Major League Baseball

2014 MLB player award predictions

Published Nov. 10, 2014 11:15 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Who will win Rookie of the Year? Will King Felix claim another Cy Young Award? Will Kershaw take home the MVP? Check out our 2014 MLB player award predictions from our panel of MLB experts.

Will Jose Abreu be a unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year?

AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Jose Abreu has made his case all year and could very well be the unanimous decision for AL Rookie of the Year. Putting up the kind of numbers Abreu did (35 HR, 116 RBI, 316 AVG) not only in his first year in the majors, but his first year in the Unities States makes it that much more impressive.

Adrian Garro: Jose Abreu

Zach Benau: Jose Abreu

Danny Farris: Jose Abreu

Jason Lewis: Jose Abreu

Lindsey Foltin: Jose Abreu

Does Jacob DeGrom have any real competition for NL Rookie of the Year?

NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Jacob DeGrom, 26, was a revelation for the Mets in 2014, posting a 9-6 record with a 2.22 ERA (144 K in 140 1/3 IP), finishing the second half on fire (0.93 WHIP, 9.7 K/9). The sky's the limit for DeGrom, suddenly a major part of the Mets' future.

Garro: Jacob DeGrom

Benau: Jacob DeGrom

Farris: Jacob DeGrom

Lewis: Jacob DeGrom

Foltin: Billy Hamilton

AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR

All signs point to Buck Showalter being a lock for AL Manager of the Year.

The Orioles won the AL East without Matt Wieters, a productive Chris Davis or Manny Machado. And they won it easily. Buck Showalter's steady leadership drove the boat that coasted the O's to an easy division title, and that just can't be ignored. Yes, Ned Yost's Royals won the pennant and Yost will be the one helming the AL during the All-Star Game next season, but this award belongs to Buck.

Garro: Buck Showalter

Benau: Buck Showalter

Farris: Buck Showalter

Foltin: Buck Showalter

NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Matt Williams, in his first year as Nats skipper, won 96 games. That's a lot of wins for a rookie manager. Williams managed potential volatile situations all season (Ryan Zimmerman switching positions, Bryce Harper Vs. Denard Span, a change in closers). He also has the Nationals firing on all cylinders as the top team in the NL.

Does Bochy's World Series championship make him the best choice for NL Manager of the Year?

Despite injuries Angel Pagan, Marco Scutaro and Matt Cain, Bruce Bochy managed a team that found their way to the playoffs through a wild card berth. Though votes were cast before their World Series run, the strong turn-around after a rough June and July shouldn't be overlooked.

Garro: Matt Williams

Benau: Matt Williams

Farris: Bruce Bochy

Lewis: Matt Williams

Foltin: Bruce Bochy

AL CY YOUNG

Will King Felix's reign include another Cy Young crown, or will Corey Kluber crash the party? Hernandez's numbers are once again out of this world (2.34 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 241K) and the Mariners wouldn't have sniffed the postseason without his dominance atop the rotation.

Will Corey Kluber spoil the Cy Young party for King Felix?

Garro: Felix Hernandez

Benau: Felix Hernandez

Farris: Felix Hernandez

Lewis: Felix Hernandez

Foltin: Corey Kluber

NL CY YOUNG

This is probably the most one-sided of all the awards races in the league. Clayton Kershaw, 26, was simply ridiculous all season long for the Dodgers, sprinkling a no-hitter in there among his achievements over the course of the season. Despite missing the first six weeks of the season, Kersh still managed to be the runaway favorite for this award (even though he has yet to figure out the Cardinals in the postseason).

Garro: Clayton Kershaw

Will Clayton Kershaw take home the NL Cy Young and MVP awards?

Benau: Clayton Kershaw

Farris: Clayton Kershaw

Lewis: Clayton Kershaw

Foltin: Clayton Kershaw

AL MVP

It's finally time for Mike Trout to get his MVP award. 287/.377/.561 with 36 HR and 111 RBI ought to do it, even though co-nominees Victor Martinez of the Tigers and Michael Brantley of the Indians put up fine, fine numbers themselves. Trout has shown an all-around production that is just too much to ignore, especially with the Angels hanging on to the best record.

Garro: Mike Trout

There's no way Mike Trout will get snubbed for the AL MVP award this year.

Benau: Mike Trout

Farris: Mike Trout

Lewis: Mike Trout

Foltin: Mike Trout

NL MVP

The NL MVP race is the most intriguing of the awards season, because it is a toss up between Clayton Kershaw, Andrew McCutchen, and Giancarlo Stanton. Also add in the debate of a pitcher winning the award. At the time of his season ending injury, Stanton had a league-high 37 home runs, .555 slugging percentage, 299 total bases and 24 intentional walks. He has racked up during the awards season, taking home the NL Outstanding Player at the Players Choice Awards, the Hank Aaron Award, and the Silver Slugger Award. He not only gets it done from the plate, but on defense as well, as he was a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award. As for his impact on the Marlins, after ace pitcher Jose Fernandez was lost for the season early on, Stanton nearly single-handedly kept the ball club in the playoff hunt for the remainder of the season. Just before his injury, the Marlins still had a shot at the Wild Card, but without him for the final 19 games, they posted a 6-13 record. That stat right there shows his value to the ball club.

Garro: Clayton Kershaw

Giancarlo Stanton fares favorably in the counting stats that MVP Award voters have traditionally gravitated toward.

Benau: Clayton Kershaw

Farris: Clayton Kershaw

Foltin: Giancarlo Stanton

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball