November 1st, 2013 at 6:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka One of the very few highlights of an otherwise painfully long off-season are the announcements of the winners of baseball’s highest individual awards including the American and National League MVPs, Cy Youngs, Rookies of the Year and so on.
If history has taught us anything, it has taught us that things are not always as they seem or even as they should be when the sometimes inconsistent but always controversial Baseball Writers of America (BBWAA) vote on who receives baseball’s highest individual awards and who goes into the sacred National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown… or not. (Did I mention that the BBWAA is sometimes inconsistent but always controversial?).
Unlike past years, this year’s respective league awards winners will be announced on the same day instead of on consecutive days (which never made any sense). The award winners will be announced on MLB Network.
1981 NL Cy Young Award winner Fernando Valenzuela presents 2011 (and likely 2013) NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw with his trophy.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)
Right, wrong or indifferent, here are the important 2013 baseball award announcement dates to remember:
- Wednesday, November 6, 2013 – Silver Slugger Awards
- Monday, November 11, 2013 – Rookie of the Year Awards
- Monday, November 11, 2013 – Executive of the Year Awards
- Tuesday, November 12, 2013 – Manager of the Year Awards
- Wednesday, November 13, 2013 – Cy Young Awards
- Thursday, November 14, 2013 – MVP Awards
- Monday – Wednesday, December 9-12, 2013 – GIBBY (Greatness in Baseball Yearly) Awards
Although there may be some favorites and even some seemingly shoo-in winners for several of these prestigious awards, you just never know who the actual winners will be and the BBWAA doesn’t always get it right (e.g. – confirmed PED user Ryan Braun over Matt Kemp for the 2011 NL MVP Award and R.A. Dickey over Clayton Kershaw for the 2012 NL Cy Young Award).
The last Dodger to win the NL MVP title was Kirk Gibson in 1988. There is little doubt that had Dodger shortstop Hanley Ramirez played in as few as only 25 more games this past season, he would have won this prestigious award going away.
(Photo courtesy of scpauctions.com)
Results of the Baseball Hall of Fame voting will be announced in early January 2014 but the exact date is not yet known. And though we will undoubtedly have to endure the PED hype and hoopla again, it’s a pretty safe bet that Greg Maddux will be a first ballot inductee and possibly even a unanimous vote getter, which has never happened in the 78-year history of the Hall of Fame – and perhaps never will with the BBWAA responsible for the voting. (Did I mention that the BBWAA is sometimes inconsistent but always controversial?).
Regardless, the baseball awards season is always interesting – and it’s all we’ve got until spring training begins a little over three months from now.
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I’ve been talking about this year’s HOF for several years now hoping our hometown Greg Maddux gets 100% – but that won’t happen because of some a-h BBWAA who will say “no one is perfect.” Well, Greg was about as perfect as you can get as a pitcher and fielding his position with absolutely no taint of PED use. Also hope Glavine gets in first shot and Smoltz in 2015. I know they aren’t our Dodgers but they certainly were a formidable (and fantastic) trio in Atlanta.
My biggest knock on the BBWAA is that once you are a member, you are a member for life – even if you no longer cover baseball or any other sport.
If Maddux does not receive 100% this year and Rivera does not receive 100% when he becomes eligible in five years, no one will ever receive 100% – for the exact reason you noted.
Cal Ripken Jr. received 98.5% and Tony Gywnn received 97.6% when they were elected together. That means that there were people who didn’t vote for them. Ricky Henderson received less than 95%.
It’s a joke.