End of year award predictions

End of the season awards are just around the corner, and here are my picks:

American League

Manager of the Year - Terry Francona. The Red Sox have sat in first place for nearly the entire season. He's dealt with a good deal of injuries, and so long as the Red Sox don't cough up the division in these final weeks, he doesn't really have much competition.

Rookie of the Year - Dustin Pedroia. Another race with really no competition. Hideki Okajima has had a fine season for Boston, as well, but I personally don't believe in giving 10-year Japanese vets the Major League Rookie of the Year. That doesn't disqualify him in the eyes of the voters, obviously, but Pedroia's still outperformed him. He's consistently hit over .300 and played stellar defense at second base.

Cy Young Award - Josh Beckett - Now HERE'S a race. In the running would be John Lackey, C.C. Sabathia, Kelvim Escobar, and Chien-Ming Wang. I think this one comes down to who's going to win the most games, and right now that looks like Beckett. Add in a bunch of strikeouts and good peripherals otherwise, and he's had one heck of a turnaround from his lackluster 2006.

MVP - Alex Rodriguez - No contest here whatsoever. Next closest competition would be Magglio Ordonez of the Detroit Tigers, but A-Rod's numbers are just so out of this world that it's hard to make an argument for ANYBODY. Because the Yankees are going to be in Wild Card contention right down to the wire, it's difficult to even make the 'MVP should go to a player on a playoff team" argument, since his numbers are that ridiculous. But as it is, he's the unanimous pick.

National League

Manager of the Year - Bob Melvin - NOBODY expected the Arizona Diamondbacks to play .500 ball this year, let alone be leading the NL West in mid September. An argument could be made for Washington's Manny Acta, who's made a bit of lemonade from rotten lemons, but since this D-Backs team is likely going to represent their division in the NLDS in a few weeks, you've got to commend Melvin.

Rookie of the Year - Ryan Braun - Imagine what Milwaukee's Braun would have done over the course of an entire season? Despite being called up on May 25, he's hit .324, with 30 home runs and 83 RBI, either hitting in front of or behind Prince Fielder. He's also swiped 14 bags. Of course, he has no business with a third baseman's glove, but Milwaukee has decided they'll deal with his subpar defense for the extraordinary bat. (Why not move Billy Hall to 3B, Braun to LF, Cory Hart to CF, and platoon Kevin Mench and Geoff Jenkins?) Braun should be an offensive star for a long time.

Cy Young Award - Jake Peavy - I could hear a fair argument for Arizona's Brandon Webb, but beyond that nobody has either a) the wins, b) the strikeouts, or c) the ERA to support a CY nomination. Peavy has been a total ace this year, with a sub-2.50 ERA, and a decent shot at 20 wins, with ton of strikeouts to boot.

MVP - David Wright - This is a tough race to call, because there are a few worthy candidates. The Mets' David Wright, Brewers' Prince Fielder, or any of the Phillies' trio: Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Chase Utley. Hanley Ramirez probably has the best numbers of all NL candidates, but the Marlins are so far out of it that he can't really be considered. Basically, it comes down to who's going to lead their team to first place. I actually think Fielder has done more for Milwaukee than Wright has for New York, but the fact is that Wright's hot second half has kept the Mets in first place, while Fielder's Brewers have been battling it out with the Cubs for weeks. That said, I'm choosing David Wright, and the MVPs this season will both be playing third base for New York.