MLB has announced the candidates for the 2016 esurance MLB Awards. MLB and esurance has given fans an opportunity to vote on their favorites from a number of categories with the fan vote accounting for 20% of the decision making in giving out the award. With the Mets having a roller coaster of a year that saw them rally from two games under .500 in August to returning to the postseason for a second straight year, the Mets were prominently featured in this year’s ballot:
Best Social Media Personality – Noah Syndergaard
If you are on Twitter, you are following Syndergaard not just because he is the Mets ace, but also because of his ongoing feud with beloved Mets mascot Mr. Met:
Notice who wasn’t invited to our water fountain frolic…..@MrMet #NOTfriendshttps://t.co/5LyAT7PNzK
— Noah Syndergaard (@Noahsyndergaard) September 7, 2016
There is also the witty comment he makes after a Mets win, and he usually likes to chide his teammates:
I told Grandy it was past Bartolo's bedtime and then that happened….what a teammate! #LGM
— Noah Syndergaard (@Noahsyndergaard) September 18, 2016
Overall, Syndergaard deserves this award because he truly does get it:
Baseball has a way of ripping your ❤️ out, stabbing it, putting it back in your chest, then healing itself just in time for Spring Training.
— Noah Syndergaard (@Noahsyndergaard) October 6, 2016
Best Play Offense – Asdrubal Cabrera
As the Mets were fighting tooth and nail to try to return to the postseason, it was Cabrera who got insanely hot and lead them to the promise land. After coming off the disabled list on August 19th, he went on a tear hitting .345/.406/.635 with 11 doubles, one triple, 10 homers, and 29 RBI. His biggest homer and RBI came on a walk-off home run against the Phillies on September 22nd:
If Cabrera didn’t deserve the award for the magnitude of that home run, he certainly did for the epic bat flip.
Best Social Media Post – Noah Syndergaard
Among the many reasons Syndergaard is a beloved social media figure is his embracing the Thor moniker. For those that are not aware, Thor is the Norse god of thunder. It is why Syndergaard would immediately have to go onto Twitter to defend himself:
Dear Empire State Building: Wasn’t me (For liability purposes only) pic.twitter.com/OJvxm5s32B
— Noah Syndergaard (@Noahsyndergaard) July 26, 2016
Best Performance – Noah Syndergaard
If you recall, Syndergaard’s last appearance against the Dodgers in 2015 was in the seventh inning. He came out throwing over 100 MPH to record a hold and hand the ball to Jeurys Familia to close out the series victory. His May 11th start against the Dodgers this year might’ve been even more impressive than that as he dominated the Dodgers on the mound and at the plate:
On the mound, Syndergaard pitched eight innings allowing just two earned with six strikeouts. At the plate, he was was the whole of the Mets offense in a 4-2 win going 2-4 with two runs, two homers, and four RBI. There is no one in baseball that dominated a game from both the mound and the plate this season.
Best Call TV/Radio – Gary Cohen & Ron Darling
No one, and I mean no one, ever believed that Bartolo Colon was ever going to hit a home run in a game. On May 7th, Colon did the impossible hitting a James Shield pitch over the left field wall. Everyone was bemused and incredulous. As usual, the Mets booth, led by future Hall of Famer Gary Cohen, perfectly captured the moment:
I’m not sure what was better, Gary’s voice cracking or Darling cracking, “I want to say that is one of the longest home run trots I’ve ever seen, but I think that’s how fast he runs.” Either way, a call doesn’t get better than that.
Best Trending Topic – Bartolo Colon Home Run
Simply everyone was talking about it, and everyone was tweeting about it:
Big Sexy! Bartolo Colon Launches First MLB Home Run! https://t.co/GpA43Xn99h #Mets
— Metsmerized Online (@MetsMerized) May 8, 2016
Bartolo Colon Homered?!?!?! https://t.co/zVE0pCuUSz pic.twitter.com/uE20XrzZTu
— Mets Daddy (@MetsDaddy2013) May 8, 2016
Honestly, I don’t know how people don’t bring it up each and every day as with all due respect to Mike Eruzione it is proof that miracles do happen.
Voting for these awards ends on November 11th at 2:00 P.M. As there is no limit on the amount of votes cast, please make sure you go out and vote for your favorite Mets early and often.
Editor’s Note: this was first published on Mets Merized Online.