SB Nation Reacts: Reviewing Awards Predictions

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send 30 polls to plugged in fans from each team. Red Sox fans, sign up HERE to join Reacts.

This past week was awards week around MLB, which was even more up in the air than most years given the small samples. One good month could elevate a candidate like we’ve never seen before. And yet, some the awards were still fairly clear, and at the very least nearly everyone had an opinion on who would win. At this point we know who won each award, but this week’s SB Nation Reacts poll went out earlier in the week before the winners were announced. You all declared who should win each award, and now we’ll see how we did.

Managers of the Year

American League

Starting off hot, getting the first one right. Cash was a blowout winner in this vote, and similarly ran away with the BBWAA vote as well. Given the amount of shuffling that goes on with Tampa’s roster, I would agree with this and think Cash might be the best manager in the game at this point.

National League

Two for two! I maintain that the Marlins poor handling of their COVID breakout, and specifically playing in the midst of it with Mattingly leaving it up to his players, should have been more of a knock here, but whatever.

Rookies of the Year

American League

Here’s our first close vote of the process, which is interesting because Lewis ended up winning the award unanimously among BBWAA voters. I think it was the right call, though you won’t hear many arguments over the idea that Robert is the better bet long-term. That’s now what this award is, though.

National League

And we have our first wrong answer of the exercise, as Williams ended up being the winner here. I suspect the disconnect was people not wanting to give the award to a reliever, but I think that discounts just how good Williams was. Plus, Cronenworth really only had a good half-season. He put up a .543 OPS in September.

Cy Young

American League

I mean, duh.

National League

This ended up being right, but I gotta say I am shocked by how close it was. This was, to me at least, the closest race of them all but Bauer ran away with it both here and in the actual voting. I still think the weak competition he faced should have been held against him a bit more and would have went with deGrom, but it was certainly close enough that I won’t get up in arms over it.

MVP

American League

Another surprising one to me, though again they got it right. I’m not really surprised Abreu won this vote (nor was I surprised he won the actual vote), but I would have went with Ramírez so I was surprised to see him behind LaMahieu.

National League

Betts is awesome. My feelings about him as a player are no secret, and he is pretty clearly to me the second-best player in the entire league. That said, Freeman should have gotten 100 percent of the votes here and in the real voting. He was that good in 2020.