The biggest trophy of them all was already captured by the 2018 Red Sox. However, there is still some hardware yet to be determined for members of our World Series team. From the major awards like MVP and Cy Young, to the position based awards like the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, Boston has candidates. They have guys that should be locks to win awards, and they also have dark horses that could end up taking home some of these awards too. For a team that won 108 games, they were bound to have some of the best players in the league. We take a look at who should win each award that has a Sox player in contention.
Gold Glove Award
The Red Sox have players nominated for Gold Gloves at five different positions. Mitch Moreland was solid at first, but I don’t believe he’s going to beat out either Justin Smoak or Matt Olson, who were both superior. Second base is a close race between all three horses, and I actually believe our guy gets it. Ian Kinsler was tied for the American League lead amongst second baseman for defensive runs saved (DRS). He’s also the only one of himself, Jed Lowrie and Rougned Odor to have won an award, which is most likely going to help swing things in his favour.
I believe Andrew Benintendi has a good shot to win in left field, but knocking off Alex Gordon is no easy task. Gordon again was one of the best defenders in baseball, and should pick up another Gold Glove. As much as it feels like Jackie Bradley Jr. may deserve this, or even Mike Trout, it’s going to Adam Engel. He was so impressive with both the eye test and by the metrics, and should win the award. Finally, is Mookie Betts in right field. Mookie Betts is going to win the Gold Glove in right field, take it to the bank, it’s Mookie Betts.
Silver Slugger Award
Finalists have yet to be named for any of the positions, but the Red Sox have some very strong candidates. Let’s start with those who are mortal locks to take home this trophy. J.D. Martinez was one of the best hitters in the entire sport, and trailed only Khris Davis‘ in home runs. Martinez and Davis will go head to head for this award, but J.D. was the better all around hitter by far. That should be enough to take the award home for him.
Mookie Betts has a pretty good chance at taking home an even bigger prize. The Silver Slugger should join the Gold Glove in comfortably being his. Unfortunately for Xander Bogaerts, Francisco Lindor is alive and well in the American League as a shortstop. If it weren’t for Lindor, Xander would likely be snagging another Silver Slugger. He should finish right behind Lindor, as Bogaerts put out arguably the best season of his career.
Cy Young Award
The Red Sox do have a solid candidate for this award as well, Chris Sale. However, even the most biased Red Sox fan could tell you that Sale isn’t going to win this award. Nor does he probably deserve to. Not to diminish his season, as it was one of the best of his already dominant career. He went 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA, but shoulder fatigue caused him to miss time down the strecth. The lack of innings will obviously hurt Sale, who is still in search of his first Cy Young. With the seasons that Blake Snell and Justin Verlander posted, it’s going to be tough for this to be Sale’s year of finally overcoming this specific milestone.
MVP
Last, but certainly not least, is the Most Valuable Player. The Red Sox have both a candidate, and a favorite for this award. J.D. Martinez is absolutely a candidate, and has a good chance to finish in the top five. However, as a designated hitter, he’s highly unlikely to win. His offensive numbers were outstanding, but not enough to put him above the likes of Trout, Jose Ramirez or his own teammate. Mookie Betts was oh so close to capturing this award a couple years ago, when Mike Trout snatched it from his hands. This year however, this year is different. Betts was better than Trout in almost every category. Plus, he propelled his team to the best record in the entire league. This award is Mookie’s to lose, and there is no chance that he loses.
