Christian Yelich seems a cinch for NL MVP Betts or Boston teammate J.D.

NEW YORK (AP) — Now that the regular season is finally in the books Alex Bregman Jersey , time to bestow baseball’s biggest individual prizes. It took one extra day to sort out the playoff bracket, but these debates have been underway for weeks. Martinez in the American League?Jacob deGrom or Max Scherzer for the NL Cy Young Award?Shohei Ohtani or Miguel Andujar for AL Rookie of the Year?Martinez has been a monster at the plate in his first season with the Red Sox after signing a $110 million, five-year contract. He launched 43 home runs and led the majors with 130 RBIs. He compiled a 1.031 OPS and hit .330, finishing second to Betts (.346) in the batting race.All big reasons why Boston had the best record in baseball at 108-54.Hitting at the top of the order, Betts had 32 homers, 80 RBIs, 129 runs and a whopping 1.078 OPS.But on defense and the bases, it’s no comparison. Martinez started 57 games in the outfield but 93 at designated hitter. Betts, a sensational defender, started 115 games in right field and 13 in center. Plus, he stole 30 bases in 36 attempts.All those elite skills. That’s why he led the majors in wins above replacement with 10.9 (per baseball-reference.com).“I’d vote for Betts,” Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. “The impact that he has defensively is what sets him over the top for me. I told people, he’s the best right fielder I’ve ever seen. He makes plays that people in the stands don’t realize are not routine. Throws well. Steals a base when he needs to. He’s special.”Angels star Mike Trout merits his annual look, along with Houston third baseman Alex Bregman, Cleveland infielder Jose Ramirez and Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor.But in the end, Betts is the clear winner after being runner-up to Trout two years ago.Voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America is conducted before the postseason opener Tuesday night, and results will be announced in November.Here are our selections for the other top awards:NATIONAL LEAGUE MVP: With a huge second half http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey , Yelich practically carried Milwaukee to an NL Central championship and the best record in the league during his first season with the team. He came within a wisp of becoming the first Triple Crown winner in the National League since Joe “Ducky” Medwick in 1937. Yelich won the batting title with a .326 average and had 36 homers to go with 110 RBIs, 118 runs, 22 steals in 26 tries and a 1.000 OPS that led the league by a wide margin. He came through with three hits and an RBI as the Brewers beat the Cubs 3-1 on Monday in a one-game tiebreaker for the division crown at Wrigley Field.That’s how MVP awards are won, and this election won’t be close. Could be unanimous.“Down the stretch, he’s been willing that team it seems like. One night it’s the cycle, one night it’s a homer late, another night he walks five times. I think it’s Yelly,” said Don Mattingly, manager of the Miami Marlins team that traded Yelich last offseason.AL CY YOUNG: Young lefty Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays wins with a 21-5 record and league-leading 1.89 ERA in 180 2/3 innings. But it should be a tighter vote than projected. The guy getting overlooked a bit is Houston ace Justin Verlander (16-9, 2.52), who had a lower WHIP than Snell in 214 innings. Verlander struck out a league-high 290 hitters and walked only 37. Incredible.NL CY YOUNG: At one point late in the season, this was a close and compelling three-way race between deGrom, Scherzer and Aaron Nola. And then deGrom left everyone in the dust, finishing with a major league-low 1.70 ERA in 217 innings. His pedestrian 10-9 record for a struggling New York Mets team that provided little support? Pretty irrelevant.Nola tailed off a bit with Philadelphia and went 17-6 with a 2.37 ERA and 224 strikeouts in 212 1/3 innings. Scherzer, winner of two consecutive NL Cy Young Awards with Washington and the 2013 AL prize for Detroit, was 18-7 with a 2.53 ERA in 220 2/3 innings. He struck out 300 batters, 31 more than deGrom, but also gave up 13 more home runs.“I would say it’s still pretty close Brian McCann Jersey ,” Mattingly said. “I’m probably like everybody else, because I’m kind of like, what Jacob’s doing is incredible, you know? Max, too, but Max has done it so many times. So I think deGrom wins it.”AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Maybe the toughest award to dissect, because one of the top candidates was a two-way player for a while. How much of a boost does Ohtani get for the 10 starts he made on the mound before his elbow injury put pitching on hold? The Japanese star went 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings. Not to mention he batted .285 with 22 homers, 61 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and a .925 OPS in 367 plate appearances as a designated hitter. Pretty much unprecedented.Meanwhile, the steady Andujar hit .297 with 27 homers, 92 RBIs and an .855 OPS in 149 games as the everyday third baseman for a Yankees team that made the playoffs. Hard to compare.Ohtani wasn’t on the field all that much, but hey, it’s not an MVP award. Picking him seems more fun.NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Another close call. The impressive numbers for 20-year-old Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and 19-year-old Washington slugger Juan Soto are remarkably similar. Acuna earns a slight edge for his speed and defense. “For me, just seeing Acuna straight up, I think he had a bigger impact on that club,” Mattingly said.AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: So difficult to choose between Oakland’s Bob Melvin and Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash. They both did a masterful job despite a low payroll and little starting pitching. Melvin piloted the Athletics (97-65) to a surprise playoff berth, while the Rays somehow went 90-72 in a division that included the Red Sox and Yankees. Take a look at the two rosters, though. And while the A’s were adding help at the trade deadline http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey , Tampa Bay was selling off veterans. So by the slimmest of margins, it’s Cash.NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Craig Counsell was our pick from a competitive field last year, even though Milwaukee fell short of the playoffs. He received three first-place votes but came in fourth. Often overlooked, Counsell gets the nod this time after the Brewers won their final eight regular-season games to finish 96-67 and overtake the favored Cubs in the NL Central. A close second is Brian Snitker, the 62-year-old skipper who did a wonderful job in guiding the Baby Braves to a surprise NL East title. Harry How/Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Dodgers are National League West champions for the sixth straight season.Los Angeles defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-2in Monday's divisional tiebreaker game at Dodger Stadium behind a brilliant performance from starter Walker Buehler. He allowed just one hit and three walks in 6.2 scoreless innings while striking out three to ensure the Rockies didn't win their first NL West crown.Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy provided much of the offense with two-run homers, and Buehler even helped himself with an RBI single. One-Two Punch of Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw Makes Dodgers NL FavoritesThe emergence of Buehler in the Dodgers' rotation means the team that represented the National League in last year's World Series is primed to do so again this year.Buehler came out firing heat while mixing in filthy breaking balls to keep hitters off balance. It may have been the biggest start of his young career, but he has done nothing but thrive in the pressure-packed division race as evidenced by the two combined earned runs he allowed in his final three September starts.Jon Morosi jonmorosiWalker Buehler鈥檚 first eight pitches were fastballs. The slowest traveled 97 mph. The Dodgers ascendant ace looks sharp early. MLBNetwork MLBChad Moriyama ChadMoriyamaBuehlers new slider is filthy. Not necessarily cause of the movement but you have to cover 99 mph four and 93 mph cut as well.MLB MLB.buehlersdayoff can do it all. #Game163 ClrGL9Rp6pRockies manager Bud Black knew what he was up against."This kid is a really good pitcher鈥攁 big fastball at 97, 98 miles per hour with a good curveball, and he's athletic with a good feel for the slider while also mixing in the change," Black said, perKyle Newmanof theDenver Post. "He's a [first-round] pick, a college pitcher who's been built the right way."The right-hander entered Monday's game with a 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 148 strikeouts in 130.2 innings and gives the Dodgers another ace alongside Clayton Kershaw.The one-two punch of Kershaw and Buehler can control a series by starting up to four games. They need little run support as it is, and a powerful Dodgers lineup featuring the likes of Justin Turner, Muncy and Manny Machado, among others, is capable of providing it in spades.There is plenty of talent on the Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers Tyler Clippard Jersey , Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs, but any of them face an uphill battle dealing with Buehler and Kershaw multiple times throughout a series while attempting to trade punches with the Los Angeles lineup.Rockies' Offensive Road Woes Will Cost Them Shot at World SeriesSometimes sports narratives are based on truth, and the idea the Rockies can't hit away from Coors Field was on full display Monday with the division title hanging in the balance.Colorado was second in the National League in runs scored this season, but playing in the thin Denver air bolstered that production. Buehler silenced the visitors' bats throughout the game, and the Rockies couldn't get to Pedro Baez or Kenta Maedafrom the bullpen either before Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story homered off Kenley Jansen.Rick Krajewski Rick_K21The Rockies averaged 5.50 runs/game in the month of September...however most of that production took place at homeRockies offense (in September)At home =7.12 runs/game amp;lt; - - 1st in NLOn road = 3.00 runs/game amp;lt; - - 13th in NL#Dodgers have held them to 0 so far todayMcCovey Chronicles McCoveyChronRockies since August 1st:HOME: 5.833 runs/gameROAD: 3.58 runs/game (shutout 3x)The Rockies won't have home-field advantage against the Cubs in the Wild Card Game or the Brewers in a potential Division Series, meaning their offensive woes on the road will linger over them as they pursue their first World Series championship in franchise history.DJ LeMahieu, David Dahl, Carlos Gonzalez and Ian Desmond combined for zerohits in Monday's loss, which is a formula that cannot happen if Colorado hopes to play deep into October.Unfortunately for Rockies fans, that decreased offensive production away from home is a familiar formula.Jon Lester, Schedule Leave Rockies in Even Bigger HoleColorado's offensive road woes will be under the spotlight again with its back against the wall heading into Tuesday's elimination contest.Not only do the Rockies have to fly to Chicago from Los Angeles in an immediate turnaround following a disappointing showing, but they also have to face Cubs ace Jon Lester in a must-win scenario. They won't be able to counter with German Marquez after he started Monday's contest and allowed four runs (two earned) and struck out nine in 4.2 innings.Tony Andracki TonyAndracki23What gives Steve Cishek confidence the Cubs are gonna win the wild-card game?Two words: quot;Jon Lester.quot;Chris Emma CEmma670Daniel Murphy: quot;Well come out tomorrow at 7:00 and hand Jonny Lester the ball, [and] I dont know if theres anybody better in the big leagues in a situation like this.quot;Colorado would love to have him at its disposal after he wasnamedNational League Pitcher of the Month in September for posting a 2.14 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 33.2 innings during the month.Lester has cemented his legacy with his postseason performances. He sports a World Series crown and National League Championship Series MVP on his resume and has a 2.55 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 25 playoff appearances.He has been an anchor for Chicago's recent success, tallying a 1.88 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in three postseason appearances last year and a 2.02 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in six postseason appearances in 2016 as the Cubs won the World Series.There is nobody Chicago would rather be pitching in Tuesday's single-elimination clash, which spells trouble for the Colorado lineup.What's Next?The Rockies' season will be on the line Tuesday in the National League Wild Card Game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, while the Dodgers turn their attention to a Division Series showdown with the Atlanta Braves.