Photo by MIKE FIALA/AFP via Getty Images The biggest honor of all awaits. It has been a very good year for the Diamondbacks. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2017, then unexpectedly, but delightfully, reached the...
Photo by MIKE FIALA/AFP via Getty Images
The biggest honor of all awaits.
It has been a very good year for the Diamondbacks. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2017, then unexpectedly, but delightfully, reached the World Series for the first time in twenty-two years. A lot of people played parts in that. Indeed, considering they reached the post-season by such a narrow margin, a butterfly flapping its wings at Chase Field in an April game could perhaps have changed the outcome of the entire season. Or maybe those five hit Seby Zavala got in September proved to be a turning point? You could write an entire novel about the “what ifs”, up to and including the Evan Longoria double-play in the wild-card series, which arguably turned the game, the series and the post-season around.
But we are here not to discuss valuable players, but MOST valuable. As usual, winners of the previous awards will automatically bypass the nomination process, and qualify straight onto the final ballot. Therefore, Corbin Carrol (Rookie of the Year), Kevin Ginkel (Unsung Hero) and Merrill Kelly (Pitcher of the Year) do not require consideration. Efforts to suggest them will be mocked mercilessly and eventually deleted. But there are still a good number of other candidates. On the hitting side, Ketel Marte had his best campaign since before the pandemic. The team’s record without Gabriel Moreno spoke for itself. And Christian Walker drove in a hundred runs for the first time - oh, and went 11-0 in stolen bases.
On the mound, we had heroes a plenty too. Zac Gallen proved a real workhorse, tossing more innings than any Diamondback pitcher since Brandon Webb in 2011. Paul Sewald carried the team through the close games, especially in the playoffs, where it seemed EVERY game was close. So, plenty of options, and be aware that, due to the pre-selected candidates, there are only two (or possibly, if VERY good cases are made, three) slots open on the final ballot. I would therefore strongly recommend making a good argument for your chosen candidate in the comments. For the last time this year, and in case you had forgotten, here’s the rules.
Go to the comments section. If your choice is already mentioned there, give it a “rec”. If your choice is NOT mentioned, leave their name as a new comment. One nomination per comment Duplicate nominations will get deleted. On Wednesday, I’ll tally up the recs, and use those as a guide towards a list of five or so nominees, including the pre-qualified players mentioned above.