2013 MLB Award Predictions Have Hardware Going to Stephen Strasburg, Joey Votto, Terry Francona (Photos)

by Ricky Doyle

The ultimate goal in baseball is to win the World Series. A little extra hardware doesn’t hurt, though.

Last season saw one of the tightest and most debated MVP races in recent history, with baseball enthusiasts going toe-to-toe over whether Mike Trout or Miguel Cabrera deserved the honor in the America League. Cabrera, who ultimately won the award, had the benefit of baseball’s first Triple Crown since 1967, but many considered Trout to be more valuable for a number of reasons, including how he looked from a sabermetric standpoint.

Trout and Cabrera are the front-runners to compete for the award again this season, but who will join them? Robinson Cano? Jose Bautista? Albert Pujols?

There are a number of names being tossed around, and that’s usually the case. Each season, we’re presented with the opportunity to make award predictions, only to then realize we have no idea what’s going to happen until the games start up for real. But hey, that’s the best part. Who doesn’t like to be wrong?

In any event, I’ve taken a stab at this year’s awards. Some picks were more difficult to make than others, and I’ll likely be kicking myself at the end of the year, but here goes nothing.