2016 MLB Award Race Odds Updates with 1 Week to Go

While furious battles for MLB's four available wild-card berths will take place over the regular season's final week, indirect competitions for the game's highest individual honors are raging as well.

With only a handful of awards looking like they're wrapped up, players (and managers) have one final chance to impress voters. Some will rise to the occasion, while others will fold under the pressure. These award races only make the last stretch all the more intriguing.

While statistics remain the driving force in calculating the odds on the pages that follow, both gut feeling and past voting trends played a part as well.

AL Comeback Player of the Year

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The Field

• Rick Porcello, SP, Boston Red Sox: 2-3
• Ian Desmond, CF, Texas Rangers: 13-7
• Robinson Cano, 2B, Seattle Mariners: 19-1

Rick Porcello posted a 9-15 record and 4.92 ERA in the first season of a four-year, $82.5 million contract with the Boston Red Sox in 2015. He had back-to-back starts in which he went at least seven innings while allowing three earned runs or fewer only twice—April 29 to May 5 and Sept. 7 to 12.

In 2016, he delivered 11 consecutive such starts up until Saturday, when he tossed 6.1 innings of three-run ball against Tampa Bay. As MLB.com's Ian Browne noted earlier this month, it was the lengthiest streak of its kind in MLB this year.

Porcello's numbers during that run were remarkable. He went 8-2 with a 2.34 ERA and 0.72 WHIP, scattering 56 hits over 84.2 innings while walking five and striking out 66. Over his last 14 starts, dating back to the All-Star break, he's gone 11-2 with a 2.51 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 9.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

He's got as many wins (22) as Ian Desmond has home runs (22) in what has been a terrific bounce-back season for the shortstop-turned-outfielder. However, Desmond continues to fade in the race for AL Comeback Player of the Year.

NL Comeback Player of the Year

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The Field

• Jean Segura, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks: 1-1
• Wilson Ramos, C, Washington Nationals: 4-1
• Tanner Roark, SP, Washington Nationals: 17-3
• Wil Myers, 1B, San Diego Padres: 9-1
• Julio Teheran, SP, Atlanta Braves: 19-1

Back in February, shortly after Milwaukee traded Jean Segura to Arizona, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal offered the following tidbit: "Since July 19, 2013, Segura’s OPS is .610, the lowest in the majors over that span for players with at least 1,100 plate appearances, according to STATS LLC."

While there was hope that a change of scenery would rejuvenate Segura's stalled career, nobody could have imagined he'd be this good.

No player in the National League has recorded more three-hit games this season than Segura, who leads the way with 22. He's one behind Houston's Jose Altuve and Cleveland's Francisco Lindor for the MLB lead.

He leads the National League in hits (196) and has set new career highs in doubles (40), home runs (19) and RBI (63). He's also posting a career-best .317/.364/.493 slash line, with an .857 OPS that's higher than those of more ballyhooed second basemen, such as Dustin Pedroia (.829) and Ian Kinsler (.823).

While the rest of the field has had its ups and downs, Segura has remained a consistent performer atop Arizona's lineup, hitting at least .290 in every month except May, when he hit .278.

Segura is not only favored to take home the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award, but he also figures to get some support in the NL MVP Award voting as well.

AL Manager of the Year

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Jeff Banister

The Field

• Terry Francona, Cleveland Indians: 7-3
• Jeff Banister, Texas Rangers: 7-3
• Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles: 3-1
• Brad Ausmus, Detroit Tigers: 19-1
• John Gibbons, Toronto Blue Jays: 19-1
• Joe Girardi, New York Yankees: 19-1

There's been no change in the AL Manager of the Year race, which remains a two-man battle between past winners: Cleveland's Terry Francona and Texas' Jeff Banister.

Banister's Rangers clinched their second consecutive AL West title this past Saturday, while Monday night saw Francona's Indians lock up their first division crown since 2007.

Both managers have dealt with injuries that would have decimated other clubs. Francona has been without All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley for all but 11 games, while Banister had to watch designated hitter Prince Fielder retire due to injury and has had outfielder Shin-Soo Choo available for a total of 45 contests.

With both teams looking like they'll finish strong, it may come down to which skipper's club winds up with more wins. Banister has the lead in that regard, 92 to 91.

NL Manager of the Year

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Joe Maddon

The Field

• Joe Maddon, Chicago Cubs: 1-1
• Dusty Baker, Washington Nationals: 4-1
• Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers: 4-1
• Terry Collins, New York Mets: 9-1 

Being at the helm of the first team in baseball to clinch a division title—which Chicago accomplished more than a week ago—isn't enough for Chicago's Joe Maddon to sit back and relax down the stretch.

"We've had ourselves a nice year," the bespectacled skipper told the Chicago Tribune's Paul Skrbina on Sunday. "There's still work left to be done. And, of course, this awkward next eight games, just trying to get our 100th win and you're trying to keep this competitive edge. All this awkwardly good stuff."

The Cubs cracked the 100-win mark Monday night for the first time since 1935 with a 12-2 drubbing of Pittsburgh and have had at least a share of first place for all but one day (April 8) this season. They've led the NL Central by double digits since early August.

That's the kind of performance that makes Maddon a runaway favorite to take home his second consecutive NL Manager of the Year Award and the fourth honor of his career, having won twice in the American League with Tampa Bay.

AL Rookie of the Year

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Michael Fulmer

The Field

• Michael Fulmer, SP, Detroit Tigers: 1-1
• Tyler Naquin, OF, Cleveland Indians: 5-1
• Edwin Diaz, RP, Seattle Mariners: 5-1
• Gary Sanchez, C, New York Yankees: 5-1

New York's Gary Sanchez continues to make a late charge, but Detroit's Michael Fulmer's latest outing—seven innings of one-run ball against Kansas City—not only vaulted him back into the ERA lead in the American League, but it also solidified his standing atop the field for AL Rookie of the Year.

That strong performance was much-needed for the 23-year-old, who had pitched to a 6.28 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over his previous five starts leading up to his tilt with the Royals.

What Sanchez has done is nothing short of remarkable. And, yes, it's true that Hall of Famer Willie McCovey won the 1959 NL Rookie of the Year Award despite playing in only 52 games (Sanchez has played in 48).

But the Tigers wouldn't be in contention without Fulmer taking the mound every fifth day. The Yankees would be non-contenders with or without Sanchez.

NL Rookie of the Year

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Corey Seager

The Field

• Corey Seager, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers: 1-9
• Aledmys Diaz, SS, St. Louis Cardinals: 97-3
• Trevor Story, SS, Colorado Rockies: 97-3
• Trea Turner, IF/OF, Washington Nationals: 97-3 

Just when it looked like legendary announcer Vin Scully's final home game at Dodger Stadium would end with a loss to Colorado, Corey Seager took matters into his own hands.

He ripped a game-tying RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh inning, robbed Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu of a hit in the top of the eighth and hit a game-tying home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings.

The Dodgers went on to win the contest—and the National League West—in the bottom of the 10th.

That kind of clutch performance is nothing new for Seager, who has been a consistent contributor in the middle of Los Angeles' lineup all season. He's an MVP contender (though he won't win that award, at least not yet) and should be a unanimous choice as the NL Rookie of the Year thanks to a .313/.371/.523 line to go with 26 home runs, 40 doubles and 72 RBI.

AL Cy Young Award

Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

Rick Porcello

The Field

• Rick Porcello, SP, Boston Red Sox: 3-1
• Zach Britton, RP, Baltimore Orioles: 5-1
• Corey Kluber, SP, Cleveland Indians: 5-1
• Justin Verlander, SP, Detroit Tigers: 8-1
• Chris Sale, SP, Chicago White Sox: 8-1
• Cole Hamels, SP, Texas Rangers: 47-3
• Jose Quintana, SP, Chicago White Sox: 47-3
• Masahiro Tanaka, SP, New York Yankees: 47-3

Zach Britton has done nothing to lose his grip on the AL Cy Young Award, but there's something about a pitcher with 20 wins that resonates with voters. In fact, four of the last five AL Cy Young Award winners each won at least 20 games, the lone exception being Corey Kluber (18 wins) in 2014.

Argue against the importance of wins all you want, but a 22-4 record, like the one Porcello touts, is hard to ignore. It doesn't hurt that he's boasting the AL's lowest WHIP among starters (0.99) and will finish with close to 200 strikeouts.

Either Britton (0.56 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 46-for-46 SV) or Kluber (18-9, 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 227 K) could still win the award, but heading into the season's final week, it looks like it's Porcello's to lose.

NL Cy Young Award

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Jose Fernandez

The Field

• Max Scherzer, SP, Washington Nationals: 3-1
• Kyle Hendricks, SP, Chicago Cubs: 6-1
• Jon Lester, SP, Chicago Cubs: 6-1
• Madison Bumgarner, SP, San Francisco Giants: 6-1
• Noah Syndergaard, SP, New York Mets: 23-2
• Jake Arrieta, SP, Chicago Cubs: 23-2
• Johnny Cueto, SP, San Francisco Giants: 23-2
• Jose Fernandez, SP, Miami Marlins: 23-2

Sadly, we'll never get the chance to see Jose Fernandez win his first Cy Young Award, among other things, as one of baseball's brightest young stars died in a tragic boating accident Sunday.

Morbid as it may sound, his untimely death might tempt voters to bump him up a spot or two as they write his name on their ballots for the final time.

But sentimentality aside, the award remains Max Scherzer's to lose. Washington's ace wasn't at his best his last time out, against Fernandez's Miami club, a game that saw him allow two home runs and three earned runs over 6.2 innings.

But it was enough for him to pick up his 18th win, which along with his 2.82 ERA and MLB-leading 0.93 WHIP and 267 strikeouts, keeps him firmly ahead of the rest of the field.

AL MVP

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Mike Trout

The Field

• Mookie Betts, OF, Boston Red Sox: 7-3
• Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros: 4-1
• Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels: 4-1
• Josh Donaldson, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays: 9-1
• Manny Machado, 3B, Baltimore Orioles: 9-1
• David Ortiz, DH, Boston Red Sox: 9-1

Mike Trout isn't concerned about things he can't control—including whether he wins his second AL MVP Award.

“I just go out there and play,” he told the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin. “I don’t read anything. I can’t control what people vote on. I’ll let you guys decide.”

There's a case to be made for Trout, who is universally accepted as the best player in baseball, to be named MVP despite playing on a lousy Los Angeles Angels squad. Some would argue that only strengthens his candidacy, as he leads the AL in runs (121), walks (112) and on-base percentage (.441) despite having a mediocre supporting cast around him.

That said, voters favor players from winning teams when it comes to handing out the game's most prestigious single-season individual award.

You have to go back to the strike-shortened 1994 campaign, when there were no official division winners, to find the last MVP to come from a non-contender. Though, to be fair, Frank Thomas and the Chicago White Sox were in first place when the season ended in August.

With that in mind, Boston's Mookie Betts, who is second in baseball with 209 hits (to Altuve's 210), jumps out to a slight lead over the rest of the field thanks to his team's first-place standing.

NL MVP

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The Field

• Kris Bryant, INF/OF, Chicago Cubs: 7-3
• Daniel Murphy, INF, Washington Nationals: 3-1
• Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies: 13-3
• Corey Seager, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers: 13-3
• Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Chicago Cubs: 37-3

Like his manager, Joe Maddon, Kris Bryant isn't content to coast through the season's final week.

“Right now as we get ready for postseason, I am just trying to stay with a good approach,” Bryant told CBS Chicago's Bruce Levine. “I am intent on not letting the numbers on scoreboard get to me.”

That's easier said than done for the 24-year-old, who is hitting .295 with 77 extra-base hits (39 home runs), 101 RBI, a .953 OPS and NL-leading 120 runs scored while playing solid defense at multiple positions, including his primary spot at third base.

His power, versatility and ability to impact the game in multiple ways keep him at the front of a talented field.

Unless otherwise noted/linked, all statistics current through Monday's games and come courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and FanGraphs.