It has been a long season, but the finish line finally is in sight. Some of you are making last-minute moves in an effort to get your hands on the coveted fantasy crown, while the rest of you have been concentrating on fantasy football since June.
But before we call it a season, it’s time to hand out awards to the players who have helped you achieve fantasy glory, as well as the players who helped you consider taking up fantasy finger jousting.
Roto Files’ Jarad Wilk will dole out the awards for the American League, and Fantasy Sports Network’s Nando Di Fino will handle the honors (and dishonors) for the National League:
MVP
AL: Josh Donaldson — This was a no-brainer. Not only does Donaldson (a second-round pick) lead the AL (and the majors) in runs scored and RBIs, he is among the top 10 in the AL in hits, doubles, homers, walks, average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.
NL: Bryce Harper — There’s no need to waste a lot of breath on this one. Harper was a third-round pick in most drafts and looks to be in line for No. 1 overall in 2016.
Cy Young
AL: David Price — Price takes it over Dallas Keuchel because of how dominant the Toronto left-hander has been down the stretch. In 10 starts since joining the Jays on Aug. 3, he is 8-1 with a 1.95 ERA and 81 strikeouts.
NL: Jake Arrieta — You can make the case for a handful of pitchers in the NL, but I like Arrieta — a seventh-round pick in fantasy drafts this year who carried plenty of teams to the top of the standings.
LVP
AL: Carlos Gomez — The eighth player taken overall (according to fantasypros.com) started the season poorly in Milwaukee and is ending the year miserably in Houston. He has gone from reliable, sought-after stud to unreliable, bench-warming bum in the blink of an eye.
NL: Yasiel Puig — We had dreams of Puig crossing the 30-homer threshold and hitting .310 this year. Instead, Puig hobbled through a truncated 77-game season, setting career lows in average and OBP. The bright side? This description could have pretty much been applied to Bryce Harper after 2014.
Son of a pitch!
Jeff SamardzijaGetty ImagesAL: Jeff Samardzija — The writing was on the wall, folks. He entered the season 36-48 with a 3.85 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 222 appearances (99 starts), yet was drafted as the 16th best starting pitcher. He has allowed a league-high 220 hits and 116 runs en route to a 5.04 ERA, earned just 10 wins and registered his lowest strikeouts per nine since 2010. And fantasy owners thought spelling his name was the biggest concern?
NL: Stephen Strasburg — He was by no means bad, but a frustrating series of injuries limited Strasburg to just 113 1/3 innings pitched this season, creating a gap in the ace spot of staffs that was tough to replace.
Top rookie
AL: Carlos Correa/Miguel Sano — Too close to call! Yes, Correa has played in more games (91), but the impact Sano has had in a shorter time frame (71 games) cannot be ignored. Since July 2, when Sano was called up, their numbers are almost identical. Correa is hitting .273, with 14 homers, 43 RBIs, eight stolen bases and a .840 OPS, while Sano is hitting .278 with 17 homers, 49 RBIs, one stolen base and a .946 OPS.
NL: Jung-Ho Kang — Kris Bryant had the better season, but he was on all kinds of radars — we even knew the date the Cubs were going to call him up. But Kang came out of nowhere, began the season on the bench, then exploded. Real life, Bryant wins. Fantasy, Kang was too good of an addition to teams.
Biggest bargain
AL: Mike Moustakas — After entering the season as the 33rd ranked third baseman and the 326th ranked player overall, Moustakas made the All-Star team and is on pace to set career-highs in average (.282), homers (21), RBIs (76), hits (145) and OPS (.814). An honorable mention to the Rangers’ Mitch Moreland.
NL: Yangervis Solarte — He quietly hit .275 with 13 home runs and 33 doubles. And he is eligible at pretty much every position. He has been a tremendous multi-position asset who provided stability and a baseline for teams.
Comeback player
AL: Alex Rodriguez — After two hip surgeries and a full year away from the game, baseball’s most polarizing figure proved he still has some gas in the tank with 32 homers, 83 RBIs and a respectable .249 average and .843 OPS before Saturday’s games.
NL: Chris Coghlan — In just 422 at-bats (and not especially regular at-bats), Coghlan hit 16 home runs and stole 11 bases — career highs across the board for the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year.
Biggest surprise
Mark TeixeiraRay StubblebineAL: Mark Teixeira — There were 45 first-base eligible players taken before Teixeira in fantasy drafts this year. There weren’t many who predicted, or even cared if, Tex would play in half as many games he did (111), let alone be as productive as he was before suffering a season-ending injury.
NL: Joey Votto — In spring training, Votto said he was no longer focused on home runs — he saw value in OBP and getting in scoring position. He then went on to put together what should be his first 30-homer season since he was voted MVP in 2010.
Back to the future
AL: Kendrys Morales — After looking like a shell of his former self last season with the Twins and Mariners in 2014, the 32-year-old veteran is performing like it’s 2009. He has more than 100 RBIs for the first time since 2009, and his best average (.291), hit total (162), OPS (.840) since then, too. He also has walked a career-high 51 times.
NL: Carlos Gonzalez — Gonzalez has set a career-high in home runs and should set a new career-high in games played in the next three days. The steals have vanished, and the average was 30 points lower than what we were accustomed to, but Gonzalez upped his stock to the second round for 2016.
Adam Dunn award
AL: Albert Pujols — It’s weird seeing his name here, right? While his 35-plus homers and 85-plus RBIs certainly have helped, the career-low average (.239), on-base (.302) and slugging percentages(.468) and OPS (.770) weren’t expected – even as his career is in decline.
NL: Joc Pederson — I would expect the average to rise as his career moves forward, but Pederson was a three true outcomer in his rookie campaign, hitting 25 home runs with a .215 average and .349 OBP.
Carlos Pena award
AL: Joe Kelly — After going 2-5 with a 5.67 ERA over his first 14 starts, the 27-year-old righty went 8-1 with a 3.77 ERA after a four-game stint with Triple-A Pawtucket (including an 8-0 stretch with a 2.59 ERA over eight starts from Aug. 1-Sept. 9). Unfortunately, he was shut down for the season this week with a shoulder injury.
NL: Jedd Gyorko — After a mid-June demotion, Gyorko returned to the majors with a vengeance, hitting .265 with 14 home runs over 72 games (and .274 with six home runs in September), while gaining shortstop eligibility for next year.
Wilk’s All-AL team
C: Brian McCann, Yankees
1B: Chris Davis, Orioles
2B: Ian Kinsler, Tigers
SS: Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox
3B: Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays
OF: Nelson Cruz, Mariners
OF: J.D. Martinez, Tigers
OF: Lorenzo Cain, Royals
SP: Dallas Keuchel, Astros
SP: David Price, Blue Jays
SP: Chris Archer, Rays
SP: Carlos Carrasco, Indians
SP: Chris Sale, White Sox
RP: Huston Street, Angels
DH/UTIL: Manny Machado, Orioles
Nando’s All-NL team
C: Buster Posey, Giants
1B: Paul Goldschmidt, D’backs
2B: Justin Turner, Dodgers
SS: Jung-Ho Kang, Pirates
3B: Nolan Arenado, Rockies
OF: Bryce Harper, Nationals
OF: A.J. Pollock, D’backs
OF: Yoenis Cespedes, Mets
SP: Jake Arrieta, Cubs
SP: Zack Greinke, Dodgers
SP: Max Scherzer, Nationals
SP: Madison Bumgarner, Giants
SP: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
SP: Gerrit Cole, Pirates
RP: Mark Melancon, Pirates
DH/UTIL: Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
Team name awards
Best Yogi Berra Tribute: A Nickel Ain’t Werth a Dime Anymore
Best Clint Eastwood movie: Fister-ful of Dollars
Best Cheech & Chong movie: Up in Smoak
Best “Hunger Games” reference: Kipnis Everdeen
Best Name for a Buffet: All You Can Eaton
Best M.C. Hammer song: Can’t Cutch This
Best TV Trio: Larry, Moe & Buehrle
Best Phrase Kids Scream: Liar, Liar, Pants on Fiers
Best Idiom: Beg, Morrow and Steal
Best Adam Sandler movie: The Wedding Springer
Most Influential Hip-Hop group: Run D.M.CC
Best Team Name for Guy Living with Mom & Dad: Hyun-Jin & Dragons
Worst Kevin Smith movie: Zack & Miri Make a Morneau
Best Movie from 1959: Some Van Slyke it Hot
Best Star Wars Movie: Episode V: The Kempire Strikes Back
Most Overplayed Taylor Swift song: Jake It Off
Best Food Court Restaurant: Kung Fu Panda Express
Scariest Movie Character: Hannibal Lester
Best Rapper Name: Miggy Azalea
Best Comedy Central Sketch Show: Aoki & Peele
Best Jimmy Buffett Song: Cheeseburger in Paredes (@DaveBlezowNYP)
Worst Estelle Getty movie: Stop! Or My Mom will Schoop!
What Everyone with a Smartphone will tell you: There’s a Happ for That!
Best Notorious B.I.G. Song Lyric: I Love it When You Call Me Big Papi
Best Unused Reader Submission: McHugh Hefner (@joadha)
For more from the Fantasy Sports Network, watch FNTSY on RCN Cable in HD on Ch. 583 and SD on Ch. 367, on Cablevision Ch. 238 and as an app on Xbox One and Xbox 360.



