My 2012 IBWAA awards ballot: Trout, Braun, Hernandez, Kershaw and more

Now that award season is officially over, it's time to reveal my ballots for the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.

American League

Most Valuable Player
1. Mike Trout, Anaheim
2. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
3. Adrian Beltre, Texas
4. Josh Hamilton, Texas
5. Robinson Cano, New York
6. Austin Jackson, Detroit
7. Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay
8. Adam Jones, Baltimore
9. Justin Verlander, Detroit
10. Alex Gordon, Kansas City
- Only two players were truly worthy, but I chose Trout over Cabrera in this situation. Despite Cabrera's fantastic season, Trout's season was just as amazing, plus he has the clear edge in baserunning and defense.

Cy Young
1. Felix Hernandez, Seattle
2. Justin Verlander, Detroit
3. David Price, Tampa Bay
4. Chris Sale, Chicago
5. Jered Weaver, Anaheim
- I'm surprised Hernandez got such little play for the award. He led the American League in shutouts and home runs per nine innings. I have no problem with Price winning it, as all three were deserving.

Rookie of the Year
1. Mike Trout, Anaheim
2. Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland
3. Yu Darvish, Texas
- This was a no-brainer. If not, it would have been an interesting race between Cespedes and Darvish.

Manager of the Year
1. Buck Showalter, Baltimore
2. Bob Melvin, Oakland
3. Robin Ventura, Chicago
- This one I almost literally flipped a coin. While the IBWAA chose Showalter, the BBWA chose Melvin.

National League

Most Valuable Player
1. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee
2. Buster Posey, San Francisco
3. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh
4. Yadier Molina, St. Louis
5. Chase Headley, San Diego
6. Ryan Zimmerman, Washington
7. David Wright, New York
8. Aaron Hill, Arizona
9. Ian Desmond, Washington
10. Jason Heyward, Atlanta
- Braun was better in a lot of categories this season than he was last season when he beat out Matt Kemp for the award. While Posey had a fantastic season, Braun's pure numbers gave him the edge in my book.

Cy Young
1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles
2. Gio Gonzalez, Washington
3. R.A. Dickey, New York
4. Stephen Strasburg, Washington
5. Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati
- I knew Kershaw wouldn't win, but I felt he was the best pitcher in the NL all season. I think I overlooked Dickey's amazing season and voted Gonzalez ahead of him. But Gonzalez had a great season as well.

Rookie of the Year
1. Wade Miley, Arizona
2. Bryce Harper, Washington
3. Mike Fiers, Milwaukee
- Harper had the hype and finished the season on a strong note, but I voted for Miley because he was consistently good up until a rough September.

Manager of the Year
1. Davey Johnson, Washington
2. Mike Matheny, St. Louis
3. Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh
- A lot of folks jumped on the Nats' bandwagon last year as the "breakout" team. It turned out they were a year too early. Johnson did a good job managing the team and it should be a power for years to come.

Photo credits

Trout: Keith Allison, Flickr

Kershaw: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue