The 2017 awards season officially came to an end Friday night with the Esurance MLB Awards. Winners were determined by five groups that each carried a 20-percent input: former MLB players, club front office personnel, baseball media members, SABR members and fan vote on MLB.com.
Unlike the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, Manager of the Year and MVP Awards presented by the Baseball Writers Association of America, the Esurance hardware accounted for playoff performances. Moreover, only one winner was selected per category, as opposed to one per league.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were nominated for 12 Esurance MLB Awards, with Justin Turner leading the way as a three-time nominee. Yasiel Puig was second on the team with two nominations, apeparing in the Personality of the Year and Best Player-Fan Interaction categories.
While the Dodgers finished with the best record in the Majors and were within a win of their first World Series in 29 years, it didn’t amount to anything in terms of this year’s Esurance Awards.
Complete breakdown of winners included below.
Best Major Leaguer
Dodgers’ nominee: Justin Turner
Winner: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
Best Pitcher
Dodgers’ nominees: Kenley Jansen, Clayton Kershaw
Winner: Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians
Best Rookie
Dodgers’ nominee: Cody Bellinger
Winner: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Best Major Leaguer, Postseason
Dodgers’ nominee: Justin Turner
Co-winners: Jose Altuve and Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
Best Major Defensive Player
Dodgers’ nominee: N/A
Winner: Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
Best Call, TV/Radio
Dodgers’ nominee: Chase Utley’s diving catch to save Rich Hill’s perfect game against Pirates
Winner: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros, game-tying home run in Game 5 of World Series
Personality of the Year
Dodgers’ nominee: Yasiel Puig
Winner: Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers
Best Postseason Moment
Dodgers’ nominee: Justin Turner’s walk-off home run in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series
Winner: Alex Bregman, Houston Astros, walk-off single in Game 5 of the World Series
Best Performance
Dodgers’ nominee: Kiké Hernandez’s three home runs in Game 5 of the NLCS
Winner: Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals, has six hits and 10 RBI against New York Mets
Best Fan Catch
Dodgers’ nominee: Hat grab on Cody Bellinger’s home run at Dodger Stadium
Winner: Houston Astros fan throws Yasiel Puig’s home run ball back in Game 5 of the World Series
Best Player-Fan Interaction
Dodgers’ nominee: Third time is the charm for Yasiel Puig giving ball to young fan
Winner: Joey Vott, Cincinnati Reds, gives fan home-run bat and jersey
Best Play, Defense
Dodgers’ nominee: N/A
Winner: Austin Jackson, Cleveland Indians, makes leaping catch over fence at Fenway Park
Best Play, Offense
Dodgers’ nominee: N/A
Winner: Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies, Father’s Day walk-off cycle
Best Manager
Dodgers’ nominee: Dave Roberts
Winner: AJ Hinch, Houston Astros
Best Executive
Dodgers’ nominee: Andrew Friedman
Winner: Jeff Luhnow, Houston Astros
Last year, Corey Seager won Best Rookie, and Vin Scully took home the award for Best Call TV/Radio, for Charlie Culberson’s home run that clinched the NL West against the Colorado Rockies.
