So maybe a trip north of the border wasn’t what the Cleveland Indians needed to get back on track. The Tribe scored 10 runs in three games, nine of those in an 11-9 loss on Saturday. The pitching and offense just weren’t clicking at the same time. However, the Kansas City Royals losing to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday is the real body blow. The Indians head to St. Petersburg  (Florida, not Russia) to face the Tampa Bay Rays in third place in the AL Central, four games behind the Sox and half a game behind Detroit. These tours through the AL East, even when you skip the Northeast juggernauts, can get tough and going from Toronto to Tampa Bay won’t get much easier.

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As for each of the other awards, I’m making my ballot and reasonings public. Here’s who I chose for FanSided’s highest honors, and why:

1. Jose Bautista, Blue Jays. Bautista was the best hitter in baseball this year, mashing 43 homers with a .302/.447/.608 triple-slash and a ridiculous 181 wRC+. He led the league in WPA (7.86) and tied for first in rWAR (8.5); he finished more than a full win behind Ellsbury in fWAR, but that’s entirely due to inconsistent fielding metrics—no other statistic puts Ellsbury’s glove at more than 20 runs better than Bautista’s. Joey Bats’ insane hitting ability, by contrast, is not up for debate. (more…)