If I had a ballot, here is how I would vote. First my ballot for the NL Cy Young Award:

1. Jake Arrieta
2. Zack Greinke
3. Clayton Kershaw
4. Max Scherzer
5. Gerrit Cole

I do not have a problem with any of the first three winning. Both Greinke and Kershaw recorded long scoreless streaks, while Arrieta barely allowed runs in the second half. Kershaw struck out 300, Grienke posted an extremely low ERA, Arrieta won 22 games. Scherzer is included for his two no-hitters, while Cole was the dominant pitcher on the second best team in the National League.

For the AL Cy Young Award, my ballot would be:

1. David Price
2. Dallas Keuchel
3. Chris Archer
4. Sonny Gray
5. Chris Sale

Again, flip a coin for Price or Keuchel. I voted Price first for his helping to turn around the Blue Jays. Sale is a bit of a sabermetric choice. He pitched a lot worse than his three-true outcomes, but the Cy Young Award should be based on actual results, not potential results. FanGraphs has him second in pitching WAR, but he did not get results good enough to rate second on my ballot.

The NL MVP is tough beyond Harper, as this year there are pitchers who are really deserving.

1. Bryce Harper
2. Paul Goldschmidt
3. Joey Votto
4. Zack Greinke
5. Jake Arrieta
6. Clayton Kershaw
7. Anthony Rizzo
8. Nolan Arenado
9. Jason Heyward
10. A.J. Pollock

Harper’s season was historic for someone his age. He demonstrated an excellent batting eye and excellent power. He did very little wrong at the plate this season. I rate Greinke ahead of Arrieta here because Zack can hit. If someone want to argue Kris Bryant instead of Nolan Arenado, I won’t stop you. Leading the league in home runs is pretty valuable, however.

The AL MVP once again should go to Mike Trout:

1. Mike Trout
2. Josh Donaldson
3. Manny Machado
4. Lorenzo Cain
5. Adrian Beltre
6. Mookie Betts
7. David Price
8. Dallas Keuchel
9. Nelson Cruz
10. Alex Rodriguez

My guess is Donaldson will win due to the Blue Jays making the playoffs, but once again Trout was the best player. Alex Rodriguez is there to piss off people who think he is evil. Without Alex coming back healthy, the Yankees don’t make the post-season.