American League
MVP: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays
If the Blue Jays are contending as they’re supposed to, they’ll be doing it with Bautista having the type of year he had in 2010-2011 when he led the majors in home runs both years and had an OPS of .995 and 1.056.
Cy Young Award: Felix Hernandez, Mariners
He finally has an offense to score a few runs and won’t have to have people make a case and “search for points” to vote for him to win an award he should win outright.
Rookie of the Year: Aaron Hicks, Twins
He’s hit, hit with pop, gotten on base, and stolen bases at every minor league level and forced his way into the Twins’ starting lineup. Because the Twins are not expected to contend, they can let Hicks play until he grows comfortable without immediate pressure to send him down if he slumps.
Manager of the Year: Eric Wedge, Mariners
I’m expecting the Mariners to be contenders in a tough division and if they are, the manager will get the credit.
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National League
MVP: Joey Votto, Reds
A healthy Votto, surrounded by power hitters and guys who will get on base in front of him will yield massive classic power numbers with a huge slugging and on base percentage. Plus he’s a Gold Glove candidate and the leader of the team.
Cy Young Award: Zack Greinke, Dodgers
Pitching in Dodger Stadium will keep his ERA supernaturally low.
Rookie of the Year: Hyun-jin Ryu, Dodgers
Ryu has an exploding fastball, a changeup, slider, curve and control. He won’t have to be the center of attention behind Clayton Kershaw and Greinke and there won’t be a large amount of attention paid to him as there would be for an import from the Far East who had expectations a la Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Manager of the Year: Davey Johnson, Nationals
Johnson’s team will be frontrunning from the beginning of the season to the end. Barring an unexpected team contending and having their manager given the credit to take the award away from Johnson, he’ll win the Manager of the Year for the Nats’ regular season success.
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Paul Lebowitz’s 2013 Baseball Guide is now available on Amazon.com, Smashwords, BN and Lulu. Check it out and read a sample.
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