Several Giants up for Esurance MLB Awards
Posey, Bumgarner, Crawford, Duffy nominated for top honors
SAN FRANCISCO -- Catcher Buster Posey and left-hander Madison Bumgarner, who are accustomed to being considered for various honors, are nominees for this year's Esurance MLB Awards. So are shortstop Brandon Crawford and third baseman Matt Duffy, who are relatively new to the experience.
Posey, the National League's 2010 Rookie of the Year and '12 Most Valuable Player, as well as a three-time All-Star, is a candidate in the Best Everyday Player and Best Defensive Player categories. Bumgarner, the 2014 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, besides being MVP of the NL Championship Series and the World Series, was named among the Best Starting Pitcher contenders. He also got a nod for Best Performance after taking Clayton Kershaw deep in a May matchup at AT&T Park. It marked the first time a pitcher had ever hit a home run off Kershaw.
Video: Must C Crushed: Bumgarner takes Kershaw deep
Then there's Duffy, who wasn't even assured of making this year's Opening Night roster. He's among the choices for Best Rookie. Crawford, a first-time All-Star and a longtime standout with the glove, is eligible for the Best Defensive Player and Best Breakout Player honors.
The Giants tallied a few nominations in social media categories, too. Fully-clothed Giants fans diving headfirst into McCovey Cove to retrieve home run balls hit by Joe Panik got a nomination for Best Social Media Post. The Giants presenting "Full Clubhouse", a humorous video where the team assumed roles of the "Full House" cast, garnered a nomination for Best Trending Topic.
Fans played a big part in two other nominations. Sitting in the front row during a July contest, a Giants fan was nearly hit by a foul ball off the bat of Crawford. However, the man avoided a potentially uncomfortable situation when his alert son came up with a terrific grab and got a nomination for Best Fan Catch.
Nominated for Best Player-Fan Interaction, a young Giants fan in Arizona held a sign challenging right fielder Hunter Pence to an arm-wrestling contest. Rather than taking the youngster up on the challenge, Pence brokered a peace treaty in the form of a souvenir baseball.
Video: SF@ARI: Fan challenges Pence to arm-wrestling contest
The Esurance MLB Awards annually honor Major League Baseball's greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process that includes five components, 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.
Individual awards will go to the Best Major Leaguer in addition to the winners in the following categories: Best Everyday Player, Starting Pitcher, Rookie, Defensive Player, Breakout Player, Bounceback Player, Manager, Executive, Social Media Personality and Postseason Performer.
Winners will also be recognized for the year's best offensive play, defensive play, Moment, Single-Game Performance, Social Media Post, Celebrity Fan, Fan Catch, Interview, TV Call, Radio Call, Player-Fan Interaction, Video Board Moment and Trending Topic.
Voting will remain open through Friday at 8:59 p.m. PT by visiting mlb.com/awards. Winners will be announced live on MLB Network and MLB.com on Nov. 20.