Clint Hurdle, Andrew McCutchen named awards finalists

Clint Hurdle has been named a finalist for NL Manager of the Year, along with Don Mattingly and Fredi Gonzalez. It would have been beyond shocking if Hurdle hadn't been named a finalist, obviously, and it will be pretty surprising if he doesn't win it outright. And as much as he makes us tear our hair out sometimes, I'd say he deserves it. Hurdle being on board with the Pirates' defensive shifts was a big reason for the Bucs' success this year, and there were long stretches this season where there weren't many tactical shenanigans at all. Hurdle got involved when he needed to, and stayed out of the way when he didn't. And his team won 94 games, despite being projected to win about 15 fewer than that. That's a great season for a manager.

In other obvious news, Andrew McCutchen has been named an MVP finalist, along with Paul Goldschmidt and Yadier Molina. This should be an even easier call than Hurdle's award.