This Year in Baseball Awards
Encyclopedia
This Year in Baseball Awards, initiated by Major League Baseball
in , are honors given annually to the most extraordinary baseball performances, players, and managers. Baseball fans select the nominees for and winners of the awards, via the online voting system on MLB.com
, the official website of Major League Baseball. Over thirteen million fans voted in 2010.
In 2010, MLB began referring to the awards as the "GIBBY Awards" (Greatness in Baseball Yearly).
In the first year, there were six categories of awards: Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year (including starters and closers, but not setup men), Setup Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Play of the Year, and Blooper of the Year.
In , three new awards were added: Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Individual Performance of the Year. The Blooper of the Year was renamed Bizarre Play of the Year.
In , one category was added: Closer of the Year. Three categories were re-named: Starting Pitcher of the Year (formerly Pitcher of the Year), Hitter of the Year (formerly Player of the Year), and Blooper of the Year (its original name, instead of Bizarre Play of the Year).
In 2007, two new categories were added (for a total of 12): Moment of the Year and Postseason Moment of the Year.
In 2008, a 13th category was added: Executive of the Year. The Blooper of the Year was renamed Oddity of the Year. The Performance of the Year was renamed Single-Game Performance of the Year.
In 2009, a 14th category was added: Unsung Star of the Year. The Single-Game Performance of the Year was changed back to Performance of the Year.
In 2010, five new categories were added (for a total of 19): Breakout Player of the Year, Dependable Player of the Year, Postseason MVP, Game of the Year, and Fan Moment of the Year. Two categories were re-named: Player of the Year (its original name, instead of Hitter of the Year) and X-Factor Player of the Year (formerly Unsung Star of the Year).
In 2011, one category was dropped: Dependable Player of the Year. It was replaced by a new category: Comeback Player of the Year. Two categories were re-named: Wow Factor of the Year (formerly X-Factor Player of the Year) and Walk-Off of the Year (formerly Game of the Year).
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
in , are honors given annually to the most extraordinary baseball performances, players, and managers. Baseball fans select the nominees for and winners of the awards, via the online voting system on MLB.com
MLB.com
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. . MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports columns...
, the official website of Major League Baseball. Over thirteen million fans voted in 2010.
In 2010, MLB began referring to the awards as the "GIBBY Awards" (Greatness in Baseball Yearly).
System
In the online program, fans can begin by choosing their five favorite nominees for each award. After the nomination, fans can select the most significant of the five chosen in every award. The one that receives the most votes is chosen as the winner for the award.In the first year, there were six categories of awards: Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year (including starters and closers, but not setup men), Setup Man of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Play of the Year, and Blooper of the Year.
In , three new awards were added: Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Individual Performance of the Year. The Blooper of the Year was renamed Bizarre Play of the Year.
In , one category was added: Closer of the Year. Three categories were re-named: Starting Pitcher of the Year (formerly Pitcher of the Year), Hitter of the Year (formerly Player of the Year), and Blooper of the Year (its original name, instead of Bizarre Play of the Year).
In 2007, two new categories were added (for a total of 12): Moment of the Year and Postseason Moment of the Year.
In 2008, a 13th category was added: Executive of the Year. The Blooper of the Year was renamed Oddity of the Year. The Performance of the Year was renamed Single-Game Performance of the Year.
In 2009, a 14th category was added: Unsung Star of the Year. The Single-Game Performance of the Year was changed back to Performance of the Year.
In 2010, five new categories were added (for a total of 19): Breakout Player of the Year, Dependable Player of the Year, Postseason MVP, Game of the Year, and Fan Moment of the Year. Two categories were re-named: Player of the Year (its original name, instead of Hitter of the Year) and X-Factor Player of the Year (formerly Unsung Star of the Year).
In 2011, one category was dropped: Dependable Player of the Year. It was replaced by a new category: Comeback Player of the Year. Two categories were re-named: Wow Factor of the Year (formerly X-Factor Player of the Year) and Walk-Off of the Year (formerly Game of the Year).
Awards
The order of awards (as listed on MLB.com) is:- Player of the Year
- Rookie of the Year
- Starting Pitcher of the Year
- Closer of the Year
- Setup Man of the Year
- Defensive Player of the Year
- Breakout Player of the Year
- Comeback Player of the Year
- Wow Factor of the Year
- Manager of the Year
- Executive of the Year
- Postseason MVP
- Play of the Year
- Moment of the Year
- Performance of the Year
- Oddity of the Year
- Walk-Off of the Year
- Fan Moment of the Year
- Postseason Moment of the Year
Former awards
- Bizarre Play of the Year – see "Blooper of the Year" (below)
- Blooper of the Year (2002 and 2004 to 2007; re-named Bizarre Play of the Year in 2003; re-named Oddity of the Year in 2008)
- Dependable Player of the Year (2010; discontinued in 2011)
- Game of the Year (2010; re-named Walk-Off of the Year in 2011)
- Hitter of the Year (2004 to 2009; now "Player of the Year", in 2002, 2003, and since 2010)
- Pitcher of the Year (from 2002 to 2003, it included starters and closers, but not setup men; re-named Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2004)
- Single-Game Performance of the Year (re-named Performance of the Year)
- Unsung Star of the Year (2009; re-named X-Factor Player of the Year in 2010; re-named Wow Factor of the Year in 2011)
- X-Factor Player of the Year – see "Unsung Star of the Year" (above)
Award winners
- Many of the awards for 2002–present are listed at This Year in Baseball Awards (Baseball-Almanac.com)
- Most of the awards for 2002–2009 are listed at This Year in Baseball Awards (HickokSports.com)
- 2007 This Year in Baseball Awards, at MLB.com
- 2008 This Year in Baseball Awards, at MLB.com
- 2009 This Year in Baseball Awards, at MLB.com
- 2010 This Year in Baseball Awards, at MLB.com
See also
- Baseball awards
- List of MLB awards
- Minor League Baseball Yearly (MiLBY) Awards (formerly "This Year in Minor League Baseball Awards")