Cubs nominated for 3 postseason MLB Awards

Playing October baseball for the first time in seven years, the young Cubs created a number of indelible memories during their postseason run to the National League Championship Series.

While those players, games and moments will live on in Cubs fans' minds this winter, they have a chance to further cement their legacy with some hardware, as the Cubs have three postseason Esurance MLB Awards nominees.

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First up is slugger Kyle Schwarber, up for consideration as the Best Major Leaguer, Postseason. Schwarber was part of the Cubs' impressive, impactful rookie class, a group that also included third baseman Kris Bryant, shortstop Addison Russell and outfielder Jorge Soler.

But Schwarber shined brightest in the postseason spotlight. The 22-year-old batted .333 with a 1.038 OPS in nine postseason games, smacking five homers and driving in eight runs.

Schwarber hit two of the three longest home runs of the postseason, according to Statcast™, and became the Cubs' all-time leader for playoff homers.

He went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs in the Cubs' Wild Card Game win over the Pirates at PNC Park. He followed that up by batting .500 with two homers as the Cubs brushed past the Cardinals in a four-game NL Division Series victory.

One of Schwarber's mammoth homers is up for an award of its own. His moonshot blast in NLDS Game 4 is nominated for the Best Play, Offense. The towering shot reached a maximum height of 136 feet, according to Statcast™, and landed on top of Wrigley Field's right-field video board. The ball remained there throughout the postseason, enshrined in plexiglass.

Video: STL@CHC Gm4: Schwarber blasts 419-foot homer

The play surely delighted Pearl Jam frontman and noted Cubs fan Eddie Vedder, who's a nominee in the Best Celebrity Fan category. The native of Illinois showed up at several Cubs postseason games, including the Wild Card Game in Pittsburgh.

Video: NLCS Gm4: Vedder sings during 7th-inning stretch

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.

• Bryant, Arrieta and Rizzo also nominated

Individual awards will go to the Best Major Leaguer in addition to the winners in the following categories: 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 at mlb.com/awards. Winners will be announced live on MLB Network and MLB.com on Nov. 20.