Mookie Betts, Christian Yelich win MVP awards

Christian Yelich

The MVPs this season are both first-time winners, and neither of them is a surprise: outfielder Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox in the AL and outfielder Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL.

At the halfway point of the season, Yelich was not the front-runner for the award. But from July 8 on, he hit .367 with a .444 on-base percentage. His .770 slugging percentage after the All-Star Game was baseball's best in 14 years, and over 74 games, he totaled 25 home runs, 22 doubles and a 1.171 OPS.

The Brewers overtook the Cubs in the NL Central in a Game 163 and finished with a league-best 96 wins. Obviously, they do not accomplish that without Yelich's red-hot second half.

Yelich won the batting title with a .326 average. He finished tied for third in the league with 36 home runs, and his 110 RBIs ranked second.

Really, he was darn close to a Triple Crown, which made this vote obvious.

Yelich earned 29 of the 30 first-place votes -- the other went to New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom. The Cubs' Javier Baez had 19 second-place votes and finished second. Colorado's Nolan Arenado, who led the NL with 38 home runs, placed third.

As for Betts, he became the first player in MLB history to win a batting title in the same season in which he also had at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. The right fielder's slash line was .346/.438/.640, and simply put, he was the best player on the best team -- the 108-win and World Series champion Red Sox.

Betts finished with 47 doubles, 32 home runs, 129 runs scored and 30 stolen bases. He's also the best defensive right fielder in the game, earning his third consecutive Gold Glove at the position this season.

Twenty-eight of the 30 first-place votes went to Betts. Runner-up Mike Trout appeared first on one ballot, and he got 24 second-place votes. Cleveland infielder Jose Ramirez placed third.

Jacob deGrom, Blake Snell win Cy Young awards

Jacob deGrom

Here's a fun fact, courtesy of Sarah Langs' Twitter account, on NL Cy Young award winner Jacob deGrom:

"deGrom: MLB-best 1.70 ERA. Mets went 14-18 in his starts & he went 10-9

Lucas Giolito: 6.13 ERA, worst in MLB. He went 10-13 & White Sox were 14-18 in his starts

That’s the same number of pitcher wins and same team record ... for the best and worst pitchers in MLB."

How about that? If that doesn't show you that wins is a lousy way to evaluate a pitcher, I don't know what does.

No pitcher has ever won a Cy Young with fewer than 13 wins until now, but New York's deGrom is deserving despite having only 10 victories in 2018.

He is a true ace, having made all 32 of his starts, throwing 217 innings and striking out 269 against only 46 walks. In those 32 starts, deGrom allowed three runs or less in 31 of them -- there was one start in April where he allowed four runs.

He set records for quality starts and consecutive starts allowing three runs or fewer. It was a dominant season for deGrom, and he totaled 29 of a possible 30 first-place votes, win-loss total be damned. He had one of the best seasons I've ever seen from a starting pitcher in my lifetime. Too bad he played on a crummy team. He pitched well enough to win 25 games, at least.

Washington's Max Scherzer got the other first-place vote, and he was listed second on the other 29 ballots. Philadelphia's Aaron Nola received 27 third-place votes and finished third.

On the American League side, Tampa Bay's Blake Snell got the honor on the strength of a 21-5 record.

Snell is interesting, because he pitched only 180.1 innings, or 33.1 innings less than the second-place finisher in the voting, Houston's Justin Verlander. A good case can be made for Verlander because he, like deGrom, shouldered an ace workload for his team.

But, ultimately, voters liked Snell's 1.89 ERA and 221 strikeouts pitching in the offense-heavy American League East.

We can say this for Snell: He was really, really good against top teams. In 12 starts against the five AL playoffs teams (Boston, New York, Cleveland, Houston and Oakland), Snell went 9-2 with a 2.00 ERA.

Snell was not getting fat on crummy competition, and that most have impressed voters, who gave him 17 of the possible 30 first-place votes. The other 13 first-place votes went to Verlander. Cleveland's Corey Kluber finished third.

Oakland's Bob Melvin, Atlanta's Brian Snitker win Manager of the Year awards

Bob Melvin

Oakland's Bob Melvin and Atlanta's Brian Snitker were named Managers of the Year in their respective leagues Tuesday.

For me, one of these winners was a surprise and one was not.

The 57-year-old Melvin is one of the best managers in the American League, and this is his third time winning the award. In fact, 2018 might have been his best managerial job, as he took an Athletics team with the lowest Opening Day payroll in baseball ($68 million) and molded it into a 97-win club that earned an AL wild-card spot.

Oakland improved by 22 wins in 2018, the most improvement by any team in baseball. Here's the thing that stood out to me about the A's: They used 34 pitchers to get through the season and not a single one of them threw enough innings to qualify for the ERA title.

It truly was a mix-and-match situation in Oakland, as injuries forced Melvin to give starts to journeyman pitchers such as Edwin Jackson, Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill.

I found it remarkable that the A's finished second in the AL West, which might have been the deepest division in baseball. Full credit goes Melvin, his staff and his players for the year that they had.

Melvin got 18 of a possible 30 first-place votes. Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora got seven first-place votes and finished second. The other five first-place votes when to the third-place finisher, Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash.

I'm a little surprised that Snitker won the award in the National League, not that he isn't deserving. The Braves had an 18-game turnaround under his direction and were surprise champions in the NL East.

Coming into the season, everyone picked the Washington Nationals to win that division. Instead, Atlanta spent 115 days in first place and never lost more than four in a row. That's the sign of a good manager -- the absence of a long losing streak. Most "experts" had the Braves finishing third at the start of the season, but their rebuilding plan came together a year ahead of schedule and quieted skeptics.

Snitker has to be enjoying this success. He's been with the Atlanta organization for 40 years, and often, a longtime organization man doesn't get the opportunity to manage. However, he had a big year in only his second season at the helm.

That said, I thought Milwaukee's Craig Counsell would win the NL award. Counsell guided the Brewers to a league-best 96 wins and the championship of the NL Central. Despite having significant deficiencies in the starting rotation, Milwaukee reached Game 7 of the NLCS before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, had the Cubs winning the NL Central this season. And given what the Cubs and Dodgers have accomplished in recent years, who had the Brewers emerging as the team with the most regular-season wins in the NL? Certainly not me.

But, the majority of voters gave the nod to Snitker. He got 17 of the 30 first-place votes. Counsell got 11 first-place votes and finished second. Colorado's Bud Black got one first-place vote and took third.

Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr. win Rookie of the Year awards

Shohei Ohtani

Los Angeles Angels pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. have been named Rookies of the Year in their respective leagues.

The vote was not close in either league, and it was not expected to be.

Ohtani won the AL award after becoming the first player since Babe Ruth in 1919 to have at least 20 home runs and 10 pitching appearances in a single season. He is the first player to hit at least 20 home runs and record 50 strikeouts as a pitcher in the same season.

The right-handed pitcher went 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts before a torn elbow ligament shut him down. Ohtani will not pitch during the 2019 season.

Despite the injury, he played 104 games as a designated hitter, slashing .285/.361/.564 with 22 home runs, 21 doubles, 10 stolen bases and 61 RBIs.

Ohtani received 25 of a possible 30 first-place votes. The other five votes went to second-place finisher Miguel Andujar of the New York Yankees. Another Yankee, Gleyber Torres, placed third.

In case you were wondering, White Sox outfielder Daniel Palka received one third-place vote after  his 27-homer season.

Acuna, the NL honoree, was called to the majors April 25 and delivered 55 extra-base hits in his first 100 games. His season helped propel the Braves to an 18-game improvement and the NL East Division championship.

In 111 games, the 20-year-old hit .293/.366/.552 with 26 home runs, 26 doubles, 16 stolen bases and 64 RBIs.

Acuna's performance netted him 27 out of a possible 30 first-place votes.

Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals received two first-place votes and finished second. Right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers earned one first-place vote and finished third.

Trivia question answer: Carew, Ichiro, Palmeiro, Beltre and Clemente

Rod Carew

On Saturday, I posted a trivia question that I found interesting: Name the five players with 3,000 or more hits who were not born in the United States.

I added the hint that the five men came from five different countries: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Panama and Puerto Rico.

Now for the answer:

Rod Carew: The infielder from Panama played 19 seasons in the big leagues from 1967 to 1985. He was with the Minnesota Twins for 12 seasons, mostly as a second baseman, before playing seven seasons with the California Angels, mostly as a first baseman or designated hitter.

A lifetime .328 hitter, Carew totaled 3,053 hits and made the All-Star team a remarkable 18 times. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1967, and won the American League MVP award with the Twins in 1977, when he hit .388/.449/.579 with 38 doubles, 16 triples, 14 home runs, 23 stolen bases and a career-high 100 RBIs.

Ichiro Suzuki: We've seen more players come to the U.S. from Japan in the past couple decades, and there's no question in my mind that Ichiro is the best of that group. He played 18 years from 2001 through this past season with the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and Miami Marlins, totaling 3,089 hits and a lifetime slash line of .311/.355/.402.

Ichiro took the American League by storm in 2001, winning both the Rookie of the Year and the MVP award for the 116-win Mariners. In that season, he hit .350/.381/.457 with a league-best 56 stolen bases. That was the start of a decade of dominance for Ichiro, as he appeared in the All-Star Game and won the Gold Glove in each of his first 10 seasons with the Mariners.

Rafael Palmeiro: The Cuban-born slugger became the fifth player in baseball history to accumulate both 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, reaching those benchmarks in July 2005. Days later, he tested positive for steroids, and he probably will never be inducted into the Hall of Fame despite his gaudy statistics.

Palmeiro played 20 seasons for the Cubs, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles, totaling 3,020 hits and 569 home runs. He only played in four All-Star games and never finished higher than fifth in MVP voting, despite hitting 38 or more home runs from every year from 1995 to 2003.

The left-handed hitter, who broke into the majors with the Cubs in 1986, left the game in disgrace after being booed by his home fans in Baltimore during that 2005 season.

Adrian Beltre: The 39-year-old from the Dominican Republic is the one active player on this list. He has 3,166 career hits and 477 home runs. He might be able to join that 3,000/500 club if he has one more good season left in him.

Beltre has been in the majors for 21 years, first joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998. He since has played with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, and appears to be a good bet for the Hall of Fame when you combine his impressive counting statistics, consistent production and strong defense at third base. Beltre has won five Gold Gloves, and on the whole, has been more appreciated as a player in the latter years of his career.

Roberto Clemente: Perhaps the greatest player Puerto Rico has ever produced, Clemente had his life cut short when he died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972. He played 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 until the time of his death, posting a career .317/.359/.475 slash line with 3,000 hits and 240 home runs.

Clemente made the All-Star Game in 12 out of 13 seasons from 1960 to 1972, and he won the National League MVP award in 1966, when he hit .317 with a career-high 29 home runs and a career-best 119 RBIs. He also won a Gold Glove in each of his final 12 seasons and is regarded as one of the best defensive right fielders in the history of the game.

A Saturday afternoon trivia question ...

Joe Stevenson, my colleague at the Northwest Herald, asked me an interesting baseball trivia question the other night at work.

I struggled before eventually getting the answer. Here it is:

Name the five players with 3,000 or more hits who were not born in the United States.

Hint: The five men came from five different countries: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Panama and Puerto Rico.

Can you name them? Answer to come Monday ...

Gold Glove winners announced: White Sox CF Adam Engel didn't win

Adam Engel

Major League Baseball announced its Gold Glove winners for the 2018 season Sunday night, and White Sox center fielder Adam Engel did not win.

In fact, I'm pretty sure Engel finished third among the three finalists for center field in the American League -- Boston's Jackie Bradley Jr. won the honor, and Los Angeles' Mike Trout was the other contender -- but there's really no shame in it for Engel.

I've often felt as though a player has to hit well in order to get consideration for a Gold Glove, which I know sounds completely ridiculous, but rare is the case when a player gets much publicity for being a defense-only guy -- especially on a 100-loss team such as the Sox.

Engel is a defense-only player. He finished the 2018 season with a .235/.279/.336 slash line, and that actually was an improvement over the .166/.235/.282 line he posted as a rookie in 2017.

And heck, Engel didn't even play his best defense the first couple months of the season. His error total (7) worked against him, and he only had five outfield assists all season. However, he gained attention in August when he made three spectacular catches to rob opposing players (Greg Bird, Kyle Higashioka and Yonder Alonso) of home runs in the same week. Each catch was better than the one before it, and it didn't hurt that two of them came against the high-profile New York Yankees.

In that context, it was a nice accomplishment for Engel to be named a finalist. His weak bat likely will knock him out of the Sox's everyday lineup at some point, so being in the Gold Glove conversation this season probably will go down as a career highlight for him.

Here is the list of Gold Glove winners from both leagues:

American League

Pitcher: Dallas Keuchel, Astros (fourth award)
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Royals (fifth award)
First base: Matt Olson, Athletics (first award)
Second base: Ian Kinsler, Red Sox (second award)
Shortstop: Andrelton Simmons, Angels (fourth award)
Third base: Matt Chapman, Athletics (first award)
Left field: Alex Gordon, Royals (sixth award)
Center field: Bradley Jr., Red Sox (first award)
​Right field: Mookie Betts, Red Sox (third award)

 

National League

Pitcher: Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks (fifth award)
Catcher: Yadier Molina, Cardinals (ninth award)
First base: Freddie Freeman, Braves (first award) and Anthony Rizzo, Cubs (second award)
Second base: D.J. LeMahieu, Rockies (third award)
Shortstop: Nick Ahmed, Diamondbacks (first award)
Third base: Nolan Arenado, Rockies (sixth award)
Left field: Corey Dickerson, Pirates (first award)
Center field: Ender Inciarte, Braves (third award)
​Right field: Nick Markakis, Braves (third award)​