The MLB awards for the 2015 season will be announced next week and the nominees include some high profile players, including Josh Donaldson, Bryce Harper, Zack Greinke, David Price, Lorenzo Cain and Clayton Kershaw. The Most Valuable Player, Cy Young awards, Rookie of the Year awards and manager of the year awards will be given out for the American League and National League through the week.
Some of the awards races are closer than others, including the AL Cy Young and NL manager of the year, while the MVP award in both leagues have clear favorites. This year Bryce Harper and Josh Donaldson are considered the heavy favorites for most valuable player, while Zack Greinke is coming into the NL Cy Young race as a likely winner.
Here is a look at the awards and the nominees for this season:
MVP award
The Most Valuable Player Award in the American League has Josh Donaldson, Mike Trout and Lorenzo Cain as the finalists, while the National League has Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt and Joey Votto. Cain and Trout both had strong seasons, but Donaldson made the biggest impact for his team and he has the numbers to back it up. Donaldson put up monster numbers with 41 home runs and 123 RBI and he helped lead the Blue Jays to a division title. All three players in the NL are from teams that did not make the playoffs and Harper had the best season of the group. Harper set career highs in home runs, walks, hits, games played, RBI and doubles and it looks like it's his award to lose.
Prediction: Josh Donaldson and Bryce Harper
Rookie of the Year
The American League has Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor and Miguel Sano as the nominees for rookie of the year, while Kris Bryant, Matt Duffy and Jung Ho Kang are the nominees in the National League. The rookie of the year awards are also like the MVP, as both have heavy favorites coming in with Bryant and Correa. On top of the fact that both players helped their teams snap playoff droughts, the young stars each put up strong numbers. Correa was one of the top shortstops in the league despite playing in just 99 games, hitting 22 home runs and driving in 68. Bryant played in 151 games and had 26 homes runs and 99 RBI while hitting for a .275 batting average.
Prediction: Bryant and Correa
Cy Young
The Cy Young award nominees in the AL are Dallas Keuchel, Sonny Gray and David Price, while the National League has Zack Greinke, Jake Arrieta and Clayton Kershaw. The AL race is a bit closer than the NL, although the voting could end up pretty close between Kershaw, Arrieta and Greinke, but most expect Greinke to win. Greinke had a historic season for the Dodgers and he put up a 1.66 ERA while going 19-3. Gray and Price have strong numbers, but Keuchel was the most consistent and he went 20-8 this season with a 2.48 ERA this season.
Prediction: Greinke and Keuchel
Manager of the Year
The nominees in the National League for the award are Terry Collins, Joe Maddon and Mike Matheny, while the AL has Jeff Banister, A.J. Hinch and Paul Molitor. All the managers nominated have an argument for winning the award, whether it be bringing a team to the playoffs after years of missing out or exceeding preseason expectations, but in the AL it's likely that Hinch will win. The Astros were not predicted by many to make the playoffs and that could give Hinch the award after leading the young but talented team to the postseason. Maddon did the same with the Cubs, but Collins may end up with the award after leading the Mets to a division title.
Prediction: Collins and Hinch
The Silver Slugger awards have been given out and the winners in the AL were: Brian McCann, Miguel Cabrera, Jose Altuve, Josh Donaldson, Xander Bogaerts, Mike Trout, Nelson Cruz, JD Martinez and Kendrys Morales. The National League had Buster Posey, Paul Goldschmidt, Dee Gordon, Nolan Arenado, Brandon Crawford, Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Gonzalez and Madison Bumgarner.
Here is a full list of the Silver Sluggers.
Check here for the full list of award nominees for the MLB season.