The winners for the 23rd annual MLB Players Choice Awards were announced Monday night.
Players voted through a secret ballot for a variety of accolades, mostly to recognize the extraordinary individual performers in both leagues from the 2014 season.
As can be seen in the table below, Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher Clayton Kershaw cleaned up the competition.
According to Jon Weisman of Dodgers.com, Kershaw is the first to win three Players Choice Awards in one year.
Voting for some of the awards had to be close, but for a number of them, there were clear front-runners to take home the hardware. That held true for the top rookies who were named to kick off the evening.
Chicago White Sox star first baseman Jose Abreu was honored as the American League Outstanding Rookie, while New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom won the same award in the NL.
MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez was hardly surprised by Abreu's win:
Abreu had 36 home runs and 107 RBI with a .317 batting average, offering hope amid a dim season for Chicago. The Mets also struggled, so deGrom (9-6 record, 2.69 ERA in 22 starts) provided optimism in New York with his late-year brilliance on the mound.
But deGrom is already gearing up for the next year, per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo:
The next man to be bestowed with gaudy peer praise is one of the game's most talented aces, who enjoyed playing on a winning team in 2014. That is Seattle Mariners superstar Felix Hernandez, owner of a 15-6 record and 2.14 ERA this year.
Greg Johns of MLB.com documented Hernandez's reaction:
As great as "King Felix" can often be, the best regular-season pitcher had to be Kershaw. His fellow ballplayers recognized Kershaw's brilliance, as he soared to a 21-3 record and a 1.77 ERA.
Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register noted how Kershaw has had quite a stranglehold on being the NL's top hurler:
And that wasn't the only award Kershaw was given, as MLB Network pointed out amid its telecast:
It's always inspiring to check in on those who enjoyed bounce-back campaigns, and the Players Choice Awards do that for both leagues as well.
A second Mariners pitcher in Chris Young was the AL winner, and Miami Marlins third baseman Casey McGehee got the NL nod. Young fought back from shoulder pain, brought on by thoracic outlet syndrome (h/t ESPN.com's Jim Caple), to win 12 games as a starter.
Detroit Tigers announcer Mario Impemba felt someone from his familiar club would have been a suitable recipient if not for Young:
McGehee's recognition was met with glee from the Marlins' official Twitter account:
Two of MLB's most compelling outfield prodigies in Miami star Giancarlo Stanton and Los Angeles Angels stud Mike Trout won their respective leagues' Outstanding Player Awards.
Ace of MLB Stats highlights how even amid a relative down season, Trout still generates universal acclaim:
The World Series champion San Francisco Giants were crowned last week, so Monday offered other fanbases an opportunity to celebrate alternative, grand achievements that didn't culminate in a Commissioner's Trophy.
As deGrom suggested, most—if not all—other franchises aren't celebrating this year's success any longer, instead looking forward to spring training and beyond.
Kershaw, despite dominating headlines from Monday's event, will be remembered most for falling short in the 2014 playoffs, where he went 0-2 with a 7.82 ERA. This next season is a great chance for Kershaw to redeem himself, as it is to a degree for those who didn't partake in the San Francisco victory parade.
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