The movie 1993 baseball classic "Rookie of the Year" centered around 12-year-old Henry Rowengartner, who took Chicago by storm.
Introducing this summer's big box office hit, "Rookies of the Year," the long-awaited second feature which will star a pair of stud prospects, Carlos Rodon and Kris Bryant.
Both were wearing diapers when Henry made his Major League debut, and 22 years later, they'll be taking their training wheels off and running away with their respective League awards.
Rodon, who will start in Triple-A, just like Bryant, will eventually come up, also just like Bryant, and dominate. We saw glimpses of what he can bring to the table and that will continue during the season. He will play an integral role in leading the White Sox to the AL Central title (see my MLB Previews for more).
Bryant, who I need not discuss in detail due to his immense popularity, will do the same for the Cubs. I think he will ignite an offense that will really take the NL by storm. Yes, there's growing pains expected, but come on. Jorge Soler, Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro, Mike Olt, Miguel Montero will be the heart of a lineup that will be among the League leaders.
Together, these rookies will stand out as the best and win the postseason awards.
Here's how the rest of the postseason awards will pan out in my opinion.
AL Cy Young contenders
1. Felix Hernandez
2. David Price
3. Chris Sale
As the fantasy owner of David Price, I'd like to pick him for Cy Young, but I can't deny that I think the Mariners will win the West and Felix Hernandez will win 18-20 games. Meanwhile, Price will finish with 15-18. Hernandez should have a better ERA and that will be enough to lock up the Cy Young. Chris Sale will be close, but Fernandez will edge him in the end.
AL MVP contenders
1. Robinson Cano
2. Mike Trout
3. Jose Abreu
Sticking with the Seattle theme, I think he will put up similar numbers that he did last year, but I believe it will stand out more with the Mariners taking the West. He batted .314 with 82 RBIs and 77 runs scored. I expect about .315 with 90 RBIs and 85 runs scored. I also think he'll be closer to 20 homers after 14 last year. Overall, I think he'll be the second biggest reason the M's put up the best record in the American League. The first will be King Felix, but the voters will credit Cano with the MVP.
AL Rookie of the Year contenders
1. Carlos Rodon
2. Francisco Lindor
3. Carlos Correa
Already discussed this, but you can see the secondary candidates. Carlos Correa isn't expected to come up, but he really hit well in the spring and if he does well early in the minors, and the Astros have a decent middle of the road record early on, maybe he'll come up. If he does, there's no doubt that he'll produce. I have him at three, but only in the rare chance that he comes up. Otherwise, he's my leading candidate for 2016.
NL Cy Young contenders
1. Max Scherzer
2. Clayton Kershaw
3. Jon Lester
Who doesn't want to see Clayton Kershaw with his nicely dressed friends on ESPN in November? I'm sure he'll put up the numbers, but in the end, I expect the Nationals to win more and in turn, I think Max Scherzer will have the better case for Cy Young. Either way, the three guys listed will easily be in the conversation. I also would like to note, as mentioned in my preview, I expect Cole Hamels to be traded to San Diego. If that happens earlier than the deadline, it's quite possible we see him win his first Cy Young. Call him a darkhorse for this award. In Philly, he won't have enough wins to do it, but in San Diego, he could do it.
NL MVP contenders
1. Matt Kemp
2. Andrew McCutchen
3. Giancarlo Stanton
I really thought about putting Kris Bryant here at No. 3, which tells you how crazy I might be. Nevertheless, I didn't let the hype get to me in this instance, and I went chalk with Nos. 2 and 3. However, at No. 1, I'm picking Matt Kemp. The Padres are my World Series pick and I believe Kemp will be the catalyst. He'll put up numbers that we haven't seen since prior to his injuries in LA.
NL Rookie of the Year contenders
1. Kris Bryant
2. Jorge Soler
3. Archie Bradley
I have Bryant all the way. Even with the delay, he'll edge out teammate Jorge Soler, who will have a huge year as well. Archie Bradley will do his best with a bad Diamondbacks team, but it will fall short of what Bryant does in 2015.
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