Baseball is blessed with a plethora of postseason awards.
Some carry utilitarian labels (Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year). Others are named after Hall of Famers (Cy Young, Roberto Clemente) or precious metals (Gold Glove, Silver Slugger). One even echoed a brand of antacid for almost 40 years (Rolaids Relief Man of the Year).
It stands to reason that the game doesn’t need any more award programs. Yet I steadfastly launched another six for batters last November 3 and November 10. Each is named after a Hall of Famer who demonstrated a specific (and admirable) quality.
I’ve been tracking this year’s results in five of those categories, which are summarized below. (The sixth honor, the Willie Mays Award, goes to the Gold Glove winner who enjoyed the best season at the plate. It’s impossible to determine a leader until the Gold Gloves are handed out.)
All statistics are as of September 1, roughly a month before the season’s end. Four of the five awards are based on rates. A player must have made at least 400 plate appearances to qualify for consideration in those categories.
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Ted Williams Award (batting)
Definition: Goes to the batter who reaches the most bases per out (BPO), reflecting the related abilities to hit for average, hit for power, and get on base in any way possible.
2020 winner: Juan Soto, Nationals, 1.505
2021 leader: Bryce Harper, Phillies, 1.148
2021 runners-up: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres, 1.140; Shohei Ohtani, Angels, 1.084
Notes: It’s a strange thing to say about one of baseball’s most heavily publicized players, but Harper hasn’t been given enough credit for his outstanding performance this season. He ranks second in the National League for slugging average (.594) and fourth for batting average (.306). And he leads both leagues in BPO, piling up 326 bases against 284 outs. The defending champion in this category, Soto, is fifth in the current standings at 1.026, down from the stratospheric 1.505 he posted during 2020’s truncated schedule.
Lou Gehrig Award (scoring)
Definition: Goes to the batter who generates the most runs, as determined by adding runs scored and runs batted in, then subtracting home runs (since an HR is counted in both the R and RBI columns).
2020 winner: Freddie Freeman, Braves, 91
2021 leader: Bo Bichette, Blue Jays, 156
2021 runners-up: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays, 155; Jose Abreu, White Sox, and Rafael Devers, Red Sox, 147
Notes: The two frontrunners have a symbiotic relationship, combining to power a Toronto offense that leads the majors in slugging average (.450) and the American League in home runs (196). Bichette typically hits second in the Blue Jays’ batting order, with Guerrero right behind him in the three hole. It’s hard to say who benefits most from this arrangement — or who is likely to win this category in the end. The 2020 leader, Freeman, is 10th this year at 139.
Babe Ruth Award (power)
Definition: Goes to the batter who has the highest average for isolated power, which is calculated the same way as batting average, though you substitute extra bases for hits. A batter gets one base for each double, two for each triple, and three for each homer. Add them up, then divide by at-bats.
2020 winner: Juan Soto, Nationals, .344
2021 leader: Shohei Ohtani, Angels, .361
2021 runners-up: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres, .358; Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays, .290
Notes: Ohtani has blasted 25 doubles, five triples, and 42 homers. That adds up to 161 extra bases in 446 at-bats. Injuries have restricted Tatis to 372 at-bats, yet he’s still in the race with 133 extra bases. One thing is certain: Soto won’t be repeating his victory in this category. He’s currently 58th in the majors with an isolated power average of .210.
Nellie Fox Award (contact)
Definition: Goes to the batter who excels at putting his bat on the ball, based on contact rate, which is the percentage of at-bats that do not end in strikeouts.
2020 winner: Tommy La Stella, Angels-Athletics, .939
2021 leader: Kevin Newman, Pirates, .923
2021 runners-up: David Fletcher, Angels, .904; Michael Brantley, Astros, .884
Notes: This has been a strange year for Newman. He has been terrible at the plate, as reflected by his BPO of .465, which ranks as the worst among all players who have appeared at the plate 400 times or more. And yet he has been making contact at a solid rate, striking out just 33 times in 427 at-bats. Hard to figure, isn’t it? La Stella hasn’t made enough appearances (just 151) to qualify for this year’s title, though his 2021 contact rate of .877 wouldn’t have been sufficient, anyway.
Rickey Henderson Award (batting eye)
Definition: Goes to the batter who demonstrates the best knowledge of the strike zone, as shown by batting eye rate. It’s calculated by dividing unintentional walks by the number of plate appearances after intentional walks have been subtracted.
2020 winner: Aaron Hicks, Yankees, .190
2021 leader: Joey Gallo, Rangers-Yankees, and Juan Soto, Nationals, .184
2021 runners-up: Andrew McCutchen, Phillies, .146; Max Muncy, Dodgers, .144
Notes: The final month will decide the winner of this award, which is currently knotted in a dead heat between Gallo (who has received 94 unintentional walks so far) and Soto (91). Nobody else is within striking distance, especially not Hicks, the category’s 2020 champ. A wrist injury has restricted him to 126 trips to the plate this year, falling 274 short of the minimum necessary to qualify at the point.