Cards nominated for 7 MLB Esurance Awards
ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals, with the latest rollout of 2015 Esurance MLB Awards categories, had three more representatives emerge as nominees for various honors.
General manager John Mozeliak and manager Mike Matheny were among the finalists selected for Best Executive and Best Manager, respectively, after guiding the Cardinals to a 100-win season and third straight division title. Also joining the list of award nominees is Karlie Kloss, landing in the Best Celebrity Fan category. Kloss, a supermodel and close friend to Taylor Swift, threw out the first pitch at a Cardinals game in May.
Jaime Garcia (Best Bounceback Player), Carlos Martinez (Best Breakout Player), Yadier Molina (Best Defensive Player) and Randal Grichuk (Best Rookie) had previously been revealed as award finalists.
After opening the year on the disabled list, Garcia returned in May to help anchor a Cardinals rotation sans Adam Wainwright. In 20 starts, Garcia had a 2.43 ERA. Having already undergone separate surgeries to repair his elbow and his shoulder, Garcia entered this season coming off thoracic outlet surgery.
Video: MIL@STL: Garcia fans eight to earn the win
Molina became the Majors' first catcher to log 1,000 innings this season, and was on pace to set a career high in starts behind the plate until a Sept. 20 thumb injury. He hasn't lost his Gold Glove touch, either, as he threw out 41 percent of attempted basestealers through the team's first 147 games. Molina has also helped the pitching staff to the Majors' lowest ERA.
Video: STL@SF: Molina plates two runs on a single to right
Martinez, who won a rotation job in Spring Training, has done nothing to lose it. He became the St. Louis' second starter to reach the 10-win threshold, and, before being shut down late due to shoulder stiffness, helped the Cardinals to a 22-7 record in games he started.
Video: STL@CHC: Martinez strikes out six over 6 2/3
After being traded to St. Louis in November 2013, Grichuk, a former first-round pick by the Angels, made his Major League debut for the Cardinals in '14. This year, he stepped into an everyday role as the Cardinals dealt with injuries to various outfielders. Grichuk led the team in slugging percentage (.548) and OPS (.877).
In his fourth year as manager, Matheny helped his club to its first 100-win season since 2005 and a third straight division title. Mozeliak helped construct a roster that advanced the Cards to a franchise-record fifth-straight postseason.
The Esurance MLB Awards annually honor Major League Baseball's greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process that includes five components, each of which accounts for 20 percent of the overall vote: media, front-office personnel, retired MLB players, fans at MLB.com and Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) voters.
Individual awards will go to the Best Major Leaguer in addition to the winners in the following categories: The Best Everyday Player, Starting Pitcher, Rookie, Defensive Player, Breakout Player, Bounceback Player, Manager, Executive, Social Media Personality and postseason performer.
Winners will also be recognized for the year's best offensive play, defensive play, Moment, single-game performance, Social Media Post, Celebrity Fan, Fan Catch, Interview, TV call, radio call, Player-Fan Interaction, Video Board Moment and Trending Topic.
Voting will remain open through Nov. 13 by visiting mlb.com/awards. Winners will be announced live on MLB Network and MLB.com on Nov. 20.