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The Baseball Writers’ Association of America end of year award finalists are set to be announced this afternoon, and the winners will be revealed the following week. It’s an exciting year for awards, because most of the races don’t have a clear favorite. And even in the races where there is a clear favorite (i.e. the AL MVP), I’m still on the edge of my seat waiting for the results.
It’s also an exciting year, because for the first time since the 1980s, the Phillies have major contenders for both the MVP and Cy Young Awards. With that in mind, who better to cast their votes for the 2021 end of season awards than a group of extremely biased Phillies writers?
A few weeks ago, I sent out an anonymous ballot to all of our staff asking them to cast their votes in the style of the BBWAA. I counted up the votes, and now I have the pleasure of presenting the results of the TGPWAA (The Good Phight Writers Association of America) 2021 awards voting.
NL MVP - Bryce Harper
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Bryce Harper won this race in a landslide. Who could’ve guessed that? While Bryce Harper is a perfectly deserving choice, something tells me the real NL MVP voting will be a lot closer than ours was. These were our top four finishers:
- Bryce Harper, Phillies
- Juan Soto, Nationals
- Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
- Trea Turner, Dodgers
Poll
Who gets your vote for NL MVP?
This poll is closed
-
2%
Turner
(14 votes) -
5%
Soto
(36 votes) -
79%
Harper
(507 votes) -
3%
Tatis
(24 votes) -
0%
Goldschmidt
(4 votes) -
2%
Freeman
(15 votes) -
5%
Riley
(32 votes) -
0%
Muncy
(3 votes) -
0%
Burnes
(2 votes) -
0%
Wheeler
(0 votes) -
0%
Other (tell us in the comments)
(2 votes)
AL MVP - Shohei Ohtani
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Shohei Ohtani is the clear favorite to win AL MVP this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if his win was unanimous. In our poll, he won by a landslide but did not, however, receive every first place vote. To the one person who voted for Carlos Correa, please feel free to explain your rational in the comments.
- Shohei Ohtani, Angels
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
- Marcus Semien, Blue Jays
- Carlos Correa, Astros
Poll
Who gets your vote for AL MVP?
This poll is closed
-
0%
Mullins
(2 votes) -
15%
Guerrero
(79 votes) -
80%
Ohtani
(399 votes) -
0%
Semien
(3 votes) -
1%
Correa
(6 votes) -
1%
Judge
(6 votes) -
0%
Ramirez
(0 votes) -
0%
Other
(2 votes)
NL Cy Young - Zack Wheeler
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Did Wheeler only win our vote because we’re Phillies fans? Yes, without a doubt. I wouldn’t be surprised if Wheeler finished fourth in the actual Cy Young voting. That being the case, I don’t necessarily think we’re guilty of homerism here. We know Wheeler deserves the Cy Young because we’ve been watching him all season, while the rest of the sport has overlooked his greatness. My money is on Corbin Burnes to take home the trophy this year, and he is a very deserving winner (he came close to winning our vote as well), but I maintain that Zack Wheeler would be an equally deserving winner.
- Zack Wheeler, Phillies
- Corbin Burnes, Brewers
- Max Scherzer, Dodgers
- Walker Buehler, Dodgers
Poll
Who gets your vote for NL Cy Young?
This poll is closed
-
21%
Scherzer
(106 votes) -
56%
Wheeler
(276 votes) -
2%
Buehler
(12 votes) -
17%
Burnes
(84 votes) -
0%
Gausman
(1 vote) -
0%
Woodruff
(1 vote) -
1%
Other
(6 votes)
AL Cy Young - Robbie Ray
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The AL Cy Young is a two-man race this year between Robbie Ray and Gerrit Cole, but at least in our voting, Ray won handily. I think there’s a solid case for both of them – Ray had a lower ERA in more innings pitched, but he accomplished that with a much stronger defense behind him, and Cole finished with significantly better peripheral numbers. I think Ray ultimately has the advantage because he is the much more interesting story; Ray came out of nowhere and bounced back from an awful 2020 season, while Cole was the presumptive favorite. That being said, it’s easy to forget that Gerrit Cole has never actually won a Cy Young, and as one of the greatest pitchers of his generation, he probably deserves to win one eventually.
- Robbie Ray, Blue Jays
- Gerrit Cole, Yankees
- Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox
- Lance Lynn, White Sox
Poll
Who gets your vote for AL Cy Young?
This poll is closed
-
20%
Cole
(71 votes) -
8%
Lynn
(29 votes) -
63%
Ray
(224 votes) -
5%
Eovaldi
(21 votes) -
0%
Giolito
(2 votes) -
0%
McCullers
(2 votes) -
1%
Other
(6 votes)
NL Rookie Of The Year - Jonathan India
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This was the closest finish we had, with Reds second baseman Jonathan India just edging out Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers. While I personally voted for Trevor Rogers, there’s really no wrong choice here.
- Jonathan India, Reds
- Trevor Rogers, Marlins
- Ian Anderson, Braves
Poll
Who gets your vote for NL ROY?
This poll is closed
-
54%
India
(162 votes) -
18%
Rogers
(55 votes) -
19%
Anderson
(57 votes) -
2%
Wisdom
(6 votes) -
3%
Carlson
(11 votes) -
2%
Other
(6 votes)
AL Rookie Of The Year - Randy Arozarena
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Randy Arozarena of the Rays ran away with this one. There were a handful of deserving rookies in the American League this year, including three Tampa Bay Rays (Arozarena, Wander Franco, and Shane McClanahan) and two players named Garcia from the Lone Star State (Adolis Garcis of the Rangers and Luis Garcia of the Astros). Arozarena, however, seems to be the odds-on favorite to win the ROY; perhaps his incredible postseason heroics from 2020 are helping his case.
- Randy Arozarena, Rays
- Wander Franco, Rays
- Adolis Garcia, Rangers
Poll
Who gets your vote for AL ROY?
This poll is closed
-
33%
Franco
(94 votes) -
6%
A. Garcia
(19 votes) -
1%
L. Garcia
(5 votes) -
54%
Arozarena
(155 votes) -
1%
McClanahan
(4 votes) -
1%
Other
(5 votes)
NL Manager Of The Year - Gabe Kapler
Thank you, @KingsandJaxs, for the furry undergarments. So grateful. CC @JordanCohen21 pic.twitter.com/OKfaNWbvRY
— gabe kapler (@gabekapler) September 1, 2014
The Manager of the Year Award, otherwise known as the “Manager of the team that most outperformed their preseason expectations” Award, is going to go to Gabe Kapler this season. I’d be shocked if it went any other way. Manager of the Year is an extremely difficult category to vote in, because unless you’ve been watching a manager all season, it’s tough to form an accurate opinion of them.
Perhaps the voters will surprise us and vote for Craig Counsell, who has an excellent reputation and has yet to win a Manager of the Year Award. Perhaps the award will go to Mike Shildt, who lead the Cardinals to an incredible September comeback. But the most likely outcome is that Kapler is going home with the trophy.
- Gabe Kapler, Giants
- Craig Counsell, Brewers
- Mike Shildt, Cardinals
Poll
Who gets your vote for NL Manager of the Year?
This poll is closed
-
10%
Counsell
(34 votes) -
8%
Shildt
(26 votes) -
62%
Kapler
(198 votes) -
15%
Snitker
(50 votes) -
1%
Roberts
(6 votes) -
1%
Other
(4 votes)
AL Manager Of The Year - Kevin Cash
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Cash is as good a pick as any here. He’s the reigning winner, and he has a reputation as one of the smartest managers in the game, although I do wonder if that whole kerfuffle about “stealing” the Blue Jays’ note card will lose him any votes. I’d probably bet on Alex Cora taking home the hardware, considering the Rex Sox’s surprise postseason appearance and the fact that so many people seem dead set on “redeeming” him for the Astros cheating scandal.
- Kevin Cash, Rays
- Scott Servais, Mariners
- Alex Cora, Red Sox
Poll
Who gets your vote for AL Manager of the Year?
This poll is closed
-
27%
Servais
(72 votes) -
16%
Cora
(44 votes) -
1%
Montoyo
(3 votes) -
37%
Cash
(99 votes) -
3%
Boone
(8 votes) -
12%
Baker
(33 votes) -
1%
Other
(4 votes)