Clayton Kershaw is a finalist for the most prestigious of the Players Choice Awards, the marginally prestigious end-of-year honors bestowed by the MLB Players’ Association.
The Dodgers pitcher is a finalist for the Player of the Year award, along with Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton and Angels wunderkind Mike Trout. He’s also a finalist for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award along with Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche.
The latter award, named in honor of the MLBPA’s first executive director, is given annually to “the player who inspires others through his on-field performances and contributions to his community.”
Kershaw is also among the finalists for the National League’s outstanding player (along with Stanton and Josh Harrison) and outstanding pitcher awards (along with Johnny Cueto and Adam Wainwright — his opponent Friday in Game 1 of the National League Division Series).
Kershaw went 21-3 with a 1.77 earned-run average, leading the majors in ERA, wins and winning percentage among a long stream of statistics.
More than most pitchers, Kershaw also enjoyed what he called “being a baseball player”: legging out a triple in his final game of the season, putting together a better on-base percentage than opposing batters (.235 to .231), occasionally diving to make a catch or taking ground balls on the infield before games.
Winning the Player of the Year award might please him the most.