MLB Awards tonight at 8 ET on MLBN, MLB.com

MLB Awards tonight at 8 ET on MLBN, MLB.com

Honors cap Awards Week with best of 2016 season

November 18th, 2016

And now, for the final envelopes, please.
There's one more group of honors, the Esurance MLB Awards, and it's a fitting conclusion to a stunning season. The winners will be revealed tonight beginning at 8 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.com, covering a wide-ranging field of accomplishments, both traditional and modern. The show will be hosted by Brian Kenny and John Smoltz.
• Complete MLB Awards coverage
Here's a rundown of the categories:
Best Major Leaguer
It's come down to a fantastic group of Astros second baseman (.338 batting average, 24 home runs, 96 RBIs, 108 runs, 30 stolen bases, .928 OPS), Red Sox right fielder (.318 average, 31 homers, 113 RBIs, 122 runs, 26 stolen bases, .897 OPS), Cubs third baseman and NL MVP (.292 average, 39 homers, 102 RBIs, 121 runs, 8 stolen bases, .939 OPS), Blue Jays third baseman (.284 average, 37 homers, 99 RBIs, 122 runs, .953 OPS) and Angels center fielder and AL MVP (.315 average, 29 homers, 100 RBIs, 123 runs, 30 stolen bases and .991 OPS).

Best Hitter
Altuve, Bryant and Trout have a chance to double up here, with Nationals second baseman (.347 average, 25 homers, 104 RBIs, 88 runs, .985 OPS) and just-retired Red Sox icon (.315 average, 38 homers, 127 RBIs, 79 runs, 1.021 OPS) rounding out this stellar quintet.

Best Pitcher
NL Cy Young Award winner of the Nationals (20-7 record, 284 strikeouts in 228 1/3 innings, 2.96 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) leads a terrific group that also includes Indians right-hander (18-9, 215 innings, 227 K's, 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP), the Cubs tandem of right-hander (16-8, 2.13 ERA, 0.98 WHIP) and lefty (19-5, 2.44 ERA, 197 K's, 1.02 WHIP) and Giants southpaw (15-9, 251 K's, 2.74 ERA, 1.03 WHIP).

Best Rookie
Both BBWAA Rookie of the Year Award winners are represented here, with AL honoree and Tigers starter (11-7 record, 3.06 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) and Dodgers shortstop (.308, 26 homers, 72 RBIs, 105 runs, .877 OPS), who took the hardware in the NL. Other contenders include Indians outfielder (.296, 14 homers, .886 OPS), Yankees phenom (.299, 20 homers, 1.032 OPS) and Nationals speedster (.342, 13 homers, 33 stolen bases, .937 OPS).

Other honors that will be handed out tonight include Best Defensive Player (a contest between Betts, Giants shortstop , White sox outfielder , and the World Series shortstops in of the Cubs and of the Indians), Best Social Media Personality, Best Play honors for both offense and defense, Best Social Media Post, Best Moment, Best Performance (individual game), Best Manager, Best Executive and Best Postseason Moment.

There will also be awards for Best Fan Catch, Best Broadcast Call (including 's incredible home run and Vin Scully's final play-by-play call of the Dodgers at home), Best Player-Fan Interaction and Best Trending Topic.

The Esurance MLB Awards annually honor Major League Baseball's greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process that includes five groups, each of which accounts for 20 percent of the overall vote: media, front-office personnel, retired MLB players, fans at MLB.com and Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) voters.
The MLB Awards are an all-inclusive program, encompassing the top players and performances from both the AL and NL from Opening Day through the end of the postseason.
Voting began on Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. ET at MLB.com/awards, one hour after the inaugural Esurance MLB Fans of the Year winners were announced.
Winners of the 2016 Esurance MLB Awards will be unveiled tonight at 8 p.m. ET at a reception in Manhattan's Chelsea Market, on MLB social channels and during a live broadcast on MLB Network and MLB.com.
Winners in five categories will be revealed on MLB social media prior to the show airing on MLB Network: Social Media Personality, Trending Topic, Broadcast Call, Player-Fan Interaction and Social Media Post.