The 2018 MLB season is upon us, and if you are like me, it has felt like an eternity since last season ended. All 30 teams will be playing on opening day, March 29th for the first time. This begins one of my favorite times of the sports calendar year. We have the start of the MLB season, the Final Four, and NHL and NBA playoffs are right around the corner.
For me, baseball season is an everyday affair. My MLB season subscription is renewed and ready to go on every device I own. I have sat my girlfriend down and gave her fair warning on how the next few months will go. I explained to her once that first pitch is thrown on Opening Day I will be taking a hiatus from most of my relationship duties. Thankfully, this isn’t her first rodeo, and she has come accept the importance of America’s pastime. But, enough of that boring talk, let’s get down to my predictions for the MLB awards for the 2018 season.
AL MVP: Mookie Betts
This might come as a bit of a surprising pick to some, but I have full faith in Boston’s Betts. The easy and popular pick for most in this category is, Mike Trout. I would be remiss not to mention Trout when it comes to any MVP talk. I do believe he will have another one of his stellar seasons, but unlike 2016 Mookie Betts will top him.
Betts was a favorite pick heading into the 2017 season after finishing second to Trout in 2016. His 2017 season was very average for the type of production we have come accustomed to seeing from Betts. The entire Red Sox offense took a step back last season, mostly due to the departure of Red Sox legend David Ortiz. Without the protection, Ortiz provided it created a domino effect down the lineup. Betts went from hitting .318 avg 31 HR 113 RBI in 2016 to .264 avg 24 HR 102 RBI in 2017. With the addition of JD Martinez, it should provide similar security that Ortiz previously did. Mookie should see a significant rise in his batting average and with that will come the power numbers we saw just two seasons ago.
NL MVP: Bryce Harper
Bryce Harper will reclaim his throne as the best player in the National League. Last season Harper dealt with injuries only playing 111 games. He did put up impressive power numbers with 29 HR, 87 RBI, and a WAR of 4.7. Now, I know that is a far cry from his historic MVP season in 2015, but it shows how talented he truly is.
This year is a contract season for Harper, so you better believe he will be gearing up to put on a show. There are projections Harper could receive a $500 mil contract next offseason, if that’s not an incentive for him this year, I don’t know what is. The Washington Nationals and Harper have been on the cusp each of the past couples of seasons and will be looking to clear that hurdle. This will most likely be Harper’s last run in Washington, and I expect it to be his best one yet. Look for Harper to hit 35-40 HR and have a WAR near 10.
AL Cy Young: Chris Sale
For most of the 2017 season, Chris Sale was the clear favorite for the Cy Young award, but a poor showing over the last month of the season did him in. Cleveland Indians pitcher Corey Kluber came on strong at the end of 2017 and stole the award.
Sale is a strikeout artist and became the first AL pitcher since 1999 Pedro Martinez to toss over 300 strikeouts in a season. The first few months of the season have historically been Sale’s most dominate months. He has a tendency to fall off late in seasons due to his innings count being so high. This same issue occurred last season. Red Sox manager at the time John Farrell decided to keep Sale in late in games through the early part of the season, and as his innings started to pile up, Farrell did not cut back. I believe this is an issue Red Sox brass and new incoming manager Alex Cora will address. Sale will now be fresh the entire season, and there should not be a late September dip in production.
NL Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg
Stephen Strasburg has been prone to injury throughout his eight MLB seasons pitching over 200 innings just once in his career. Taking that into account I still trust Strasburg to put it all together this 2018 season and start 30+ games while tallying over 200+ innings for the Nationals.
Strasburg had a terrific end to last season, and I expect that to carry over. The last month of the 2017 season Strasburg posted a 0.83 ERA and went 4-0 in September. The stellar pitching continued in the playoffs as well. He pitched 14 innings without giving up an earned run with 22 strikeouts to go with it. If that type of pitching can be sustained over the course of a full season, Strasburg will run away with the award. Of course, that is easier said than done.