2020 MLB Awards

When the season began, the Miami Marlins were predicted to be among the worst teams in baseball, as they were coming off a 105-loss season and were among the longest shots to make the playoffs. After three games, those odds got longer as 18 players were locked down in quarantine after contracting COVID-19. Over the next week, Miami scrambled for players plucking players from the lowest minor league affiliates. That ragtag team not only competed for Don Mattingly, but they also won and finished second in the East to get a spot in the postseason. For holding this team together, the choice for Manager of the Year is easy.

Last season, Wil Meyers was among the most disappointing players on a San Diego Padres team that was filled with disappointment. Meyers hit .239 and had 18 home runs with 53 RBI. In a 60-game season in which the Padres ended a 14-year playoff drought, Wil Meyers had perhaps the best season of his career. Meyers had a career-best .288 average with 15 home runs and 40 RBI, nearly matching his 2019 numbers in 100 fewer games.

Devin Williams was nearly untouchable when called upon by the Milwaukee Brewers. In 22 appearances with 27 innings, Williams allowed just one earned run a 0.33 ERA. That 0.33 ERA is the lowest in baseball history for a reliever, making more than 20 appearances in a season. For a Brewers team that squeezed into the postseason despite an awful season from Christian Yelich, Milwaukee needed every bit of Williams’ greatness in the bullpen. Devin Williams was one of three pitchers to win four games for the Brewers, with 53 strikeouts, nearly two per inning.

No team relies on their bullpen more than the Milwaukee Brewers, who are in the postseason for the third straight season without any reliable starting pitching. Josh Hader is in line to win his third consecutive Reliever of the Year. Hader led the National League with 13 saves, and his biggest competition could be sitting next to him in the Brewers bullpen. In a shortened season, one bad game will raise the ERA, as Josh Hader posted an ERA of 3.79 while allowing just eight hits in 19 innings. When the rubber meets the road, the save is what will define the reliever of the year.

It was a disappointing season for the Washington Nationals, following a World Championship in 2019. Injuries and opt-outs were hurdles the reigning champions could not overcome. The lone bright spot was Juan Soto, who missed the first two weeks of the season in COVID protocol. When Soto was allowed to play, he came out swinging, hitting 13 home runs in 47 games, as he had the best OPS in MLB at 1.185, thanks to a .695 slugging percentage. Juan Soto also led the National League with a .351 average.

With a 1.73 ERA, Trevor Bauer had the lowest ERA in the National League, helping the Cincinnati Reds secure a playoff berth. Bauer was especially strong down the stretch as he was one of three hurlers to top 100 strikeouts in the truncated 60-season. When the Reds needed a big start, they turned to Bauer, who, in a walk year, won five games. The race for the Cy Young was close, with Trevor Bauer being the best pitcher over the final two weeks of the season.

With a 104-degree fever, Freddie Freeman knew personally what the COVID-19 virus could do to a healthy person. Recovering just in time to start the season, Freeman played every game for the Atlanta Braves and was at the heart of a potent lineup that was able to overcome a pitching rotation ravaged by injuries to win a third straight division title. Freeman was among the league leaders with 53 RBI, while leading MLB with 51 runs scored. He played a gold glove caliber first base, hit .341 ad had 13 home runs.

The Tampa Bay Rays were expected to be a contender, but nobody could see them winning the American League East and posting 40 wins in a 60-game season. The Rays have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. They did not have overwhelming seasons from any of their starters and had an average lineup. Yet they still managed to with two-thirds of their games, averaged out over a 162- game season that would be 108 wins. Head-to-head with the Yankees, the Rays were dominant, winning eight of ten games.

Before the start of the 2019 season, the Kansas City Royals learned they would be without Salvador Perez for the entire season. Returning from Tommy John surgery, Perez again proved that he is the best catcher in the American League with a.333 average, with 11 home runs and 33 RBI in 37 games. As a team, Royals’ catchers hit 12 home runs in 162 games in 2019.

For most of the season, it appeared that Luis Robert would win the Rookie of the Year. However, the Chicago White Sox slugger had a terrible September that saw his OPS drop 200 points. Kyle Lewis is the first of a wave of Seattle Mariners’ prospects that should help end the longest playoff drought in sports within the next few seasons. Lewis led Seattle in hitting with a .262 average and 11 home runs. In addition, Kyle Lewis had 90 total bases and scored 37 runs with 28 RBI.

In a truncated 60-game season, a reliable bullpen took on added importance. Liam Hendriks, the closer for the Oakland Athletics, was among the most reliable with 14 saves. Hendriks also won three games out of the bullpen for Oakland, while posting an ERA of 1.78. Liam Hendriks also had 37 strikeouts in 25 innings as the Athletics won a division championship.

With a .364 average, D.J. LeMehieu of the New York Yankees had the highest average in MLB, a full ten points better than any other player. LeMehieu is the only player in the American League with an OPS over 1.000. LeMehieu also had sneaky power with ten home runs and ten doubles as his presence was vital at the top of the Yankees lineup. It was when D.J. LeMehieu was out that the Yankees endured their toughest stretch of the season, losing seven straight games.

A 60-game season could never measure up against a regular 162-game season. Still, Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians had a season that, if it were maintained over a typical season, would rank among the best ever. Bieber won the pitching Triple Crown, leading not only the American League but all of baseball with an 8-1 record, a 1.63 ERA, and 122 strikeouts. Bieber averaged 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings while posting an 0.87 WHIP.

The Chicago White Sox are among several teams that are ending prolonged postseason droughts and playing in the Wild Card series. A big reason behind the success of the White Sox is their power-packed lineup. Leading that lineup is Jose Abreu, who had 60 RBI in 60 games, the best in baseball. Abreu was among the American League leaders in home runs with 19 and OPS at .987 as he has a .617 slugging percentage, which along with 76 hits, were both best in the Junior Circuit.