

AL Winner – Salvador Perez (3rd career)

NL Nominees – Yadier Molina, Buster Posey and Wilson Ramos

NL Winner – Yadier Molina (8th career)

Picking up his third straight career Gold Glove award, Salvador Perez was by far the best catcher in all of the American League in 2015. On the National League side of things, Yadier Molina takes home his eighth straight Gold Glove award. One of the best at controlling a pitching staff in all of baseball, it’s no surprise that Molina won yet again.

PITCHER

AL Nominees – Mark Buehrle, Sonny Gray and Dallas Keuchel

AL Winner – Dallas Keuchel (2nd career)

NL Nominees – Jake Arrieta, Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke

NL Winner – Zack Greinke (2nd career)

Dallas Keuchel had a great year and defended his position well all year long, earning him his second career Gold Glove award. Likewise, Zack Greinke had an equally good year for the Dodgers. Both are strong candidate for winning the 2015 Cy Young awards as well.

LEFT FIELDER

AL Nominees – Yoenis Cespedes, Brett Gardner and Alex Gordon

AL Winner – Yoenis Cespedes (1st career)

NL Nominees – Starling Marte, Justin Upton and Christian Yelich

NL Winner – Starling Marte (1st career)

There are a lot of good left fielders in baseball, but Yoenis Cespedes and Starling Marte stand above the rest. Each picked up their first career Gold Gloves, and both could be looking at many more down the road. With them roaming the outfield, they each give their respective teams great defense each and every game.

CENTER FIELDER

AL Nominees – Kevin Kiermier, Kevin Pillar and Mike Trout

AL Winner – Kevin Kiermier (1st career)

NL Nominees – Billy Hamilton, Andrew McCutchen and A.J. Pollock

NL Winner – A.J. Pollock (1st career)

Keeping with the theme of first time winners, both award recipients for center field won their very first award on Tuesday night. Kevin Kiermier has really broken out for the Rays as both an offensive threat and an outfielder who can grab anything hit his way. A.J. Pollock is also a newcomer who has done much of the same.

RIGHT FIELDER

AL Nominees – Kole Calhoun, J.D. Martinez and Josh Reddick

AL Winner – Kole Calhoun (1st career)

NL Nominees – Curtis Granderson, Bryce Harper and Jason Heyward

NL Winner – Jason Heyward (3rd career)

Although any of the three candidates for the American League would’ve been worth winner, I’m glad Kole Calhoun took home the honor. He had a great season, picking up his first career Gold Glove. Jason Heyward picks up his third career Gold Glove after playing a great right field for the Cardinals.

FIRST BASE

AL Nominees – Eric Hosmer, Mike Napoli and Mark Teixeira

AL Winner – Eric Hosmer (3rd career)

NL Nominees – Brandon Belt, Paul Goldschmidt and Adrian Gonzalez

NL Winner – Paul Goldschmidt (2nd career)

Eric Hosmer takes home his third straight Gold Glove award for first base, as he was a big factor in the Royals making it to, and ultimately winning, the World Series. Paul Goldschmidt didn’t guide his team to the playoffs, but he did play another great season at first base for the D-backs, earning him his second career Gold Glove.

SECOND BASE

AL Nominees – Jose Altuve, Brian Dozier and Ian Kinsler

AL Winner – Jose Altuve (1st career)

NL Nominees – Dee Gordon, D.J. LeMahieu and Brandon Phillips

NL Winner – Dee Gordon (1st career)

Both Jose Altuve and Dee Gordon won their first career Gold Glove awards on Tuesday, and each are very deserving. Altuve has always stood out at the shortstop position ever since breaking out offensively a few years ago. Gordon also was very deserving of the first of what is sure to be many Gold Gloves for him.

SHORTSTOP

AL Nominees – Xander Bogaerts, Alcides Escobar and Didi Gregorius

AL Winner – Alcides Escobar (1st career)

NL Nominees – Brandon Crawford, Adeiny Hechavarria and Andrelton Simmons

NL Winner – Brandon Crawford (1st career)

Alcides Escobar is the third Royals player to win a Gold Glove award in 2015, and, like Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez, he is very worthy. Brandon Crawford also picked up his first career award, after having another solid year at the shortstop position for the Giants.

THIRD BASE

AL Nominees – Adrian Beltre, Evan Longoria and Manny Machado

AL Winner – Manny Machado (2nd career)

NL Nominees – Nolan Arenado, Matt Duffy and Todd Frazier

NL Winner – Nolan Arenado (3rd career)

Manny Machado won his second career Gold Glove award on Tuesday evening, after another brilliant year at the hot corner for Baltimore. He is one of the most exciting players to watch man his position in all of baseball. As is Nolan Arenado, who makes virtually every play and deservingly won his third straight Gold Glove.

2015 GOLD GLOVE AWARDS FAST FACTS

• There were nine first-time Gold Glove winners.
• The Royals had the most Gold Gloves winners, with three.
• There were seven Gold Glove winners who also won a Gold Glove in 2014.

——————————————————————————————————————

Also announced last night were the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) award finalists for 2015 Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and Most Valuable Player. For the most part, I agree with the finalists, but there are a few I’m surprised about.

Here are the finalists, with who I have winning (click their names to find out why):

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

American League: Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor and Miguel Sano

National League: Kris Bryant, Matt Duffy and Jung Ho Kang

I have Carlos Correa and Kris Bryant winning the Rookie of the Year award.

CY YOUNG FINALISTS

American League: Sonny Gray, Dallas Keuchel and David Price

National League: Jake Arrieta, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw

I have David Price and Jake Arrieta winning the Cy Young award.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER FINALISTS

American League: Lorenzo Cain, Josh Donaldson and Mike Trout

National League: Paul Goldschmidt, Bryce Harper and Joey Votto

I have Josh Donaldson and Bryce Harper winning the Most Valuable Player award.

The winner of each award will begin being announced next week on MLB Network.

Here’s the schedule:

AL & NL Rookie of the Year: November 16th

AL & NL Cy Young: November 18th

AL & NL Most Valuable Player: November 19th

I plan on posting a recap of each winner, along with a look at how well I did with my predictions, in a blog entry after each award is officially announced. So be sure to check back for that at some point next week.

2014 Gold Glove Awards; BBWAA Award Finalists

The 2014 Major League Baseball Gold Glove award winners were announced Tuesday night on ESPN2. Given out each year to the players that are judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League, the award is voted on by the managers and coaches in each league (managers can not vote for their own players), with sabermetrics now making up around 25 percent of the vote.

Marking the 57th annual Gold Glove Awards, which began back in 1957, there have been some terrific players to receive the honor. However, no other player has won more Gold Gloves in their career or in a row than Greg Maddux, who took home 18 and 13, respectively.

While Maddux’s records seem fairly safe for now, there were some winners for 2014 who could win quite a few Gold Gloves as the years go on. Here’s a recap of the winners, with my thoughts on each:

CATCHER

AL Nominees – Alex Avila, Yan Gomes and Salvador Perez

AL Winner – Salvador Perez (2nd career)

NL Nominees – Jonathan Lucroy, Russell Martin and Yadier Molina

NL Winner – Yadier Molina (7th career)

Picking up his second straight career Gold Glove award, Salvador Perez was by far the best catcher in all of the American League in 2014. On the National League side of things, Yadier Molina takes home his seventh straight Gold Glove award. One of the best at controlling a pitching staff in all of baseball, it’s no surprise that Molina won yet again.

PITCHER

AL Nominees – Mark Buehrle, Felix Hernandez and Dallas Keuchel

AL Winner – Dallas Keuchel (1st career)

NL Nominees – Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright

NL Winner – Zack Greinke (1st career)

Although Mark Buehrle has won his fair share of Gold Glove awards, this season the award went to Dallas Keuchel. Having a great season with the Astros, Keuchel isn’t that well known around baseball, but he’s one of the best defenders on the mound. Zack Greinke, surprisingly, picks up just his first career Gold Glove award for the National League, after years of great performances on the mound.

LEFT FIELDER

AL Nominees – Michael Brantley, Yoenis Cespedes and Alex Gordon

AL Winner – Alex Gordon (4th career)

NL Nominees – Starling Marte, Justin Upton and Christian Yelich

NL Winner – Christian Yelich (1st career)

Alex Gordon ended up taking home his fourth straight Gold Glove award. Always very consistent as a defender in left field, Gordon isn’t at all a shocking winner of the award. Christian Yelich on the other hand did come as somewhat of a surprise. But even so, he’s still deserving, becoming the first Marlins outfielder to ever pick up a Gold Glove.

CENTER FIELDER

AL Nominees – Jackie Bradley Jr., Adam Eaton and Adam Jones

AL Winner – Adam Jones (4th career)

NL Nominees – Billy Hamilton, Juan Lagares and Denard Span

NL Winner – Juan Lagares (1st career)

Adam Jones has established himself as one of the best outfielders in baseball today, and he extended his argument by picking up his fourth career Gold Glove award — his third straight. On the NL half of the Center Field Gold Glove awards, Juan Lagares ended up receiving the award. While he’s not well known as of yet, he could easily pick up several more Gold Gloves in his career.

RIGHT FIELDER

AL Nominees – Kole Calhoun, Kevin Kiermaier and Nick Markakis

AL Winner – Nick Markakis (2nd career)

NL Nominees – Jason Heyward, Gerardo Parra and Giancarlo Stanton

NL Winner – Jason Heyward (2nd career)

Nick Markakis of the American League and Jason Heyward of the National League each picked up their second career Gold Glove awards on Tuesday night for their terrific defense in the outfield. Despite the fact that Heyward and Markakis are two very different types of players, they were undeniably the most deserving right fielders of the 2014 season.

FIRST BASE

AL Nominees – Miguel Cabrera, Eric Hosmer and Albert Pujols

AL Winner – Eric Hosmer (2nd career)

NL Nominees – Adrian Gonzalez, Adam LaRoche and Justin Morneau

NL Winner – Adrian Gonzalez (4th career)

All of the nominees for first base have their ups and downs defensively, but Eric Hosmer winning the Gold Glove this season is the best choice, in my opinion. His second straight Gold Glove, Hosmer showed signs of breaking out into a superstar in 2014. Also picking up his multiple Gold Glove award was Adrian Gonzalez, who hadn’t won one since 2011.

SECOND BASE

AL Nominees – Robinson Cano, Ian Kinsler and Dustin Pedroia

AL Winner – Dustin Pedroia (4th career)

NL Nominees – DJ LeMahieu, Brandon Phillips and Chase Utley

NL Winner – DJ LeMahieu (1st career)

Dustin Pedroia is widely known as one of the best second baseman in baseball, and he was recognized for it this season. Winning his fourth career Gold Glove award and second in a row, Pedroia could easily pick up another Gold Glove or two before the end of his career. As could DJ LeMahieu, who isn’t well known in the baseball world, but received the first of what could be several Gold Glove awards.

SHORTSTOP

AL Nominees – Alcides Escobar, J.J. Hardy and Alexei Ramirez

AL Winner – J.J. Hardy (3rd career)

NL Nominees – Zack Cozart, Adeiny Hechavaria and Andrelton Simmons

NL Winner – Andrelton Simmons (2nd career)

J.J. Hardy receives his third straight Gold Glove award for American League shortstop. Known for his slick defense he shows off seemingly every night, Hardy is quietly one of the best fielding shortstops in baseball today. But many would argue that the best defensive shortstop at the moment has to be Andrelton Simmons, who won his second career Gold Glove on Tuesday and could be winning them for years to come.

THIRD BASE

AL Nominees – Josh Donaldson, Adrian Beltre and Kyle Seager

AL Winner – Kyle Seager (1st career)

NL Nominees – Nolan Arenado, Pablo Sandoval and Juan Uribe

NL Winner – Nolan Arenado (2nd career)

Kyle Seager picked up his first career Gold Glove award while Nolan Arenado received his second in a row. Both are terrific fielding third baseman, and both are early on in their careers. It is very likely that Seager and Arenado could continue to get better and better, picking up multiple Gold Glove awards in the process.

2014 GOLD GLOVE AWARDS FAST FACTS

• There were six first-time Gold Glove winners.
• The Royals and Orioles had the most Gold Glove winners, with three each.
• There were nine Gold Glove winners who also won a Gold Glove in 2013.

——————————————————————————————————————

Also announced last night were the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) award finalists for 2014 Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and Most Valuable Player. For the most part, I agree with the finalists, but there are a few I’m surprised about.

Here are the finalists, with who I have winning (click their names to find out why):

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

American League: Jose Abreu, Dellin Betances and Matt Shoemaker

National League: Jacob deGrom, Billy Hamilton and Kolten Wong

I have Jose Abreu and Jacob deGrom winning the Rookie of the Year award.

CY YOUNG FINALISTS

American League: Felix Hernandez, Corey Kluber and Chris Sale

National League: Johnny Cueto, Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright

I have Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw winning the Cy Young award.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER FINALISTS

American League: Michael Brantley, Victor Martinez and Mike Trout

National League: Clayton Kershaw, Andrew McCutchen and Giancarlo Stanton

I have Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw winning the Most Valuable Player award.

The winner of each award will be announced next week on MLB Network.

Here’s the schedule:

AL & NL Rookie of the Year: November 10th

AL & NL Cy Young: November 12th

AL & NL Most Valuable Player: November 13th

As stated in a previous blog post, I plan on posting a recap of each winner, along with a look at how well I did with my predictions, in a blog entry after each award is officially announced. So be sure to check back for that at some point next week.

2014 Hall of Fame Ballot: If I Had A Vote

The 2014 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is loaded with stars. (There are 36 players in all, with 19 of them being first ballot players.) Whether the player has been on the ballot for numerous years or is a newcomer, there are far too many players for me to give my take on them all. Therefore, I’m only going to be discussing the players I’d vote for if I had a vote, and provide my reasoning for each.

The first player on my ballot would have to be Greg Maddux. Maddux, who will go down in history as one of the best pitchers the game of baseball has ever seen, racked up a total of 355 wins over the course of his 23-year career. As if that wasn’t enough to make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Maddux also put together a stat line of 3,371 strikeouts, to go along with an ERA of 3.16, and 4 straight Cy Young winning seasons. In addition, Maddux holds the record for most Gold Glove awards with 18, and should be one of the highest vote getters in Hall of Fame voting history.

The second vote on my ballot goes to Frank Thomas. Thomas put together an incredible career, and would be an automatic pick for the Hall of Fame if it wasn’t for the steroid era in which he played. But despite that, I feel Thomas will get in as a first ballot player, and rightfully so, seeing that he was never directly connected to PED’s. Blasting 521 home runs in his 19-year career, totaling 1,704 RBI’s, “The Big Hurt” has some of the best stats seen on the ballot in years (with the exception of Barry Bonds). With a .301 batting average to go along with his amazing numbers, and two career MVP’s, Thomas should receive the second most votes from the 2014 ballot, after Greg Maddux.

The next player I have is Tom Glavine. Glavine, as with Greg Maddux, is one of only 24 pitchers to have put together 300 or more career wins (305), done in his 22 seasons in the major leagues. Anytime a pitcher accomplishes this great feat, it’s almost a no brainer that they’re a Hall of Fame player, as a 300 game winner is nearly unheard of nowadays. Glavine also has two Cy Young awards and 2,607 strikeouts to go along with his other impressive numbers, and that, in my mind, should earn him a spot in Cooperstown.

The fourth player on my ballot is Mike Piazza. Piazza doesn’t have the most impressive numbers of the players on this year’s ballot, however, the stats that he put together over his career, although not good enough for a first ballot vote, are good enough for the Hall of Fame, in this his second year on the ballot. In my mind, despite barely surpassing the 2,000 hit mark and sitting 90th all time in terms of RBI’s, Piazza put together one of the best ever careers for a catcher. He is fourth on the list of catchers in baseball history for most RBI’s and leads all catchers in home runs. When you combine it all together, it makes Piazza a Hall of Fame player.

The final player I would vote for from this year’s ballot is Craig Biggio. Biggio was the top vote getter of the players on the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 68.2 percent of the vote, which saw no players getting the necessary 75 percent to be elected. Biggio should get in this time around — many believe he should’ve been a first ballot Hall of Famer — as his 3,060 career hits put him on a list with just 27 other players who have compiled 3,000 or more hits. Biggio’s 291 career homers and 1,175 RBI’s are low for a Hall of Fame player, however, there is a very good case for making an exception for Biggio making it into the Hall.

Unfortunately, with all of the great players this year, I decided to leave off a few of the really good players from my ballot, including Jack Morris (who is in his last year of eligibility), Tim Raines, Don Mattingly, etc., even though I could’ve easily included them. I just didn’t think they were good enough to make the cut this year. In addition, I’ve excluded Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Rogers Clemens, among others traced to PED’s, not based solely on their PED use, but merely because I don’t feel they should get in this time around. Not yet. Maybe not even at all. I haven’t fully decided how I feel.

Though you may disagree with some of the players I feel are Hall of Fame worthy and with some of the players I left off my ballot, it’s just the way I feel and how I see things. Now, I want to hear from you. Of the players on the 2014 ballot, who do you want to see get elected along side of Bobby Cox, Joe Torre and Tony LaRussa in July? Cast your vote below for the number of players from the 2014 ballot that you would vote into the Hall of Fame, and feel free to leave your thoughts below.

Cabrera and McCutchen Win MVP Award

The Most Valuable Player award was first given out in 1911 to Ty Cobb of the American League and Frank Schulte of the National League. Originally known as the Chalmers award, named after Hugh Chalmers, the award didn’t catch on as well as had been hoped, and therefore was discontinued after the 1914 season.

In 1922 the League Awards were established to honor the baseball player in the American League (National League began being recognized in 1924) who provided the greatest all-around service to their club. The winner — who received a medal and cash for winning — was voted on by a committee of eight baseball writers, with a player not being able to win more than once. Like the Chalmers awards, these awards didn’t last long, stopping in 1929.

Finally in 1931 the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Most Valuable Player award was established, which is the award still given out today.

Sixty-three players who have won the Most Valuable Player award have gone on to the Hall of Fame up until this point — several of those players are still active, however. The current record for most MVP awards is held by Barry Bonds, with seven, but thirty total players have won multiple Most Valuable Player awards in their career.

Voting for the award is fairly straightforward.

Two writers from each city of both the American League and National League make up the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) voters for the Most Valuable Player award, making a total of thirty voters for each league (fifteen teams, with two voters per city). A first place vote earns a player fourteen points, a second place vote gets nine points, a third place vote receives eight points, a fourth place vote is worth seven points, and so on, all the way until tenth place for one point. Once added up, the player with the highest overall total wins.

The 2013 Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player award winners for both the American League and National League were announced Thursday night on MLB Network. Here are the winners, along with my thoughts on each:

AMERICAN LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Original Pick: Chris Davis

Finalists: Miguel Cabrera, Chris Davis and Mike Trout

Winner: Miguel Cabrera

Thoughts On Miguel Cabrera Winning

Although I was pulling for Mike Trout to win the Most Valuable Player award last season, Miguel Cabrera ended up taking home the honor after having an incredible year in which he won the Triple Crown award. An injury in the last month of this season kept Cabrera from a second straight Triple Crown award, however, it didn’t stop him from winning his second straight MVP — something only eleven other players have been able to accomplish.

Receiving a total of 385 points, 23 of the 30 first-place votes, Cabrera was the overwhelming choice by the voters. The runner-up — with five first-place votes and a total of 282 points — Mike Trout, and the third place recipient, Chris Davis — with a single first-place vote netting 232 total points — weren’t even close. Although I had Chris Davis winning, I have no issues with Cabrera getting the award. He was very deserving; as was Trout.

Batting .348 with 44 home runs and 137 RBI’s, Cabrera put together an amazing season, and in addition is the only player of the three finalists to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, that’s a big part of why I feel he won. Davis posted a batting average 62 points lower than Cabrera, but led the majors in both homers and RBI’s, with 53 and 138 respectively. Had the Orioles played better as a whole, making it to the playoffs, Davis would likely be the winner.

Instead, Miguel Cabrera takes home the award for the second straight year.

The BBWAA’s vote had Mike Trout finishing second, with Chris Davis coming in third.

NATIONAL LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Original Pick: Paul Goldschmidt

Finalists: Paul Goldschmidt, Andrew McCutchen and Yadier Molina

Winner: Andrew McCutchen

Thoughts On Andrew McCutchen Winning

Anytime a player bats .302 with 36 home runs and 125 RBI’s you have to strongly consider them for the Most Valuable Player award. That player, Paul Goldschimdt, was the most deserving of the MVP award in my mind, however, the baseball writers didn’t agree. Andrew McCutchen received the honor instead, getting 28 of the 30 first-place votes (Goldschmidt didn’t get a single one) for a total of 409 points.

Goldschmidt had to settle for second, with 242 points, just ahead of Yadier Molina, who received the other two first-place votes, earning him a total of 219 points. While Molina had a career year, and is a true leader for the Cardinals, he didn’t do enough to win. It came down to a two-man race between Goldschmidt and McCutchen. But after seeing the results of the vote, I suppose it was just a one-man race.

Although McCutchen hit for a .317 batting average with 21 home runs and 84 RBI’s — second in the National League in multi-hit games, with 60 — I don’t feel he was the most valuable.

I won’t spend a lot of time giving my reasons why (if you want to read that, click HERE) but ultimately I feel many people voted for McCutchen for the sole reason that the Pirates made the postseason (for the first time in 21 years) and Goldschmidt’s Diamondback’s didn’t. That’s not fair to base your vote on, in my opinion.

There were several other great reasons for McCutchen winning the award besides making the playoffs, but I just feel it should have gone to Goldschimdt, who had 15 more home runs and 41 more RBI’s than McCutchen this season.

Also, McCutchen didn’t lead the Pirates to the playoffs by himself; it was a team effort. He hit 10 more home runs and drove in 12 more runs last season than he did this year, yet the Buccos finished fourth in 2012, with McCutchen placing third in MVP voting. There’s too much inconsistency with the voting “criteria” for me.

In the end, while I don’t agree with McCutchen winning, I’m not all that upset that he did; though it may seem that way. He was still deserving despite not having the best stats.

Andrew McCutchen becomes the first Pirates’ MVP winner since Barry Bonds in 1992.

The BBWAA’s vote had Paul Goldschmidt finishing second, with Yadier Molina coming in third.

No Players Elected To the Baseball Hall of Fame

The announcement was made Wednesday afternoon that, for the first time since 1996, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) failed to elect a single player, from the 2013 ballot, into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This causing a vast amount of controversy among the baseball world, as everyone seems to have a different opinion in regards to the voting results.

There are those who are glad that no players got in, there are those who are upset that no players got in, and then there are guys like me, who fall somewhere in between. I’m not all that upset that not a single player received the required 75% of the vote needed to get into the Hall of Fame, but, at the same time, I would’ve liked to have seen at least a couple of guys make it into the HOF, from the 2013 ballot.

But it is what it is; there’s always next year.

What it comes down to for me is the fact that this didn’t have to happen. Had the ‘Steroid Era’ never of occurred, the likes of Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds would’ve been first ballot Hall of Famers, no question about it. Instead, they might not ever get in, as they only received 37.6% and 36.2% of the vote, respectively, this time around. For them to eventually get a plaque in the Hall of Fame, they will have to amass double the number of votes they did in this year’s vote, and I just don’t see that happening.

While they each have an additional 14 years of eligibility, I feel the voters have already made up their minds, for the most part. While a few members of the BBWAA might’ve merely held off in voting for Bonds and Clemens, in this their first year, just to prove a point, and might end up voting for them eventually, either you think Bonds and Clemens should get into the Hall of Fame or you think they shouldn’t. End of story.

But where does that leave the rest of the players from that era? Guys like Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza and Curt Schilling, who were never proven to have taken anything, but fall under the cloud of suspicion due to the era in which they played. Well, I see it like this:

They pretty much fall into the same category as those connected to PED use. Either the voters are going to vote for them, or they aren’t. There’s not much grey area here, as far as I can see, but maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the voters aren’t going on suspicion alone and just decided not to vote in Biggio, Piazza and Schilling this time around for one reason or another. For the sake of the Hall of Fame, I surely hope so. Leaving out Biggio, Piazza and Schilling would be a real shame.

The other main player I’d like to talk about, that many people feel should be a HOF’er, but didn’t make the cut yet again this year, is Jack Morris. Morris was a great player, but, in my mind, he’s not Hall of Fame worthy.

The thing that gets me the most when people try to make a case for Morris, is their tendency to use the intimidation factor as the reason they feel he deserves to get in; that you didn’t want to face Morris in any given situation. But it’s not the Hall of Intimidation, it’s the Hall of Fame. The place where the games’ all-time greats get enshrined to forever be seen by generations of baseball fans to come. To me, a career 3.90 ERA just doesn’t cut it. Thus, I agree with Morris not getting in–this being his 14th time on the ballot.

While the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot saw no players receiving the necessary number of votes needed to get elected, there are multiple players set to be added to the ballot in 2014 who are shoo-ins to get in on the first go around.

Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas are three of the favorites to do just that, with some making the same case for guys like Mike Mussina and Jeff Kent. We’ll just have to wait to see, but no matter what happens, there are sure to be at least a few players who get into the Hall of Fame in 2014.

In addition to the near certainty that several players will be voted in in 2014, next year’s vote should tell the tale once and for all of whether or not Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens stand even a slight chance of ever getting into the Hall of Fame.

If their percentages jump a large amount–due to BBWAA members voting for them that didn’t in 2013–they might have a shot of getting in, several years down the road. If they fail to receive greater than a few more percentage points, however, I’d say it’s a lost cause for two of the best players to every play the game of Major League Baseball.

Cabrera and Posey Win Most Valuable Player Award

I was extremely surprised with this year’s MVP voting. Not just with the winners of the award from the American League and National League, but also with the blowout fashion in which they won. I don’t feel it should’ve been such a major difference between first and second place in each league, but it is what it is.

In the end, it was Miguel Cabrera taking home the MVP award for the American League, with Buster Posey receiving the MVP award for the National Leauge; as voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).

This was both Miguel Cabrera’s and Buster Posey’s first Most Valuable Player award.

AMERICAN LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: MIGUEL CABRERA

Original Pick: Mike Trout

Pick after finalists were revealed: Mike Trout

Thoughts On Miguel Cabrera Winning

I can’t believe how much of a landslide the vote for American League Most Valuable Player was. Although I was pulling for Mike Trout, I pretty much expected Miguel Cabrera to win. But to receive 22 of the 28 first place votes is absolutely ridiculous. Even if you think Cabrera was the more valuable player, you can’t honestly tell me that he was THAT much more valuable than Trout. It’s just not true.

So really, I’m not as upset about Miguel Cabrera winning the MVP award as much as I’m upset at how much of a blowout it was. In total, Cabrera beat out Trout by 81 points.

Truly incredible for an award that was supposedly going to be close.

The main reason Cabrera won the MVP award is the fact that he won the Triple Crown–posting a .330 average with 44 homeruns and 139 RBI’s.

While it’s amazing that he was able to accomplish something that hasn’t been done since 1967, I find it necessary to point out that Trout was able to accomplish things no player in the history of baseball has EVER been able to do. Besides, when it comes down to it, just because you posted better stats doesn’t mean you were the more valuable player to your team–which is what the award is all about.

So, while the Triple Crown is an amazing accomplishment for Cabrera, it’s not something you should base your vote on, in my opinion. Especially when Trout was able to one up Cabrera as far as historical occurences go.

Moving on to the second key aspect of Cabrera’s MVP win, I feel the voters’ pushed Trout out of the picture for the sole reason that he and his Angels didn’t make it to the playoffs, while Cabrera and the Tigers made it all the way to the World Series. I truly don’t understand why you would even consider using that as a reason for picking the most valuable player.

If you look at the facts, Cabrera’s Tigers actually had a worse record than the Angels. The reason they made it to the playoffs, while the Angels fell short, is because they played in an easier division. Should Trout be penalized because he played in the difficult AL West, and wasn’t able lead his team to the playoffs? Absolutely not. Making it to the playoffs takes a team effort; Trout could only do so much.

He was still extremely valuable to his team, even though it didn’t result in a playoff run.

So, while Miguel Cabrera received the award, and will go down in the record books as the 2012 AL MVP, when I look back on this season decades from now I’ll always find myself thinking about what should’ve been.

The BBWAA’s vote had Mike Trout finishing second, with Adrian Beltre coming in third.

NATIONAL LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: BUSTER POSEY

Original Pick: Ryan Braun

Pick after finalists were revealed: Ryan Braun

Thoughts On Buster Posey Winning

While I don’t feel as strongly about the National League portion of the MVP award as I do about the American League side, I still think Ryan Braun should’ve won the award; but at the same time, I’m not upset that Buster Posey won.

What it comes down to for me is what the voters’ (once again) decided to base their decision on. I feel like just as with the AL award, the National League MVP didn’t go to the “most valuable” player, but rather the player that was on the more successful team.

Just because Braun’s Brewers didn’t make the playoffs, he was pretty much pushed aside by the voters’ who historically love to see players from playoff teams win the award. (Since 1995, only 6 MVP winners have come from teams that didn’t make the post season.)

So I feel Braun wasn’t given a fair chance in that regard.

The only real complaint I have with the National League MVP award is the fact that Posey beat out Braun by an astounding 137 points. I don’t feel the voting results truly show how close it really was statistically between Braun and Posey. Yet another example of how much stock the BBWAA takes in whether or not a player’s team made the playoffs.

I’m really getting tired of it.

The BBWAA’s vote had Ryan Braun finishing second, with Andrew McCutchen coming in third.

David Price and R.A. Dickey Win Cy Young Award

The 2012 Cy Young award candidates were some of the closest ranked in the history of the award. None more so than the American League portion of the award, where it came down to a mere 4-point difference between first and second place. It was truly THAT close.

While it was too close to call going in to Wednesday night’s Cy Young award announcement, in the end, it was David Price taking home the award for the American League, while R.A. Dickey received the award for the National League; as voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).

This is both David Price’s and R.A. Dickey’s first career Cy Young award.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CY YOUNG: DAVID PRICE

Original Pick: Jered Weaver

Pick after finalists were revealed: Jered Weaver

Thoughts On David Price Winning

My original pick for the American League Cy Young award was Jered Weaver, and it remained the same after the finalists were revealed last week. With that said, I’m thrilled that David Price won the award.

As stated in a previous blog post, while I was still rooting for Weaver to win, I wouldn’t have been upset with any of the three candidates winning the award. They were all so close statistically that it was hard to pick a winner, because no one candidate really stood above the rest.

The voters seemed to agree, as David Price pulled out the win by a mere 4 points–the closest AL Cy Young vote since 1969.

David Price becomes the first pitcher in Rays’ franchise history to win the Cy Young award, and is certainly deserving of the honor.

Going 20-5 with 205 strikeouts in 211 innings pitched, to go along with a 2.56 ERA, Price had the best year of his career thus far, and is quickly making a case as one of the most dominant pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.

And if this year is any indication, Price (age 27) could be in the running for Cy Young for many years to come.

The BBWAA’s vote had Justin Verlander finishing second, with Jered Weaver coming in third.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CY YOUNG: R.A. DICKEY

Original Pick: Clayton Kershaw

Pick after finalists were revealed: Clayton Kershaw

Thoughts On R.A. Dickey Winning

I had Clayton Kershaw winning the award, but as with the American League portion, I would’ve been happy with any of the three candidates winning; so I’m happy for R.A. Dickey. He was extremely deserving, and it couldn’t have happened to a better guy.

R.A. Dickey was a completely different pitcher this season and really shocked a lot of the baseball world with the type of numbers he was able to post.

Going 20-6 with 230 strikeouts in 233.2 innings pitched, to go along with a 2.73 ERA, Dickey had the best year of his career, in 2012.

Unlike with the AL Cy Young–which had a 4-point difference between the 1st and 2nd place winners–the National League Cy Young voting wasn’t even close, as Dickey beat out Clayton Kershaw by a staggering 113 points; pulling in 27 of the 32 first place votes–finishing no lower than second on every voters’ ballot.

Dickey becomes the Mets’ first 20-game winner since 1990, and the first knuckleball pitcher to EVER win the award. Not bad for a 37-year old pitcher who was considered a bust by many just a few years ago. What a difference a few seasons can make.

The BBWAA’s vote had Clayton Kershaw finishing second, with Gio Gonzalez coming in third.

2012 BBWAA ROY, Cy Young and MVP Award Finalists

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) award finalists for 2012 Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and MVP were announced Wednesday night on MLB Network. For the most part I agree with the finalists, but there are a few I’m surprised about, so I thought I’d take the time to share my thoughts, starting with Rookie of the Year:

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

American League: Yoenis Cespedes, Yu Darvish and Mike Trout.

There’s really no contest when it comes to American League Rookie of the Year. If your last name isn’t Trout, you don’t stand a chance. While both Cespedes and Darvish had great rookie seasons, neither came close to the year that Mike Trout had. Posting a .326 batting average with 30 home runs and 83 RBI’s, Trout led all AL rookies in every conceivable category. So, unless they change the voting procedure and decide to draw the winners’ name out of a hat, Mike Trout will be the recipient of the award.

National League: Todd Frazier, Bryce Harper and Wade Miley.

As far as National League Rookie of the Year goes, it’s a bit more of a challenge to make a selection–especially when your original pick isn’t one of the finalists. I still feel that Wilin Rosario (my original pick for the award) should at least be in the final three, but alas he’s nowhere to be found. I knew it was a long shot for Rosario to win, but to not be a finalist is a real shame in my opinion. But anyway, looking at the players that did make the final list, I would have to say that Bryce Harper stands the best chance of winning the award by popularity alone. Having been in the spotlight for so long, that’ll probably be just enough to put him over the top with the voters.

CY YOUNG

American League: David Price, Justin Verlander and Jered Weaver.

A lot of people feel that Fernando Rodney should be one of the finalists for American League Cy Young, but personally I’m glad he isn’t. I don’t like the idea of a non-starter winning the award; even if Rodney did have an ERA of 0.60. Of the finalists, I still side with my original pick of Jered Weaver, but I have a feeling it’s going to be David Price that wins the award, though to be honest, I wouldn’t be shocked or disappointed with any of the three winning. They’re all worthy.

National League: R.A. Dickey, Gio Gonzalez and Clayton Kershaw.

As with the AL, many feel that closers Aroldis Chapman and/or Craig Kimbrel should be finalists for National League Cy Young. You already know how I feel about closers winning the award, so I’ll move on to picking between the three remaining pitchers. My original pick of Clayton Kershaw is one of the finalists, but I don’t feel very confident that he’ll win. I think it’ll go to Dickey or Gonzalez, but as with American League, I wouldn’t be upset with any of them taking home the award.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

American League: Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Josh Hamilton and Mike Trout.

As far as the American League portion goes, you can go ahead and eliminate Beltre, Cano and Hamilton. They all had great years, but it’s going to come down to Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout. As I’ve stated many times, I feel strongly that Trout should win the award. He exemplified just what it means to be the Most Valuable player to your given team, which is what the award is all about. So, while many feel Cabrera should win the MVP–mainly because he was the first player in 45 years to win the Triple Crown–I’m still sticking with my original pick of Mike Trout.

National League: Ryan Braun, Chase Headley, Andrew McCutchen, Yadier Molina and Buster Posey.

My opinion of who should win the National League MVP isn’t quite as strong as with the AL portion, but I still feel that Ryan Braun should win the award over Buster Posey. One of the reasons people are leaning towards Posey over Braun is that Posey and the Giants won the World Series while Braun and the Brewers didn’t even make the playoffs, but that’s not really a fair thing to base your vote on. MVP is an individual award for the player who most impacted their team, and in my opinion that was Ryan Braun.

The winner of each award will be announced next week on MLB Network.

Here’s the schedule:

AL & NL Rookie of the Year : Monday, November 12th

AL & NL Cy Young: Wednesday, November 14th

AL & NL Most Valuable Player: Thursday, November 15th

As stated in a previous blog post, I plan on posting a recap of the winner–along with a look at how well I did with my predictions–in a blog entry following the day each award is announced. So be sure to check back for that…..