My MLB Awards Ballot

The list of baseball awards that are handed out each November keeps growing, from Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers to Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and even the Rolaids Relief Man Award. But only two really matter: the MVP and the Cy Young, recognizing the best player and best pitcher in each league. Because in fifteen years, some of these players might find themselves on a Hall of Fame ballot, and writers will judge their candidacies on how they performed in these awards. This stuff matters. And if I had a vote, here's how I would use it.

AMERICAN LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

1. Mike Trout, Center Field, Los Angeles Angels
Trout beats out Miguel Cabrera, and by a fair margin. Cabrera did have a very slight advantage at the plate (but not by much). Trout more than made up for that gap by being one of the best defensive players in the league at a valuable position. For good measure, Trout also piled up additional value on the basepaths as an unstoppable runner. Cabrera played in more games because Trout missed April, but Trout ended up with only 58 fewer plate appearances, a negligible number. Trout had one of the most sensational seasons in baseball history and deserves to be recognized.

2. Miguel Cabrera, Third Base, Detroit Tigers
Cabrera deserves to finish in second place because of his unparalleled offensive numbers: a .999 OPS, 44 home runs, 377 total bases, and of course the Triple Crown. He doesn't impact the game in as many ways as Trout, particularly on defense (he's faking it at third base) and on the bases (no basestealing to speak of and 28 double plays grounded into). But Cabrera is the best player in baseball when he's standing in the batter's box, and that counts for something.

3. Robinson Cano, Second Base, New York Yankees
Cano put up elite offensive statistics (.313/.379/.550 with 33 home runs) while playing second base every day with Gold Glove defense. As the best player on the best team in the American League, Cano might have won this award in a different year.

4. Adrian Beltre, Third Base, Texas Rangers
Beltre and Cano are in a virtual tie for third place. They put up remarkably similar offensive numbers and both played great defense (Beltre at third base), though without adding any baserunning value. Cano wins the tiebreaker on account of positional scarcity. AL third basemen as a group hit .257/.315/.405, while second basemen hit just .244/.309/.365, making Cano's contributions slightly more valuable given his peers at his position.

5. Josh Hamilton, Center/Left Field, Texas Rangers
Hamilton looked like he was a shoo-in to win this award after the first two months of the season. Unfortunately, he finished the year poorly, dropping his line down to .285/.354/.577 with 43 home runs. Setting his flaws aside, those are still excellent numbers.

Honorable Mentions
Prince Fielder, First Base, Detroit Tigers
Justin Verlander, Starting Pitcher, Detroit Tigers
Adam Jones, Center Fielder, Baltimore Orioles
Joe Mauer, Catcher, Minnesota Twins
Edwin Encarnacion, Designated Hitter, Toronto Blue Jays

AMERICAN LEAGUE CY YOUNG

1. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
Here are two pitcher seasons:
Player A: 251 innings, 2.40 ERA, 250 strikeouts, 57 walks, 0.92 WHIP
Player B: 238.1 innings, 2.64 ERA, 239 strikeouts, 60 walks, 1.06 WHIP

Player A and Player B had very similar seasons. Player A was slightly better. But Player B wasn't far behind. He was short about two starts' worth of innings, and a few more baserunners over the course of the season led to a handful more runs.

Player A is Justin Verlander in 2011, when he was deemed worthy of BOTH the Cy Young Award and the MVP. Player B is Justin Verlander in 2012. There was hardly even a dropoff from his MVP season. It's hard to argue that anyone else deserves this year's Cy Young more than Verlander.

2. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
Price came the closest to unseating Verlander at the top. His ERA was slightly lower--2.56 compared to 2.64--but that's a meaningless difference considering Verlander threw more innings (238.1 to 211). That's three complete games' worth. Verlander also had the better strikeout-to-walk ratio, lower WHIP, and was subject to a much poorer defense behind him (after all, Miguel Cabrera was manning third base all year). Still, Price's numbers were good enough to win in most seasons. He very well might win next year.

3. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
Sure, he "only" won 13 games. He also put up a 3.06 ERA in 232 innings with stellar strikeout and walk ratios. And he threw a perfect game. He gets ranked below Price in part because his home is Safeco Field, the most pitcher-friendly ballpark in the American League.

4. Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox
Every once in a while, a pitcher makes the rare conversion from reliever to starter. Chris Sale handled that that transition better than anyone in recent memory. The rail-thin lefty put up a sparkling 3.05 ERA in 192 innings and was one of four AL pitchers to strike out at least a batter per inning.

5. Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels
Weaver and Sale had very similar seasons. Weaver did have a slightly lower ERA, but Sale's strikeout rate was far better and Weaver's home ballpark is very pitcher-friendly. It's almost a wash between the two. Neither threw enough innings to challenge the top three on this ballot.

Honorable Mentions
Hiroki Kuroda, New York Yankees
Jake Peavy, Chicago White Sox
Matt Harrison, Texas Rangers
Fernando Rodney, Tampa Bay Rays
C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees

NATIONAL LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

1. Buster Posey, Catcher, San Francisco Giants
This National League race is very very close. Unlike Trout and Verlander in the AL, there doesn't seem to be an obvious selection here. Posey offers the best balance of offensive production (.336/.408/.549) with defensive contributions (as a a catcher). His team also won its division, unlike the next few candidates. Posey isn't the obvious choice, but he looks like the best choice.

2. Ryan Braun, Left Field, Milwaukee Brewers
Braun's 2012 was almost identical to his 2011. And Braun won this award in 2011. So what changed? Without Prince Fielder, his Brewers missed the playoffs. There's some voter fatigue. And the elephant in the room: he tested positive for an illegal substance late last year but wasn't disciplined thanks to mysterious irregularities. Hopefully, that won't affect Braun's vote total. Braun should finish in the top three.

3. Yadier Molina, Catcher, St. Louis Cardinals
Molina is the wild card in this race. Compare him and Posey:

Posey: .336/.408/.549, 24 home runs
Molina: .315/.373/.479, 22 home runs

Posey has a slight offensive edge. But Molina is far better defensively. In fact, he's the consensus best defensive catcher in baseball, and completely shuts down opponents' baserunning. So how much is that advantage worth? Is it enough to overcome that slight offensive gap? Because it's impossible to quantify, Molina ends up at third on this ballot. He very well could deserve to be higher. Catcher defense is just too hard to measure.

4. Andrew McCutchen, Center Field, Pittsburgh Pirates
What can you say about McCutchen? A .327 average, .400 on-base percentage, and .553 slugging percentage. 31 homers. 20 steals. A fantastic all-around player. He should win this award someday.

5. David Wright, Third Base, New York Mets
Unfortunately, he plays for the Mets. If he didn't, perhaps more people would have noticed his stellar season: a .306 average, a .391 OBP, 21 homers, and great defense at third base for a terrible team in a pitchers' park. Not too shabby.

Honorable Mentions
Chase Headley, Third Base, San Diego Padres
Aaron Hill, Second Base, Arizona Diamondbacks
Aramis Ramirez, Third Base, Milwaukee Brewers
Michael Bourn, Center Field, Atlanta Braves
Matt Holliday, Left Field, St. Louis Cardinals

NATIONAL LEAGUE CY YOUNG

1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
This race is literally a toss-up. See for yourself:

Player A: 233.2 innings, 2.73 ERA, 230 strikeouts, 54 walks, 1.05 WHIP
Player B: 227.2 innings, 2.53 ERA, 229 strikeouts, 63 walks, 1.02 WHIP

It's very close. Because the difference in innings is basically negligible, I prefer Player B for his slightly better rates. Player B is Clayton Kershaw. Advanced metrics liked Kershaw better, too. But this is splitting hairs.

2. R.A. Dickey, New York Mets
Player A in that comparison above is Dickey, and one can easily make the case that he deserves to be #1 on the ballot. He has the benefit of being a 37-year-old knuckleballer with a feel-good story, and there's probably some voter fatigue with Kershaw, who won the Cy Young last year too. Kershaw was just a smidge better than Dickey. If Dickey wins the award, it'll be a perfectly defensible decision.

3. Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals
Gonzalez wasn't far behind Kershaw and Dickey. He owned the best strikeout rate in the National League and though he failed to throw 200 innings, he did post a nice 2.89 ERA. Gonzalez is a darkhorse candidate to steal the award thanks to his 21 wins and a potential split vote between Kershaw and Dickey. That wouldn't be fair to the top two, who were on a tier of their own.

4. Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds
The ultimate low-profile workhorse. Cueto quietly piled up 217 stellar innings with a 2.78 ERA. The advanced metrics don't like him because his strikeout rate is low and he seems to enjoy a lot of luck, but he gets the job done.

5. Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants
Cain's numbers were almost identical to Cueto's: a 2.79 ERA in 219.1 innings, and he too didn't enjoy gaudy strikeout numbers. Cueto gets ranked higher because he pitches in homer-happy Great American Ballpark, while Cain benefits from the spacious confines of AT&T Park.

Honorable Mentions:
Kyle Lohse, St. Louis Cardinals
Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies
Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies
Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds