All week long we have been counting down the days to Opening Day of the 2019 MLB season. This year the season opens up on Thursday, March 2019 with all 30 teams coming out swinging for the fences. We could’ve said that the MLB season has already been underway after the Seattle Mariners swept the Oakland Athletics 2-0 in their two games in Tokyo, Japan a week ago.
But before we get to opening day, Fourth Quarter Sports wants to finish what we started and that is giving you our picks for the awards and playoffs leading all the way to the World Series.
“Chris Sale” by Keith Allison is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
We have already given you all our takes on each division and what we think will happen throughout the season. But now it’s time to see who we think will win each of the major awards in the Major Leagues. There are four specific awards that we will be focusing on this season and we will break them up by the league.
Let’s start with the American League awards
Rookie of the Year
Dan– OF Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)
Rahim– OF Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)
Aman– OF Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)
Dennis– OF Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)
Adam– OF Eloy Jimenez (Chicago White Sox)
Mickayeen– OF Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)
Adam is the only one that didn’t go with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but let’s see if he knows what he’s talking about! Junior is the clear favorite if he can stay healthy, but Jimenez could find himself in a lot of nice positions to drive-in runs.
AL Cy Young Winner
Dan– Justin Verlander (Houston Astros)
Rahim– Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox)
Aman– Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox)
Dennis– Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox)
Adam– Chris Sale (Boston Red Sox)
Mickayeen– Gerrit Cole (Houston Astros)
Many of us believe that Chris Sale’s new contract will give him the extra boat of confidence this season as he looks to be the best pitcher of all the pitchers in the league. It will also be the first career Cy Young award for Sale as he leads the Red Sox’ back to a possible World Series.
AL Manager of the Year
Dan– Brad Asmus (Los Angeles Angels)
Rahim– Brad Asmus (Los Angeles Angels)
Aman– Brad Asmus (Los Angeles Angels)
Dennis– Kevin Cash (Tampa Bay Rays)
Adam– Rocco Baldelli (Minnesota Twins)
Mickayeen– Brad Asmus (Los Angeles Angels)
Could this be the year that Angels finally take back the division? The Angels may not be able to pass the Houston Astros just yet, but Brad Asmus is good for the team and Mike Trout.
AL Most Valuable Player
Dan– 3B Alex Bregman (Houston Astros)
Rahim– OF Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
Aman– OF Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
Dennis– OF Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
Adam– OF Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
Mickayeen– 3B Alex Bregman (Houston Astros)
When I said that Asmus was good for Trout, I meant it! Although, I think that Bregman has finally came along as one of the best players in baseball. Bregman will look to continue off from his strong performance last year.
After deciding between Bregman or Trout in the American League, let’s turn our attention to the National league and see where we differ here.
NL Rookie of the Year
Dan- 1B Peter Alonso (New York Mets)
Rahim– OF Victor Robles (Washington Nationals)
Aman– OF Victor Robles (Washington Nationals)
Dennis– OF Victor Robles (Washington Nationals)
Adam– SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres)
Mickayeen– SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres)
We all could agree that Robles role with the Nationals will be huge as he’ll be asked to fill the shoes of Bryce Harper. But can he win the rookie of year or will it be Tatis Jr. or Alonso?
NL Cy Young Winner
Dan– Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals)
Rahim– Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Aman– Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals)
Dennis– Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals)
Adam– Jack Flaherty (St. Louis Cardinals)
Mickayeen– Noah Syndergard (New York Mets)
This is where things get interesting. Scherzer is a clear favorite to win the award again this year, but we would all like to see how the competition plays out.
NL Manager of the Year
Dan– Gabe Kapler (Philadelphia Phillies)
Rahim– Gabe Kapler (Philadelphia Phillies)
Aman– Brian Snitker (Atlanta Braves)
Dennis– Dave Martinez (Washington Nationals)
Adam– Mike Shildt (St. Louis Cardinals)
Mickayeen– Clint Hurdle (Pittsburgh Pirates)
This one also goes several different ways, but I would like to see if Kapler can actually manager the stacked Phillies team to a winning season and a division title.
NL Most Valuable Player
Dan– OF Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies)
Rahim– 1B Paul Goldschmidt (St. Louis Cardinals)
Aman– OF Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies)
Dennis– OF Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies)
Adam– 1B Paul Goldschmidt (St. Louis Cardinals)
Mickayeen– 3B Nolan Arenado (Colorado Rockies)
Will Harper’s move result in a MVP, or maybe Goldschmidt’s trade can get him his first MVP of his career? Can Arenado prove that his contract is worth all the money he’s getting from the extension? Let’s see who the best player in the National League will be!
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