With a month to go in the season, figured I'd kick this off. Here's my take so Far

NL MVP: Position player value page

This will be the most interesting debate for me this year. You have some guys on non playoff teams having the best years among position players, such as Harper, Goldschmidt, and Votto, and even Pollock if you like WAR.

Best position players on playoff bound teams are Rizzo and McCutchen probably, and both have good narrative. Rizzo has been very clutch, and cutch has been great since a slow start as Pittsburgh has had an excellent season overshadowed by the Cardinals.

However you have Zack Greinke who is having a fantastic season and has been great from the opening bell, and just won a big September showdown with Bumgarner to put the Dodgers up 5.5 games in the division.

I think it's down to Harper and Greinke. If Harper has a GREAT September, I mean gets really hot, not only will that give him even greater separation from the pack of position players, but might...just might....fuel a miracle comeback against the Mets.

But if I'm placing bets today, I'm placing them on Greinke.

NL Cy Young: NL Pitcher Value

This is Greinke's award, barring absolute disaster. Greinke has a shot at a 10 WAR season, and nobody has done that since........Zack Greinke in 2009. Whats really remarkable about reaching that level is that starters, even the best ones in the league, don't pitch as many innings as they used to, so that threshold MUCH harder to reach. Check out this list. Just 30 players have reached that level, and prior to Greinke in 2009, the last guy to do it was RJ in 2002, and Pedro in 2000.

It's just really really hard to do without throwing over 260 innings.

NL ROY: value page

Chris Bryant, Matt Duffy and Jung Ho Kang in 3 way dead heat for WAR, but you have to figure Bryant is the favorite here, being the most hyped NL rookie and pretty much coming through while playing for a likely Cubs playoff team. I have a soft spot for Kang though, because he put up this great season while filling in for injured players. He's made a huge difference for the Pirates who are ahead of the Cubs. Duffy a sleeper....really great rookie season, but doubt he has much of a chance.

Bryant will be the winner here, barring a really bad September slump.

NL MOY

You gotta figure Matheny gets rewarded for the Cardinals stunning win percentage and the ways they have been winning.

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Good depth often has to come from within, in the form of younger talent. Depth is hard to build overnight, but it’s easy to deplete. Jeff Sullivan

My picks are:
NL MVP Greinke...though, for me, the Cy Young Award IS the pitcher MVP. (even in hockey, when a goalie gets the Hart, I have to say yeah, well he got the Vezina didn't he?)
NL Cy Young Greinke
NL ROY Bryant
NL MOY I'll go with Matheny.

So, basically everything you already said.

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Per Mare, Per Terras
KC

A lot of times when the voters can't figure something out, they go to a "default" option.

They may not want to give MVP to harper if/when Nats miss the playoffs, and same goes for Goldy and Votto...no matter how much they hit.

If Nats didn't collapse then harper probably wins MVP....but they did, so he won't

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Good depth often has to come from within, in the form of younger talent. Depth is hard to build overnight, but it’s easy to deplete. Jeff Sullivan

Probably still Greinke for Cy Young, but damn, Arrieta closed fast with 0.75 ERA in the second half and 8.3 WAR (not including tonight) to Greinke's 8.9 (baseball reference).

I think Arietta overtook him actually

Harper/Arrietta/Bryant would seem to be the way it will go down in NL, but don't know how the Nats collapse will impact Harpers vote totals.

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Good depth often has to come from within, in the form of younger talent. Depth is hard to build overnight, but it’s easy to deplete. Jeff Sullivan

I have swayed to Shoe's thinking as well. Arrieta's second half has overtaken Greinke.

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Per Mare, Per Terras
KC

2016?

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"Tomorrow is not promised to any of us." - Kirby Puckett

what are you talking about ?

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Good depth often has to come from within, in the form of younger talent. Depth is hard to build overnight, but it’s easy to deplete. Jeff Sullivan

Wow, it was like that for a month and no one noticed.

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Per Mare, Per Terras
KC

I thought it was a predictions thread and everyone thought all awards would be repeat winners from this season.

I'm fine with Arietta, because it means a MFD doesn't win it. I think Bryant has a lock on ROY and I'd pick Harper for MVP, but I don't know how much voters will overlook him due to missing the playoffs. You know some people will.

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"Tomorrow is not promised to any of us." - Kirby Puckett

They will end up with a winning record, which probably hurts less than the 81-81 the Dbacks had in 2013 did with Goldy's chances

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Kevin Towers, not smarter than the so called experts

there is such a large gap though between harpers performance and any other position player, compared to 2013 where Goldy and McCutchen we basically even steven

My earlier hypothesis about it being Greinke is out the window now.

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Good depth often has to come from within, in the form of younger talent. Depth is hard to build overnight, but it’s easy to deplete. Jeff Sullivan

Perhaps, and I don't have a problem with Arrieta winning it. But Greinke's overall numbers (1.66 ERA, .0844 WHIP, 225 ERA+, all league leaders, plus 9.4 WAR baseball reference) were a hair better than Arietta's (1.77 ERA, .0865 WHIP, 220 ERA+, 8.6 WAR). Arrieta had the big second half, but Greinke was doing it from day one (he never had an ERA in the 2s the entire season). Arrieta may have been more valuable to the Cubs, but I think Greinke was still the best pitcher.

I'd definitely vote for Harper if I had a choice, he deserves it, blew away everyone else offensively. Just thinking in terms of the "not a playoff team" votes.

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Kevin Towers, not smarter than the so called experts

I don't really know where to put this, but I stumbled across a slide show "Each MLB Team's Least Valuable Player from 2015" It is from the pointafter site.

Our nomination is Chris Owings, -.8 WAR. I assume they are not taking contracts into account here (Hill).

http://tinyurl.com/pa8xrap

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Per Mare, Per Terras
KC

Goldy won his 2nd Gold Glove, while Pollock won his 1st.

Goldy is also a finalist for MVP; Harper and Votto (really? Good year, but.. really?) being the other two.

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Per Mare, Per Terras
KC

Votto had a historic second half and overall season value right there with Goldy in all advanced metrics. Basically Goldy beats him in rbi, everything else a push

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Good depth often has to come from within, in the form of younger talent. Depth is hard to build overnight, but it’s easy to deplete. Jeff Sullivan

I didn't expect them to have Votto that high, but completely justified.

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Kevin Towers, not smarter than the so called experts

It would be great to see Goldschmidt win MVP, but it's gotta be Harper.

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The god damned plane has crashed into the mountain.

Bryant Unanimous winner.

Deserving.

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Good depth often has to come from within, in the form of younger talent. Depth is hard to build overnight, but it’s easy to deplete. Jeff Sullivan