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How this works
Firstly, here is the complete list of winners since we started these in 2006. We'll be running one category a week for the next seven weeks, which should take us into the first week of February, when it'll almost be time for pitchers and catchers to report! So, that's nice. Here is the schedule:
- Week 1: Play of the Year
- Week 2: Game of the Year
- Week 3: Single-game Performance of the Year
- Week 4: Rookie of the Year
- Week 5: Unsung Hero
- Week 6: Pitcher of the Year
- Week 7: Most Valuable Player
For each, the pattern will be the same. Tuesday will be an open call for nominations - I'll offer some suggestions to get you going, but these are not etched in stone. So feel free to offer any suggestions in the comments - the number of "recs" received by suggestions will be a major factor in deciding which, if any, make the final list of nominees. That will then be posted on Thursday morning, with accompanying video as appropriate. There will then be a two-day window for voting, with the winner being anointed on Saturday morning. Rinse, repeat the following week, for the next category.
Play of the Year nominations
In this case, we've been through many of the plausible contenders previously, when we were doing voting for the SB Nation awards last month. Those were split up into two categories - Offensive and Defensive Play - which we won't do, but I think that offers a nice pre-qualifier as far as the AZ SnakePit awards are concerned On the hitting side, Jake Lamb's slam against the Rockies, representing his first career home-run, was the winner with 37% of the vote, with Paul Goldschmidt's walk-off double, which turned a deficit into victory against the Marlins, as runner-up. Between them, those two claimed 57% of the votes, so I think they may deserve to make it.
On the defensive side, there were three possible contenders. Chris Owings' diving catch in foul territory topped the poll at 33%, but there was little or nothing between the second- and third-placed plays, with only one vote separating them. On 26%, we had Didi Gregorius' throw from deep in the shortstop hole, and on 24% was A.J. Pollock's double-grab as he bounced off the outfield wall. If only two of those make it, I may end up having to make an executive decision, and that might be to drop Didi - nothing personal, but the prospect of a now-Yankee potentially winning one of our awards.... Well, let's hope we don't go there, shall we?
However, I am open to other suggestions. There is one play which I think probably will need to be included beyond that - David Peralta's steal of home, the first by a Diamondback since Chris Young in 2007 [and that was a double-steal, with Orlando Hudson taking second - Peralta's was a straight steal of home]. But were there any other moments that you think deserve attention? Maybe Oliver Perez striking out his fourth hitter in an inning? I'm open to suggestions, regardless of where on the diamond they may have appeared.
As usual, recs will be used to determine the popular appear of candidates, but note this is not a thread to discuss the merits of mentioned nominees, but to see if there are others which were not listed. There'll be a full discussion thread on Thursday, when the poll goes up!