Final Picks for Baseball AwardsAL Cy Young: Zack Greinke Royals. Even though he couldn't get the job done against the Twins, his pitching in late August and September was amazing, almost as amazing as the job he did in April and May. In June and July and early August he was merely terrific.
AL MVP: Joe Mauer, Twins. A catcher hitting .364 with power? No questions left to answer; Mauer is the best player in baseball today.
NL Cy Young: It's clearly either Carpenter or Wainwright; I'll take Carpenter's +13 W-L record over Wainwright's +11, and the league-leading ERA. Plus Carpenter's a terrific story after missing most of the last two years.
NL MVP: Well, I've tried to avoid it all season, but I'm going with Albert Pujols. Chase Utley, who's still my favorite player in baseball right now, did not perform in September, and Pujols was the usual Albert. The only question remaining about Pujols is whether he's the greatest hitter of all time.