Mets up for 10 postseason Esurance MLB Awards
Already well-represented among the Esurance MLB Awards nominees, the Mets added 10 more candidates to the mix as they marched through the postseason and made it to their first World Series in 15 years.
Three Mets are under consideration to be named the Best Major Leaguer, Postseason. Second baseman Daniel Murphy leads the way, of course, having set a new Major League record with a home run in six straight postseason games.
Murphy, the National League Championship Series MVP, led all hitters in the postseason with seven homers. He went deep against the best of the best, hitting homers against Clayton Kershaw (twice), Zack Greinke, Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester.
Murphy is joined by Jacob deGrom and Curtis Granderson. deGrom picked up three wins while posting a 2.88 ERA and racking up 29 strikeouts in the playoffs. Granderson hit .283 with an .866 OPS, reaching base safely in all 14 postseason games and tying the Mets' single-postseason record with 12 RBIs.
Noah Syndergaard's up-and-in first pitch to Alcides Escobar in Game 3 of the World Series, one of the most highly debated subjects of the postseason, is a Best Trending Topic nominee.
Video: 2015 MLB Awards: Best Trending Topic - Syndergaard
Speaking of trending topics, the Mets have a tweet nominated for the year's Best Social Media Post. Yoenis Cespedes went deep in Game 3 of the NL Division Series, crushing a 431-foot homer. The Mets promptly tweeted a photo of comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock, stunned by Cespedes' power.
deGrom is no comedian, but he proved to be a prankster in the Mets' nominee for Best MLB Interview. After the Mets' NLDS Game 1 win over the Dodgers, deGrom "adjusted" Murphy's swivel chair behind a table at their news conference, surprising his teammate in front of a crowd of reporters.
Video: 2015 MLB Awards: Best MLB Interview - deGrom, Murphy
After winning that series against the Dodgers in Game 5, manager Terry Collins gathered with fans down the line at Dodger Stadium to celebrate. He hugged and high-fived fans, but one fan took it a step further by kissing Collins, earning a nomination for Best Player-Fan Interaction in the process.
Jimmy Kimmel joins the long list of Mets faithful in the Best Celebrity Fan category. Kimmel, a Brooklyn native, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field before NLCS Game 2 and hosted a number of Mets on his talk show after they clinched the NL pennant.
Mets radio broadcaster Josh Lewin earned a nomination for Best Call, Radio, with his account of Granderson's go-ahead homer in the third inning of Game 3 of the World Series.
Meanwhile, Murphy's historic October at the plate prompted another MLB nominee for Best Call, TV. When Murphy homered in a record-setting sixth straight postseason game, TBS broadcasters Ernie Johnson and Ron Darling represented the fans' collective astonishment. "Who writes this stuff?" Johnson asked.
Video: 2015 MLB Awards: Best TV Call - Murphy
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.