MLB 2017 Awards: Predictions For MVP, Cy Young, Rookie Of The Year

Aaron Judge Jose Altuve — Jose Altuve and Aaron Judge, pictured at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 16, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City, are the top two candidates for the 2017 AL MVP award. Elsa/Getty Images

The finalists have been announced for MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in both the American and National Leagues. There are three candidates for each award, and they were voted on before the start of the playoffs.

The winners will be announced from Nov. 13-16 on MLB Network. Below are predictions for each individual award for the 2017 MLB regular season, including the order in which each player will finish.

American League MVP

1) Jose Altuve (.346/.410/.547, 24 HR, 81 RBI): The Houston Astros’ second baseman edges out Judge because of his incredible consistency. Altuve never hit lower than .298 in any month while Judge slumped for much of July and August. He had the highest batting average in baseball and was tied for third in AL OPS.

2) Aaron Judge (.284/.422/.627, 52 HR, 114 RBI): A case can certainly be made for the New York Yankees’ right fielder, who led the AL with 52 homers and an 8.8 WAR. Ranking second in AL RBI and OPS, he was the best player on the league’s most surprising team.

3) Jose Ramirez (.318/,374/.583, 29 HR, 83 RBI): The Cleveland Indians’ infielder won’t get a first-place vote, but he was terrific for the team with the best AL record. Splitting his time between third base and second base, Ramirez had the same OPS as Altuve.

American League Cy Young

1) Corey Kluber (18-4, 2.25 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 11.7 K/9): Kluber separated himself from Sale in the second half of the season, finishing first in ERA and WHIP among all MLB pitchers. He helped Cleveland get the AL’s best record by posting a 1.79 ERA after the All-Star break.

2) Chris Sale (17-8, 2.90 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 12.9 K/9): Sale proved himself worthy of a trade that forced the Boston Red Sox to send the Chicago White Sox baseball’s best prospect. He led MLB in innings pitched, and his 308 strikeouts were 40 more than the next closest pitcher.

3) Luis Severino (14-6, 2.98 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 10.7 K/9): There’s a good chance Severino will win a Cy Young award at some point in the next few years. He became the New York Yankees’ ace at just 23 years old, and he led the AL by allowing one earned run or fewer in 16 starts.

American League Rookie of the Year

1) Aaron Judge (.284/.422/.627, 52 HR, 114 RBI): This is the easiest award to hand out. Judge set an MLB rookie record with 52 home runs, and an argument can be made that he had a better season than any player in baseball.

2) Andrew Benintendi (.271/.352/.424, 20 HR, 90 RBI): The left fielder became just the 11th rookie in history to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases. He was a key component in the Red Sox winning the AL East.

3) Trey Mancini (.293/.338/.488, 24 HR, 78 RBI): It certainly wasn’t Mancini’s fault that the Baltimore Orioles missed the playoffs. He finished 14th in the AL in batting average and had more total hits than both Judge and Benintendi.

National League MVP

1) Giancarlo Stanton (.281/.376/.631, 59 HR,132 RBI): With no clear MVP choice on a playoff team, the Miami Marlins’ outfielder will probably win the award because of historic power numbers. He nearly became the first player since 2001 to hit 60 homers. Stanton was the second player in the last four years to drive in more than 130 runs.

2) Paul Goldschmidt (.297/.404/.563, 36 HR, 120 RBI): As the best player on an Arizona Diamondbacks’ team that made a surprising run to the playoffs, Goldschmidt could very well win the award. He was a top-8 NL finisher in homers, RBI, runs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

3) Joey Votto (.320/.454/.578, 36 HR, 100 RBI): Votto might’ve been the NL's best player, ranking first with a 1.032 OPS and a 9.6 WAR. He probably won’t win the award because the Cincinnati Reds won just 68 games and he didn’t separate himself enough from Stanton and Goldschmidt.

There's a chance the NL MVP winner will be the first winner for his franchise

Finalists:
Giancarlo Stanton, Joey Votto, Paul Goldschmidt pic.twitter.com/QqBzkhUKlw
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 7, 2017

National League Cy Young

1) Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 12 K/9): While Kershaw missed a few weeks in the middle of the season with a back injury, Scherzer was healthy until the Washington Nationals clinched the NL East. He led the NL in strikeouts and WHIP, finishing second in ERA.

2) Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 2.31 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 10.4 K/9): The Los Angeles Dodgers’ ace has been so good for so long that it’s easy to overlook how impressive he was in 2017. He led the NL in ERA and wins while ranking second in WHIP.

3) Stephen Strasburg (15-4, 2.52 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 10.5 K/9): Strasburg has no chance to win the award since he wasn’t even Washington’s best pitcher. He landed in the top-three with one of the best second halves ever, going 6-1 with a 0.86 ERA.

National League Rookie of the Year

1) Cody Bellinger (.267/.352/.581, 39 HR, 97 RBI): No one is going to steal any first-place votes from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first baseman. He set an NL rookie record for home runs and is the only candidate that made the postseason.

2) Paul DeJong (.285/.325/.532, 25 HR, 65 RBI): The St. Louis Cardinals’ rookie would’ve ranked among the league-leaders in home runs if he played more than just 108 games. Only 12 qualifying NL players had a higher slugging percentage.

3) Josh Bell (.255/.334/.466, 26 HR, 90 RBI): The Pittsburgh Pirates’ first baseman set a rookie record of his own with 26 homers as a switch-hitter. He was second among rookies behind Bellinger in both home runs and RBI.