Hard to believe that awards season has started already - but then, the real season doesn't normally extend into November . A few extra games, maybe expand the first round to best-of-7, and they can hand out the MVP Awards during the World Series.

Various fielding awards, some of dubious merit, have been handed out already. So have the Silver Sluggers and some other odds and ends. The BBWAA Awards start on Monday; one does not expect them to be controversial this year, but youneverknow.

Last year I gave out only one set of awards for MLB, on the premise that the AL and NL are conferences now, and it would seem pretty silly for, say, the NBA to hand out an MVP for each conference. As much as I like tradition, I will try to stick to the new format:

MLB MVP: Joe Mauer

For pretty much the entire season, I expected this would be Albert Pujols. But Pujols had power outage near the end of the season, while Mauer somehow pushed the Twins into the postseason without any help from Justin Morneau. When the dust settled... well, they're pretty hard to choose between. Pujols was a better hitter and played 22 more games, while Mauer has excellent defence behind home plate to add to his impressive hitting resume. In the clutch, they were both monsters... Mauer wins the coin toss by virtue of his catching.

MLB Cy Young Award: Zack Greinke

After a strong finish to 2008, there were high expectations for former top prospect. From his first pitch in April, he was immediately the best pitcher in the league. Greinke had the lowest ERA by any AL starter since Pedro Martinez in 2000; he was a strikeout machine with excellent control, which is important because the defence behind him was horrendous. The only thing Zack lacked was a dazzling won-loss record, but he still managed to go 16-8 with the worst team on God's Green Earth and that's good too.

MLB Rookie of the Year: Andrew McCutchen

I confess that I didn't watch a single inning of Pirates baseball after McCutchen was promoted in June, Which is a shame, because it appears that he was pretty good. One of the top prospects in baseball at age 22, he hit for a good average with power, speed, plate discipline and good defence in centre. The only thing he lacked was a full season, but that's the way it goes with young players these days.

MLB Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia

I don't really follow the Angels that closely, and every time I see Scioscia speak on television or manage in the playoffs, he comes across as a bit of a doofus. But that's not what this award is about; the Angels overcame some difficult hurdles to win 97 games, led by an offence that led the league in runs scored.

Of course, next week there will be more than four awards handed out, plus this year I think that the awards in each league are worth the time to look at:

AL MVP Award
1. Joe Mauer
2. Ben Zobrist
3. Chone Figgins
4. Derek Jeter

Of course some sluggers will get lots of votes, but it was a pretty shitty year for sluggers in the AL. Mark Teixeira was probably the best - but even he hit just .264 with 7 homers with runners in scoring position (Ben Zobrist hit .320 with 9 homers, Albert Pujols hit .361 with 10 homers). Guys like Miguel Cabrera, Kendry Morales, Adam Lind, Jason Bay etc. were good but not really great.

The Ben Zobrist For MVP Movement was kind of a running joke all year long, but when the dust settled... well, there he is. The Big Z played seven different positions this season, and appeared to play them all pretty well. The rest of the ledger: Hitting for average - check. Hitting for power - check. Getting on base - check. Running the bases - check. Hitting in the clutch - check. I fail to see where he comes up short.

Derek Jeter was probably the Yankees' best player, and had one of his better seasons with both the bat and the glove. The only (surprising) downside to Jeter is that his clutch stats kind of sucked as well (.259 with RISP). Chone Figgins did what you want from a leadoff hitter - hit .300, lead the league in walks, steal 40 bases - plus he had a great year in the clutch. Defensively, his stats are great - and he made enough dazzling highlight plays to make one believe in the stats.

NL MVP Award
1. Albert Pujols
2. Hanley Ramirez
3. Chase Utley
4. Prince Fielder

Pujols has, of course, become an almost comical candidate, standing far and above a talented group of candidates. I have now given him five straight MVPs, and it will be his third real one.

Next come a couple of middle infielders with big bats. Hanley Ramirez won the batting title, has plenty of power and speed and has apparently upgraded his defence at short to "okay". I waffled on Chase Utley and Prince Fielder for a bit; Utley had a crappy finish to the season, while Prince was a clutch monster. But Chase is a terrific second baseman while Fielder is fat and slow, so Utley gets the edge.

AL Cy Young Award
1. Zack Greinke
2. Felix Hernandez
3. Roy Halladay
4. Justin Verlander

C.C. Sabathia had a terrific second half, and for a short while looked like he might be the league's only 20-game winner, making him an instant top contender. Of course, he didn't win 20 games, while both Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander matched him with 19 wins, but from everything I have read Sabathia is still a top contender.

Roy Halladay's chances were torpedoed by a summer swoon, but he had 3 shutouts in September and was third in ERA, plus he's Roy Freakin' Halladay so I think he has to be in the mix.

NL Cy Young Award
1. Tim Lincecum
2. Adam Wainwright
3. Chris Carpenter
4. Jair Jurrjens

Last year's Cy Young winner, Lincecum, followed up with almost the exact same season, leading the league in strikeouts, complete games and shutouts but only getting 15 wins. He faces tough competition from two Cardinals; Adam Wainwright was a horse, leading the league in wins and innings while finishing 4th in ERA. His teammate, Frankencarp, won 17 games and led the league in ERA, but also missed a month while he underwent the delicate procedure of having a lightning bolt reanimate his elbow.

It's hard to see how the writers can go wrong here; all three would make good picks, but I think Lincecum's total package merits another award.

The rookie awards are actually pretty interesting this year - no one player in either league is a slam dunk. In the National League, three pitchers (J.A. Happ, Tommy Hanson, Randy Wells) finished the year with almost identical stats; Happ may be the favourite to win the award. But I will admit my prejudice that I prefer, if possible, to hand the award to the player with the most upside (ie. Eddie Murray over Mitchell Page, Manny Ramirez over Bob Hamelin).

In this case, Hanson probably has the best upside of that trio, although he didn't throw as many innings as either Happ of Wells. Pittburgh's Andrew McCutchen may have more upside than anybody, and he was probably better in the field than Florida's Chris Coghlan.

AL Rookie of the Year
1. Elvis Andrus
2. Andrew Bailey

Andrus struggled with the bat (though he had a good year stealing bases), but has the advantage of playing almost everyday, and was among the best defensive shortstops in the league.

Ricky Porcello, Jeff Niemann and Brett Anderson are another trio of young starters who were closely matched. Porcello and Niemann had almost identical records and ERAs; Anderson probably has the most upside of the threesome, though it's hard to say exactly what Porcello's upside is. Andrew Bailey was a mediocre starter in AA who converted to relief and had an awesome season in Oakland's bullpen.

NL Rookie of the Year
1. Andrew McCutchen
2. Tommy Hanson

AL Manager of the Year Award: Mike Scioscia

NL Manager of the Year Award: Tony LaRussa

Today, he's Mr. Sideburns. Tomorrow, he'll just be Mr. Burns.
Enjoy your youth while you've got it!