2013 NL Postseason Awards

2013 NL MVP: Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals (.305/17/89)

While I'm glad to see a Nationals player win the MVP, this is as puzzling a selection as I can remember in my 13 years of replays. I probably wouldn't even choose Desmond as the Nats MVP! Desmond didn't finish in the top 12 in any of the triple crown categories, although his numbers put him right outside the top 12 in both average and RBI. He did finish 2nd in hits, 5th in walks, and 4th in doubles. 2nd place is Joey Votto of the Reds (.318/28/100), who finished 5th in BA and RBI and 10th in HR. 3rd goes to Freddie Freeman of the Braves (.346/29/103), who finished higher than Votto and Desmond in all three triple crown categories - 2nd in average, 3rd in RBI and tied for 7th in HR. 4th place belongs to Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals (.320/11/56), who didn't have a power stroke but led the league in hits with 208 and finished 4th in BA. Rounding out the top 5 is Craig Kimbrel of the Braves, more on him below.

2013 NL Cy Young: Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves (5-2, 1.69, 50 SV)

Kimbrel follows up a 4th place finish in 2012 with a win in 2013 behind 50 saves for the wild card winning Braves. Kimbrel's 50 saves were actually one behind league leader Edward Mujica of the Cardinals (1-1, 2.27, 51 SV), who finishes 2nd in the voting. 3rd place is Cliff Lee of the Phillies (20-9, 2.62, 254 K), a perennial contender for this award. Lee was the NL's only 20 game winner and led the league in strikeouts, while finishing 5th in ERA. 4th place belongs to Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals (15-5, 2.59, 219 K) who was 3rd in ERA and 6th in strikeouts. Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (17-9, 2.60, 250 K) rounds out the top 5 tied for 3rd in wins, 4th in ERA (right behind Strasburg) and 2nd in K's (behind Lee).

2013 NL Manager of the Year: Davey Johnson, Washington Nationals

Johnson guided the Nats to the league's best record. This is the third straight year that the Nats have had the best record in the NL. Johnson is hoping for a repeat of 2011, when the Nats won my World Series, rather than 2012, when they lost in the divisional round. Johnson has already announced his plans to retire at the end of the season.