BBWAA Awards To Be Announced This Week

Starting on Monday, the BBWAA will announce the AL and NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Awards, kicking off the week of announcements of the annual awards. There are eight total awards, two Rookie of the Year Awards, two MVP Awards, two Cy Young Awards, and two Manager of the Year Awards.

Here is the award schedule for the upcoming week.

Monday, Nov. 14: AL & NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Awards.

Tuesday, Nov. 15: AL Cy Young Award.

Wednesday, Nov. 16: AL & NL Manager of the Year Awards.

Thursday, Nov. 17: NL Cy Young Award.

Monday, Nov. 21: AL Most Valuable Player Award.

Tuesday, Nov. 22: NL Most Valuable Player Award.

 

It doesn’t look likely that a Phillie will win the NL MVP Award--none of their offensive numbers match those of Pujols, Braun and Kemp. Ryan Howard hit 33 home runs and knocked in 116 RBIs, but his .253 average brings his contention chances to an all-time low. The Phillies did live up to their pitching rotation’s reputation this regular season with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels all putting together very good years.

In the NL Cy Young race, the best pitchers in the game are competing for the award. While it looked like Halladay would take the award during the first half of the year, some strong second halfs around the league made this one come down to the wire. Roy Halladay went 19-6 with a 2.35 ERA and 220 strikeouts while Cliff Lee went 17-8, 2.40 ERA and 238 strikeouts this season. The strong performances by Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (21-5, 2.28 ERA) and Arizona D-back’s Ian Kennedy (21-4, 2.88 ERA) could, however, pose a threat for the two Phillies’ aces.

Phillies righthanded pitcher Vance Worley is competing for Rookie of the Year award, in a year where the Phils never thought they would need to rely on a rookie starting pitcher. First-year stars such as Atlanta Braves’ Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman, Washington Nationals’ Danny Espinosa are in the race as well. The 23-year-old Worley went 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA, and 119 strikeouts in 21 starts during the 2011 campaign. Although Worley’s season was stellar, Craig Kimbrel’s was  even more impressive. Kimbrel tied Milwaukee Brewers’ John Axford with a league-leading 46 saves and held himself to a 2.10 ERA.

Charlie Manuel led his squad to their fifth consecutive NL East title this year. With the Phillies winning a franchise-best 102 games, Manuel also reached a milestone of his own. After six seasons, Manuel has 646 managerial wins as the Phillies skipper. Manuel has never won the BBWAA’s Manager of the Year Award, but received the “This Year In Baseball Awards” Manager of the Year Award in 2008. Other managers who are in the running for the award are Tony LaRussa, who led his Cardinals team back from a 10 game deficit in the NL Wild Card all the way to winning the World Series.

In recent seasons, the Phillies have taken many awards, including Roy Halladay’s 2010 NL Cy Young Award and Ryan Howard’s and Jimmy Rollins’ back-to-back MVP seasons in 2006 & 2007. With the awards being announced this week, the best chance of the Phillie to get an award will lie with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee.

For more FAQ on voting, visit the BBWAA website.

Erik Seybold is a contributor for Buzz On Broad. You can follow him on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI