Baseball fans have been treated to a smorgasbord of big moments in 2017 -- including a walk-off cycle and a walk-off grand slam; not one, but two four-homer performances; a single no-hitter; and a plethora of nearly impossible catches.
The annual Esurance MLB Awards recognize highlights like these as well as the players who have left crowds spellbound this season. Voting is underway at MLB.com/awards. The first phase of the process begins with seven categories: Personality of the Year; Best Defensive Player; Best Play, Offense; Best Play, Defense; Best Performance; Best Fan Catch; and Best Player-Fan Interaction.
Fans will cast ballots on 15 voting categories in all, so make your selections for the first seven now and be on the lookout for the rest following the World Series. Those remaining eight categories will include Best Major Leaguer; Best Pitcher; Best Rookie; Best Manager; Best Executive; Best Call: TV/Radio; Best Major Leaguer, Postseason; and Best Postseason Moment.
The Esurance MLB Awards annually honor MLB's greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process that includes five groups, 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) members.
The MLB Awards are an all-inclusive program, encompassing the top players and performances from both the American and National Leagues from Opening Day through the end of the postseason.
Since MLB Awards confer the prestige of earning recognition from fans and industry insiders alike, players eagerly anticipate the results of balloting. Michael Trout, David Ortiz, Anthony Rizzo, Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager and Rajai Davis were among last year's honorees who accepted their trophies in person or live on the MLB Awards winners' program.
"It was a moment that I'll never forget," Davis said at last year's indigo-carpet reception in New York, after winning the award for Best Postseason Moment.
Which players and moments will be most worthy of garnering the hardware this year? You can join Hall of Famers, team general managers and broadcast-booth legends in helping to answer those questions. The process begins now -- with 35 initial nominees and some tough choices to make.
Voting for the MLB Awards will remain open until 2 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 13 by visiting MLB.com/awards. Winners will be announced live on MLB Network and MLB.com on Friday, Nov. 17.