Another year, another batch of awards ... and here we are with the ROTY.

Raised in Pennsylvania, McGonigle is a left-handed hitter who was elite at plate discipline and was able to avoid the typical long slumps that you normally see in a rookie campaign. As a result, the Baseball Writers' Association of America awarded him with 28 out of 30 first-place votes.

A slugger who was at the top of the list in all of Major League Baseball for driving in runs, Stewart earned 20 of 30 first-place votes to win the National League award.

McGonigle mocked the traditional rookie learning curve with an approach at the plate that I'm sure some veterans envy. To avoid the debilitating slumps that usually chew up first-year players requires a mental maturity you simply cannot teach.

I'm very familiar with McGonigle because he was a part of a number of winning bets throughout the season, and so was Stewart.

His campaign was a masterclass in raw power. Major League Baseball is increasingly obsessed with three-true-outcome sluggers who sacrifice contact for the home run, but Stewart led the charge by driving in runs when it actually mattered. He anchored a Reds lineup that had no business being as fun as it was.

I have no problems with these choices. Like I said, both guys have won me money. All good over here.