Earlier this month, we went over some of our staff predictions for 2014 and scored how well we did… or didn’t, in most cases (oops). I had promised a follow-up to that, but then John Hart happened and we had more important things to talk about.
Today looks to be a good day to make good on that promise.
The original predictions were made way back on March 26th and published here on March 27. Once again, we don’t have everyone with us that were part of the staff back then, but that just leaves the open opportunity for ridicule and slander where appropriate.
The Awards, Please
First, the actual winners:
- MVP: Mike Trout (AL), Clayton Kershaw (NL)
- CY YOUNG: Corey Kluber (AL), Kershaw (NL)
- ROOKIE OF YEAR: Jose Abreu (AL), Jacob deGrom (NL)
- MANAGER OF YEAR: Buck Showalter (AL), Matt Williams (NL)
And now… our shots-in-the-dark from last Spring (we did not offer picks for the Manager of the Year)
ALAN
- MVP: Mike Trout (1st), Andrew McCutchen (3rd)
- CY: Justin Verlander (zippo), Jose Fernandez (TJ surgery)
- ROY: Nick Castellanos (8th), Billy Hamilton (2nd)
- that’s 2 points, with a self-honorable mention for Hamilton
Wayne Duke Championship Trophy. It’s for basketball, but what the heck. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
BEN
- MVP: Trout (1st), Kershaw (1st)
- CY: Yu Darvish (zippo), Kershaw (1st)
- ROY: Xander Bogaerts (zippo), Billy Hamilton (2nd)
- 3 points, with the same honorable mention
CHRIS
- MVP: Miguel Cabrera (9th), Freddie Freeman (um… 23rd)
- CY: Darvish (0), Kershaw (1st)
- ROY: Jose Abreu (1st), Travis d’Arnaud (7th)
- 2 points
FRED
- MVP: Evan Longoria (0), Jason Heyward (0)
- CY: James Shields (0), Kershaw (1st)
- ROY: [vapor locked], Trevor Rosenthal (0)
- 1 points
JEFF
- MVP: Mike Trout (1st), Bryce Harper (0)
- CY: Matt Moore (0), Craig Kimbrel (9th)
- ROY: Masashiro Tanaka (5th), Billy Hamilton (2nd)
- 1 points and an honorable nod
JULIEN
- MVP: Mike Trout (1st), Andrew McCutchen (3rd)
- CY: Darvish (0), Stephen Strasburg (9th)
- ROY: Jose Abreu (1st), Travis d’Arnaud (7th)
- 2 points
The Results
The maximum points available were 6 – which frankly would have been a miraculous achievement. Even with that, I would have to suggest that we did fairly well:
- BEN – 3 points, plus the honorable mention.. so he nearly had 4 of the 6 points. Impressive!
- ALAN – 2 points plus
- CHRIS and JULIEN – 2 points apiece
- JEFF – 1 point plus
- FRED – 1 point
A substantial number of other nominees got votes in their respective races, so it wasn’t like there was a total washout – though Fred came close, given his tendency toward making bold predictions (which worked better in the Standing prediction race). Still not gonna fault him for the effort.
So there we go – some actual accountability… and some pretty decent results, nonetheless. Happy Thanksgiving, all!