Four awards, three teams.The finalists for National League MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year all come from just three clubs. ESPN.coms team reporters -- Jesse Rogers (Chicago Cubs), Doug Padilla (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Eddie Matz (Washington Nationals) -- make each contenders case.MVPKris Bryant, Cubs: The case for Bryant is simple: He was arguably the best offensive player on the best team in the game. Plus, he played more than adequate defense in both the infield and outfield. He did everything well in 2016 including running the bases. He was third in the NL in home runs, sixth in RBIs, 19th in batting average and fourth in OPS. But in this particular case, wins above replacement might tell his story best. He led the league with a 7.7 mark and was the only NL player in the top 10 in that category. -- RogersDaniel Murphy, Nationals: If the MVP were based solely on offense, then itd be hard not to give it to Murphy. In his first year in D.C., he led the NL in slugging (.595) and OPS (.985), yet somehow managed to finish with the second-lowest strikeout rate (9.8 percent). In other words, he almost never had a bad at-bat. But it was a different story in the field, where Murphy accounted for minus-nine runs saved, worst among NL second basemen. -- MatzCorey Seager, Dodgers: Robust offensive production and solid defense, all at the premium position of shortstop, put Seager among the top performers in the National League. That it all took place in his first full season in the majors made Seagers output that much more impressive. Seager was the Dodgers steadiest offensive performer during a division-title winning season, batting .308 with an .877 OPS while hitting 26 home runs. And much of that production came out of the No. 2 hole, marking yet another challenge for the 22-year-old. In perhaps the biggest sign of just how steady Seager was this season, the left-handed hitter had 17 regular-season games of three hits or more, collecting at least one in each month, and then had one more during the playoffs. -- PadillaCy YoungKyle Hendricks, Cubs: Some might find his major league leading 2.13 ERA deceiving since he pitched in front of the best defense in baseball, but when you consider he gave up the lightest contact, maybe it was the defense which benefited from him and not the other way around. His consistency since early May sets him apart from the other two candidates who both had stinkers along the way. Not Hendricks, who gave up four earned runs just once after May 17. That happened in his final start after the ERA title -- and the Cubs division title -- was locked up. His case rests on that consistency and minuscule ERA. -- RogersJon Lester, Cubs: The difference between Lester and Hendricks comes down to reliance. Joe Maddon trusted Lester in the biggest of moments as evidenced by him starting Game 1 in each postseason round and relieving Hendricks in Game 7. But this is a regular-season award, and in the second half there was no one better in baseball in limiting damage than Lester. He was 10-1 with a 1.76 ERA after the All-Star break, stranding runners in scoring position at an amazing rate. Some may call that luck, but that was simply making the right pitch at the right time. Overall, his 19 wins ranked second in the NL, as did his ERA, while his WHIP ranked third and batting average against fourth. -- RogersMax Scherzer, Nationals: It has been nearly 20 years since an NL Cy Young winner allowed at least 30 home runs (Randy Johnson, 1999). This season, Scherzer served up 31 gopher balls, tied for most in the NL. Despite that, the 2013 AL Cy Young winner should become the sixth pitcher to win the award in both leagues because A) he led the majors in WHIP and whiffs (his 284 Ks were only 83 fewer than Hendricks and Lester combined), B) he led the NL in innings, and C) he was the NLs only 20-game winner. With that kind of dominance, voters should have no problem looking past the long balls. -- MatzRookie of the YearKenta Maeda, Dodgers: Taking away the Rookie of the Year award from teammate Seager will prove to be a difficult task, but Maeda still provided huge benefits for the Dodgers in his debut season. Perhaps no major leaguer was tasked with a greater challenge than Maeda, who had to replace Zack Greinke as the Dodgers primary right-handed starter. A former ace in Japan, he proved himself here with 16 victories, a 3.48 ERA and a 1.139 WHIP. With the Arizona Diamondbacks, Greinke had 13 victories, a 4.37 ERA and a 1.273 WHIP. -- PadillaCorey Seager, Dodgers: The fact that Seager is also in the MVP hunt should end any argument over his rookie award worthiness. For those still not convinced: In his rookie year, Seager was second in the NL in hits with 193 and fifth in runs at 105. Thats not just among rookies, that is among all NL players this past season. No other NL rookie was within 63 hits of Seager or closer than 34 runs. And Seagers 321 total bases were fourth overall in the NL, with no other rookie coming within 110 of him. Seagers 26 home runs were also a record for a Dodgers shortstop in a single season. -- PadillaTrea Turner, Nationals: Of the 28 NL players who finished with a WAR of at least 3.5, all but one of them played at least 130 games. That one? Turner, who appeared in just 73 contests. Project that value over the 157 games that Corey Seager played, and you get a WAR of 7.5 that wouldve been well above Seagers 6.1 and second only to Bryant in the NL. In other words, if Turner -- who hit .342 with 13 homers and 33 steals in less than half a season -- had been in the show back in April, the ROY race wouldve been a humdinger. -- MatzManager of the YearDusty Baker, Nationals: The case for Baker joining Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa as baseballs only four-time MOY winners is a strong one. The 67-year-old skipper took over a Nationals squad that disappointed in 2015 (83-79) and transformed them into a 95-game winner that cruised to the NL East title. And he did it despite a historically huge drop-off from reigning MVP Bryce Harper and an injury-plagued season from All-Star hurler Stephen Strasburg. Baker also deserves credit for getting the most out of a bullpen that didnt look great on paper but finished with a 3.37 ERA, second-lowest in the majors. -- MatzJoe Maddon, Cubs: Maddons task was different in 2016 from 2015 when he won the award. This time around, he had to deal with high expectations for a franchise which hadnt won a championship in 108 years. Thats a challenging combination, but Maddon navigated through it, beginning with the idea of embracing the pressure instead of deflecting it. And once again he set the tone for young players like Javier Baez and Willson Contreras to succeed. Both play the game with some flair, which can lead to mistakes. Instead of coaching that out of them, Maddon tried to harness it. His handling of the Cubs only slump, right before the All-Star break, was a a testament to staying the course. Rest, not table-turning, was needed. The Cubs got some at the All-Star break and took off again. -- RogersDave Roberts, Dodgers: Joe Maddons Cubs won the World Series, but the Manager of the Year award was based on the regular season, giving Roberts solid footing for the honor. Roberts oversaew a roster that had 28 different players hit the disabled list and 15 different pitchers start games. Roberts team even managed to gain ground on first place while ace Clayton Kershaw was on the disabled list. And he became just the second Dodgers rookie manager to guide the club into the postseason after Tommy Lasorda in 1977. Roberts best work, though, might have come in managing a bullpen that had just one pitcher in a set role all season in closer Kenley Jansen. Dodgers relievers might have led baseball with 590 2/3 innings, but they still managed to post the best ERA in the game at a collective 3.35. -- Padilla Colorado Avalanche Shirts . PETERSBURG, Fla. Avalanche Jerseys 2021 . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Colorado Avalanche Store .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Fake Avalanche Jerseys . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No.LYON, France -- Italian cyclist Matteo Trentin timed his finish perfectly to win the hilly 14th stage of the Tour de France, while Chris Froome preserved his overall lead by staying in the pack on Saturday. Froome and the other main contenders were more than seven minutes back when Trentin crossed the line in Lyon to become the first Italian to win a stage this year. Froome managed not to lose any more time to his main rival Alberto Contador ahead of Sundays daunting 21-kilometre ascent of Mont Ventoux -- one of cyclings toughest climbs, where Britains Tom Simpson collapsed and died during the 1967 Tour. "Im concentrating on the GC (overall classification), but of course it would be great to win tomorrow," Froome said. "In cycling terms it would be like a dream come true." Froome, the Tour favourite, lost more than a minute to Contador, the two-time former champion, and Dutchman Bauke Mollema in Fridays incident-packed sprint stage. This time, he thanked his teammates for keeping him out of danger on the 191-kilometre leg from the winemaking town of Saint-Pourcain-sur-Sioule in central France to the east-central city of Lyon, one of the gourmet capitals of France and home to the seven-time French football champion. "My teammates controlled the stage and did a great job," Froome said. "Just keeping an eye on things." Froome remains 2:28 ahead of Mollema, considered an outsider, and 2:45 clear of Contador, the 2007 and 09 champion who was stripped of his 2010 title for doping. "A lot of people have reason to attack now," Froome said. "A lot of people spent energy in the last couple of days, so it will be an interesting one." Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria is the top Canadian in 55th place. David Veilleux of Cap-Rouge, Que., is 137th, while Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., is 178th. Meanwhile, Trentin was overjoyed with his first stage win in a major race. "I knew that if I started from 200 metres I could win," he said. "For sure a win in the Tour, this means something. I want to enjoy this because the next days are going to be hard." As they contested the sprint outside Stade Gerland foootball stadium,Trentin surged from the back to beat Swiss rider Michael Albasini by half a wheel.dddddddddddd American Andrew Talansky was third. It was the second straight stage win -- and third in the last four -- for the Omega Pharma QuickStep team after Mark Cavendish won on Friday and Tony Martin clinched Wednesdays time trial. "To be part of this team is incredible," Trentin said. "When I won the stage all my teammates came to say Congratulations." The first three were followed seven minutes 17 seconds later by the heaving mass of riders in the peloton, with Froomes Sky and Alberto Contadors Saxo-Tinkoff teams forming a shield around their star riders. An 18-man breakaway set off early, with Jens Voigt, Jan Bakelants and British rider David Millar driving it hard to get Garmin-Sharp teammate Talansky -- the groups highest-placed rider in the general classification -- in a good position. Voigts first Tour was in 1998 and Saturdays was his 303rd day of racing in the showcase race in his 16th Tour. "To be honest, five years too many," Voigt said when asked why he couldnt last. "Im 41, thats nature." The yellow jersey group was about five minutes behind when the front-runners had all completed the second Category 3 climb. Those two were the biggest ones of the day but only moderate ascents compared to what awaits the riders on Sunday. Millar calls the Ventoux climb "horrible" and Polish rider Michal Kwiatkowski is dreading it. "Its such a legendary mountain that Im a little bit scared about it," said Kwiatkowski, seventh overall but nearly five minutes behind Froome. Sunday is Bastille Day. Judging by the thousands of people who turned out on the roadside to cheer on Saturday, the atmosphere up Ventoux promises to be electric. Froomes Sky teammates have clearly struggled in two stages so far -- in the Pyrenees in Stage 9 and Fridays flat stage -- and he needs them to be at their best to repel any attacks from Contador so he can relax on Mondays rest day -- the second of the race. "My focus is going to be on keeping yellow, preserving the advantage I have," Froome said. ' ' '
