The 2018 United Cardinal Blogger Awards
Each year, the United Cardinal Bloggers post their awards for the public to vote on. We vote on players, games, and bloggers for what they did during the season. Here is my ballot.
Public vote is here.
#1 Player of the Year
My Vote: While Molina and Martinez had moments, it was the second half surge of Carpenter that led to the Cardinals potential contention this season. Yeah, he started slow and ended rough, but there was a good month where no one could touch him.
#2 Pitcher of the Year
My Vote: Flaherty had a great full season, but tired at the end of the season. Hicks made a great debut, but being a bullpen arm limited his impact. The easy choice was Mikolas; he ended up 6th in Cy Young voting this year and had the highest WAR on the pitching staff.
#3 Game of the Year (Non-Walkoff Division)
- June 3 vs. Pirates (Michael Wacha’s almost no-hitter)
- June 22 at Brewers(Flaherty 1 hit, 13 K)
- July 15 vs. Reds (Mike Shildt’s first game)
- July 20 at Cubs (Carpenter five hits, 3 HR)
- September 16 vs. Dodgers (Adam Wainwright six scoreless innings)
My Vote: Any time a a hitter crushes the Cubs, Cardinal fans take notice. Carpenter’s July 20th game was the start of his awesome run that made him the Most Valuable Hitter of the Cardinals. The first Shildt game was good and Wainwright looking like old school Waino was awesome, but it’s hard to compare to Carp’s game.
#4 Game of the Year (Walkoff Division)
- April 26th vs. Mets (run off Familia in 10th, Dexter Fowler single in 13th)
- May 5 vs. Cubs (Kolten Wong HR in 10th)
- May 6 vs. Cubs (Fowler HR in 14th)
- August 2 vs. Rockies (Martinez single in 9th)
- August 13 vs. Nationals (Paul DeJong HR in 9th)
My Vote: May 6 vs Cubs. Back to back walk off wins against the favorite in the division; you feel good after the first but the second completely tops it.
#5 Surprise Player of the Year
- Harrison Bader
- Miles Mikolas
- Bud Norris
- Kolten Wong
My Vote: Mikolas. There were good reports coming out of Japan of his improved stuff, but I don’t think anyone saw him coming like he did. Like I already mentioned, he finished 6th in the Cy Young voting.
#6 Disappointing Player of the Year
- Dexter Fowler
- Greg Holland
- Tommy Pham
- Adam Wainwright
My Vote: It would have to be Holland, although I don’t think he’s to blame. He was the guy everyone wanted during the off-season, but they rushed him to the Majors after missing all of Spring Training. The Nationals saw the real version of the pitcher.
#7 Rookie of the Year
- Harrison Bader
- Jack Flaherty
- Jordan Hicks
- Yairo Munoz
- Tyler O’Neill
My Vote: Bader had amazing defense, but I think Flaherty gets the honors here. He was easily the #2 starter for the club, even when fading down the stretch. He’s got a special future ahead of him.
#8 Acquisition of the Year
- Miles Mikolas
- Yairo Munoz
- Bud Norris
- Marcell Ozuna
- Chasen Shreve
My Vote: Mikolas should win any award he’s nominated for in these awards. He signed a very affordable deal and was probably the best value player for the team.
#9 Most Anticipated Cardinal
My Vote: Prior to the draft, Helsley would have been the pick; but drafting Gorman and the amazing start to his career shot him up the team prospect ranking. He’ll easily be in the top 10 of my list.
#10 Individual Blog of the Year (blog written by mainly one person)
- Baseball Geek in Galveston
- C70 At The Bat
- Cardinal Red Baseball
- CardinalsGM
- MLB Voice
- RetroSimba
- View from the Cheap Seats
- Women Who Love Cardinal Baseball
My Vote: While I read C70 often, I really like the content of RetroSimba. I love baseball history and the Cardinals, so it was fun read about the team before I started following it.
#11 Team Blog of the Year (blog written by multiple writers)
- Bird Law
- Birds on the Black
- Cardsblog
- Redbirds Nest in Korea
- Redbird Rants
- STL Hat Trick
- Viva El Birdos
My Vote: Viva El Birdos is probably my favorite Cardinal blog out there. It’s smart and funny and everything I look for in writing.
#12 Best Media Coverage
- Derrick Goold
- Benjamin Hochman
- Jenifer Langosch
- Bernie Miklasz
- Rob Rains
- Mark Saxon
- Joe Trezza
My Vote: Goold is probably the smartest writer in St. Louis and possibly baseball. He’s a good mixture of stats and scouting.
#13 Post of the Year
- “Hey ESPN, Why Won’t You Talk About the Cards?“, Diane Schultz, Women Who Love Cardinal Baseball
- “Hometown Jerry Reuss Dreams of MLB“, Joe McBrayer, Cardinal Red Baseball
- “The NL Central Road No Longer Goes Through St. Louis“, Daniel Shoptaw, C70 At The Bat
- “Red Schoendienst: The Consummate Cardinal“, Brian Swope, STL Hat Trick
- “A Tribute to a Cardinal Legend“, Chuck Brownson, Me and Willie McGee
My Vote: Swope’s Red Tribute was one of my favorite baseball articles I read this past season. I highly recommend it.
#14 Best UCB Podcast
- 11th Inning Stretch
- Bird Law
- Bird Seeds (video)
- Cardinals Nation 24/7
- Gateway to Baseball Heaven
- Meet Me at Musial
- Prospect to be Named Later
My Vote: Unfortunately for those listed, I only listen to one of these podcasts: Meet Me at Musial. Not only is it Cardinals related, they also have Star Wars podcasts.
#15 Best Non-UCB Podcast
- 243 Podcast
- Best Podcast in Baseball
- Cubs Cards Cast
- Seeing Red
- Scoops with Danny Mac
- St. Louis Cardinals Extras (MLB.com)
- Team of Rivals Podcast
- Two Birds on a Bat
- Viva El Birdos
My Vote: Again, the only one I listen to here is the St. Louis Cardinals Extras.
#16 Best Podcaster
My Vote: Since my Cardinal podcasting is limited, I’m going with Daniel Shoptaw.
#17 Best Fan/Media Hybrid
- Dan Buffa
- Jeff Jones
- Brenden Schaeffer
- Joe Schwarz
My Vote: I love me some Buffa. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he’s very passionate about STL sports.
#18 Best Social Media Game
- #bombsaway
- The Cardinal Six
My Vote: The Cardinals Six
Don’t forget to vote. Unfortunately the cut off is today, so do it quickly.
