Tribe’s big ’16 rewarded with 6 MLB Awards

It was a rousing run for the 2016 Indians. An injury-riddled, low-payroll club not only came away with the American League Central, but then they also beat up on two AL East juggernauts to claim the AL pennant and played an epic seven-game World Series against the 103-win Cubs.

Go on a run like that, and you’re going to leave a lasting impression. The results of the Esurance MLB Awards voting confirm that what the Indians accomplished in 2016 resonated with plenty of people. The Tribe’s six total victories, including one award that was shared with the Cubs, were the most of any Major League team.

The Indians cleaned up in the following categories:

• Best Play, Offense, which went to Tyler Naquin’s crazy trip around the bases in a walk-off inside-the-park home run against the Blue Jays • Best Defensive Player, which went to shortstop whiz kid Francisco Lindor • Best Manager, which went to Terry Francona, fresh on the heels of his win of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s AL Manager of the Year Award • Best Major Leaguer, Postseason, which went to high-leverage hero Andrew Miller for his October dominance • Best Postseason Moment, which went to Rajai Davis for his game-tying blast off Aroldis Chapman in Game 7 of the World Series • Best Trending Topic, which went to both the Indians and the Cubs for the instant classic that was Game 7

The Esurance MLB Awards annually honor Major League Baseball’s greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process that includes five groups, 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.

The MLB Awards are an all-inclusive program, encompassing the top players and performances from both the American League and National League from Opening Day through the end of the postseason.

Individual awards went to the Best Major Leaguer in addition to the winners in the following categories: Best Hitter, Pitcher, Rookie, Defensive Player, Manager, Executive, Social Media Personality and Postseason Performer.

Winners were also recognized for the year’s best Offensive Play, Defensive Play, Regular-Season Moment, Postseason Moment, Single-Game Performance, Social Media Post, …

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