Nats, Cubs didn't meet in playoffs, but will battle for BBWAA awards this week

The Nationals and Chicago Cubs didn't play in October as expected, but this week, representatives from the two teams will be at the center of the Baseball Writers' Association of America awards debate. The Cubs have finalists for three of the four BBWAA awards, including MVP, Cy Young and Manager of the Year. The Nats have finalists in all four BBWAA awards categories. Nationals starter Max Scherzer is the favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award, but two Cubs pitchers - Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester - are right there with him. Hendricks and Lester could split votes and that could give Scherzer a NL Cy Young trophy to go with the AL Cy Young he won with Detroit in 2013. If Scherzer wins, he'll be the sixth pitcher to win the award in both leagues. Hendricks had the lowest ERA (2.13) in the league along with 16 wins and a 0.98 ERA. Lester had a 2.44 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 202 innings. The separator for Scherzer is his strikeouts. He had 284 strikeouts, including a 20-strikeout game, with a WHIP of 0.97 and 2.96 ERA while winning 20 games. He also beats them in innings with 228 1/3. The ballot should read Scherzer, Lester and Hendricks. A second consecutive NL MVP award, following Bryce Harper last season, is going to be tougher for the Nationals to win, although second baseman Daniel Murphy is the favorite. The other two finalists are Corey Seager of the Dodgers and Kris Bryant of the Cubs. Murphy hit .347, second in the NL, with 25 home runs, 104 RBIs and a .390 on-base percentage. His defense was fine and he was the consistent bat in an inconsistent lineup that won the NL East. His chief competition will likely be Bryant, who hit .292 with 39 home runs with 102 RBIs. Bryant played primarily third, but he also played five other positions on the top defensive team in the league. That should get him votes. The ballot should read Murphy, Bryant and Seager. Washington's Trea Turner put up Rookie of the Year numbers with his .342 average, 13 home runs and 33 stolen bases. The problem is Turner played in only 73 games. Seager is the slam-dunk winner, playing in 157 games while hitting .272 with 27 home runs and 72 RBIs. The NL Manager of the Year finalists are the Nationals' Dusty Baker, the Cubs' Joe Maddon and the Dodgers' Dave Roberts. Baker did an excellent job with the Nationals, given that their offense was spotty, Harper had a bad year, and Ryan Zimmerman was injured and ineffective. It's amazing that Baker wasn't the Nationals' first choice as manager and that after leaving Cincinnati, he had to sit out two years before getting a job. Maddon will get votes for his innovation and leadership, leading a team that's essentially still building to a division title. Baker's Dodgers won the NL West despite a spate of injuries to their pitching, including Clayton Kershaw, who went on the disabled list for 75 days. Who will win? I've got a ballot on this one, so I'll wait until after the results are announced to comment.