Today the DC Chapter of the Internet Baseball Writers Association (of which we are a member) posted their end of the year awards - a cumulative effort from all of the voting members of the Association. If you want to see the results click HERE.
Below I have included my votes for all of the awards, with my own special brand of reasoning. Winners are in parenthesis, my votes are after that, in italics.
Goose Goslin MVP Award (Winner - Morse): 1st - Morse. 2nd - Clippard. 3rd - Espinosa
Morse was the pretty obvious selection for just about everyone. He was able to play decent defense after LaRoche's injury as well as blossoming into an all-star caliber offensive star. He won't get any, but he deserves a few real MVP votes this year.
Walter Johnson Starting Pitcher o' The Year (Winner - Zimmermann): 1st - Zimmermann. 2nd - Lannan. 3rd - Livan.
Jordan Zimmermann was absolutely fantastic in his first full year back after Tommy John surgery. He showed that he could easily slide into the "Ace" label if the club needs it, as he registered the highest Nats WAR for a pitcher since 2005.
Firpo Mayberry Relief Pitcher o' The Year (Winner- Clippard): 1st - Clippard. 2nd - Storen. 3rd - HRod.
No need to explain. The stats speak for themselves.
Sam Rice Hitter o' The Year (Winner - Morse): 1st - Morse. 2nd - Espinosa. 3rd - Zimmerman.
Ignoring Morse (you saw what he could do, explained above), Danny Espinosa has a huge ceiling as a switch hitter. His left-hand side needs a bit of work, but that's where the power is - if he can cut down on the strikeouts you will see him winning this award next year.
Frank Howard Slugger o' The Year (Winner - Morse): 1st - Morse. 2nd- Espinosa. 3rd - Werth.
I have Werth here at 3rd because he had a very sneaky good second half, posting comparable, if not better, numbers to his career averages. Breaking the 20 HR mark is what inspired me to put him on this list.
Joe Judge Defensive Player o' The Year (Winner - Espinosa): 1st - Espinosa. 2nd - Ankiel. 3rd - Ramos.
Espinosa's defense was outstanding this year. He makes plays that only a handful of 2nd baseman in baseball can even think about, making him a perennial Gold Glove candidate. It is worth nothing that Ankiel played outstanding center field this year and that Ramos did a yeoman's job managing a pitching staff at such a young age.
Mickey Vernon Comeback Player o' The Year (Winner - Zimmermann): 1st - Wang. 2nd - Lannan. 3rd - Strasburg.
The fact that Chien Ming Wang can even throw a baseball anymore is outstanding and noteworthy, but that he has been able to come back and pitch at such a high level is incredible. For John Lannan to have such a solid year after being sent to the minors is also worth mention, as is Jesus Flores' return to the majors.
Josh Gibson Humanitarian o' The Year (Winner - Desmond): 1st - Desmond. 2nd - Zimmerman. 3rd - Pudge.
Ian Desmond has been everywhere around DC this year, whether it's breaking ground on a field or just helping out at food shelter. He is the Nats representative for the Roberto Clemente award, for which there is no higher praise in baseball.
Minor League Player o' The Year (Winner - Harper): 1st - Harper. 2nd - Lombardozzi. 3rd - Peacock.
The Phenom should've been an obvious choice here. Yes, the other two (and others) had fantastic seasons, but let's face it - Bryce Harper was able to dominate AA where the only other teenager on the field was the bat boy.
Agree? Disagree? Who are your winners? Leave 'em in the comments!
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