Sully Baseball Regular Season Award Ballot

Awards like MVP and Cy Young are given to the best regular season performers and what they do in the post season can have no bearing on the result.

With that in mind, I will give my award ballot before it is influenced (or Sullied if you will) by October’s results.

AL MVP
JOSE ALTUVE – HOUSTON ASTROS

Adam Glanzman/Getty Images North America

Runners Up:
Aaron Judge – New York Yankees, Jose Ramirez – Cleveland Indians.

NL MVP
GIANCARLO STANTON – MIAMI MARLINS

Hunter Martin/Getty Images North America

Runners Up:
Joey Votto – Cincinnati Reds, Nolan Arenado – Colorado Rockies

AL CY YOUNG
COREY KLUBER – CLEVELAND INDIANS

Getty Images

Runners Up:
Chris Sale – Boston Red Sox, Carlos Carrasco – Cleveland Indians

NL CY YOUNG
MAX SCHERZER – WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports

Runners Up:
Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers, Zack Greinke – Arizona Diamondbacks

AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
AARON JUDGE – NEW YORK YANKEES

Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images North America

Runners Up:
Andrew Benitendi – Boston Red Sox, Chad Green – New York Yankees

NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
CODY BELLINGER – LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Victor Decolongon/Getty Images North America

Runners Up:
German Marquez – Colorado Rockies, Josh Bell – Pittsburgh Pirates

AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR
A. J. HINCH – HOUSTON ASTROS

Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Runners Up:
Paul Molitor – Minnesota Twins, Terry Francona – Cleveland Indians

NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR
TOREY LOVULLO – ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Runners Up:
Bud Black – Colorado Rockies, Craig Counsell – Milwaukee Brewers.

AL COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JASON VARGAS – KANSAS CITY ROYALS

Ron Schwane/Getty Images North America

Runners Up:
Mike Moustakas – Kansas City Royals, Michael Brantley – Cleveland Indians

NL COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
GREG HOLLAND – COLORADO ROCKIES

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images North America

Runners Up:
Lance Lynn – St. Louis Cardinals, Eric Thames – Milwaukee Brewers

If anyone on this page also winds up being a big post season hero, then this was quite a year for them!

What I WANT for the 2017 Postseason

OK… I’ve made my predictions and those were what I THINK will happen.

What do I WANT to happen this October?

Well, that is pretty clear.

AL WILD CARD

I want the Twins to clobber the Yankees. I want to be a shutout. I want it to be over early and the place to be half empty by the end.

NL WILD CARD

I have no ill will for either the Diamondbacks nor Rockies. But I wouldn’t mind seeing post season ball at the wacky place known as Coors Field.

AL DIVISION SERIES

I want the Red Sox to sweep the Astros. I want it over quickly and have Chris Sale ready to pitch as MANY GAMES AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE!

I love the underdog story of the Twins, but I really really REALLY like this Indians team and Francona. I will have a hard time rooting against them. I also don’t want to see Kluber in Game 1 of the ALCS so I want Indians in 5.

NL DIVISION SERIES

Friend of the podcast Sean Doolittle is newly married and ready to close the deal. The Cubs and their fans had their fun last year. I want Washington to advance in 3.

I like the Dodgers (hell, 2004 ALCS hero Dave Roberts is the skipper) and I would like to see the monkey off the back of Clayton Kershaw. I have no ill will to the Rockies (or D-Backs) but I want this clinched at home for LA so I want Dodgers in 5.

ALCS

I want the Red Sox in the World Series. If the Red Sox are in the ALCS, I want a 4 game sweep and a celebration at Fenway Park. I can not make that clearer. (If it is Indians vs. Astros, I would want the Indians in 6 so they could celebrate in Cleveland.)

NLCS

Washington has not seen a World Series since 1933 when the Senators lost to the Giants. I want to see a pile with Sean Doolittle on the bottom and Dusty Baker being celebrated. I want Nationals in 5. (If it is Dodgers and Cubs, then I want the Dodgers in 6.)

WORLD SERIES

In case I was vague. I am a Red Sox fan. I want to see the Red Sox win the World Series. If the Red Sox are in the World Series, even against friend of the podcast Sean Doolittle and the Nationals, I WANT THE RED SOX TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES AND DO SO IN 4 GAMES. (If it is Cleveland vs. Washington as I am predicting, I would want the Nationals to win but be happy for either team. Washington against anyone else, I want Washington. Cleveland against anyone else, I want Cleveland.)

What I WANT is always more important to me than being right about a prediction.

Sully Baseball Official Post Season Picks for 2017

It’s that wonderful time of the year! The baseball playoffs start this afternoon and someone, somewhere, is waking up not realizing that their name will be immortalized by November 1 as the hero of a city.

So let’s do that act of futility and make post season predictions.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WILD CARD

NEW YORK YANKEES 4 – Minnesota Twins 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE WILD CARD

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS 7 – Colorado Rockies 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Arizona Diamondbacks def. Los Angeles Dodgers, 3 games to 1

Washington Nationals def. Chicago Cubs, 3 games to 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Cleveland Indians def. New York Yankees, 3 games to 0

Houston Astros def. Boston Red Sox, 3 games to 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Washington Nationals def. Ariona Diamondbaccks, 4 games to 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Cleveland Indians def. Houston Astros, 4 games to 1

WORLD SERIES

Cleveland Indians def. Washington Nationals, 4 games to 1

So there you have it… I picked the Indians at the top of the year and I am picking them now. And I have no real power to jinx it.

Let’s see how it plays out.