. Now Andrew Benintendi Jersey , they're in position to claim one of the American League's top wild-card berths. Heck, they're nipping at the heels of the defending champion Houston Astros for the division lead.It's one of the coolest stories of 2018 and another feather in the small-market Athletics' cap.Assuming Oakland doesn't collapse, AL Manager of the Year is in the bag for Bob Melvin.Other contenders:Alex Cora (BOS), Scott Servais (SEA)National League Rookie of the Year3 of 8Patrick McDermott/Getty ImagesJuan Soto is making the looming post-Bryce Harper era look a lot better for the Washington Nationals.In 74 games, the 19-year-old outfielder is hitting .301 with a .968 OPS and 15 home runs. He's been a revelation in every sense of the word and earned the nickname "Childish Bambino."It's fair to wonder if a teenager who made the jump straight from Double-A to The Show can maintain this pace, but for now, Soto's star is blasting into the MLB firmament.Other contenders:Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL), Dereck Rodriguez (SFG), Brian Anderson (MIA), Jack Flaherty (STL)American League Rookie of the Year4 of 8Michael Owens/Getty ImagesThe AL Rookie of the Year race should be a battle of two New York Yankees.In one corner, there's third baseman Miguel Andujar, who's hitting .292 with an .837 OPS and 18 home runs. In the other corner sits second baseman Gleyber Torres, who's hitting .261 with an .827 OPS and 18 homers.It's nearly a statistical draw and will come down to who gets hotter over the final weeks.We'll pick Torres, who was a more hyped prospect entering the season, but Andujar is a dark horse to bet on.Other contenders:Miguel Andujar (NYY), Shohei Ohtani (LAA) Luis Tiant Jersey , Lou Trivino (OAK)National League Cy Young Award5 of 8Patrick McDermott/Getty ImagesMax Scherzer leads MLB in innings pitched (168.2) and strikeouts (227) and ranks second in the National League in ERA (2.19).Not only is Mad Max in line for a fourth career Cy Young Award garnering MVP chatter.The only wet blanket? The Washington Nationals might miss the playoffs. That's not Scherzer's fault, but it could prevent him from bringing home the Cy Young/MVP combo.Other contenders: Jacob deGrom (NYM), Aaron Nola (PHI)American League Cy Young Award6 of 8Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesChris Sale gave the Boston Red Sox a scare when he landed on the disabled list with shoulder discomfort, but he returned strong with 12 strikeouts in five innings on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles.Overall, Sale paces the AL in ERA (1.97) and strikeouts (219). He's a dominant ace on the club with baseball's best record."Sale took it to a different level," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of the southpaw's DL-return performance, per Peter Schmuck of the Washington Post. "He was carrying a lot of fastball. The first fastball he threw today was 98 [mph]. The second one was 99. He was throwing a changeup at 88 and 90. That didn't seem fair."Other contenders:Trevor Bauer (CLE), Justin Verlander (HOU), Blake Snell (TBR)National League MVP7 of 8Jim McIsaac/Getty ImagesHere's a tough one.This award could go to Scherzer, and that wouldn't be a travesty. Considering the Nats are on the fringe of the playoff picture, however, it doesn't seem especially probable.Instead, let's assume the Braves hang on and claim either the NL's top wild-card spot or the division flag. If so, Freddie Freeman is a solid NL MVP pick.The 28-year-old is hitting .319 with a .928 OPS and 19 home runs. According to FanGraphs' calculation, his 4.7 WAR ranks behind only the St. Louis Cardinals' Matt Carpenter (5.1) and the Colorado Rockies' Nolan Arenado (4.8) in the Senior Circuit.Carpenter could be dinged if the Cards miss the playoffs and Arenado could be hurt by the presumed Coors Field affect.If so, look for Freeman to slide in and snag the hardware.Other contenders: Matt Carpenter (STL) http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-dustin-pedroia-jersey , Nolan Arenado (COL), Max Scherzer (WAS), Javier Baez (CHI)American League MVP8 of 8Adam Glanzman/Getty ImagesThe AL MVP race is an embarrassment of riches.From the Cleveland Indians, there's third baseman Jose Ramirez (7.9 WAR) and shortstop Francisco Lindor (6.7 WAR).J.D. Martinez (5.1 WAR) has clubbed an MLB-leading 37 home runs with 104 RBI for the Boston Red Sox.Oh, and let's not forget a fellow by the name of Mike Trout (7.6 WAR), who is having arguably the best season of his venerated MLB career for the Los Angeles Angels.The leader in the clubhouse, though, is Mookie Betts (7.8 WAR).The Red Sox right fielder leads baseball in batting average (.350) and ranks second in on-base percentage (.438) and slugging percentage (.668). In the field, he's posted 11 defensive runs saved and an 8.8 ultimate zone rating.He also plays for the club with the game's best record and is ticketed for the playoffs, while Trout will almost surely watch from the sidelines.Betts will need to keep raking to win the award, but for the moment, it's his to lose.Other contenders:Mike Trout (LAA), Jose Ramirez (CLE), Francisco Lindor (CLE), J.D. Martinez (BOS) All statistics current entering play Tuesday and courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. DENVER (AP) — Carlos Gonzalez waited patiently as Trevor Story finished his postgame interviews, a beer in hand to congratulate his Colorado teammate on his huge night.More games like that from Story Tony Conigliaro Jersey , and Gonzalez will be pouring champagne all over him at the end of September.Story homered in his first three at-bats, including one projected at more than 500 feet , and the Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Wednesday in a game delayed 68 minutes by rain at the start.“That was awesome,” Colorado manager Bud Black said. “Trevor took the game over.”The All-Star shortstop had a chance to tie the major league record of four homers in a game but struck out in his final at-bat in the eighth inning.“Everybody’s expecting a home run,” Gonzalez said. “I was like, ‘Just hit something.’ When you’re having that kind of night, I guarantee he wasn’t trying to hit the ball over the fence, and it was just clicking.”Story powered Colorado to its fifth straight win, and the Rockies increased their NL West lead to 1 1/2 games over Arizona and Los Angeles. The Diamondbacks were off and the Dodgers lost to the New York Mets.Colorado has been to the postseason four times but has never won a division title in its 26-year history.“I’m more excited about the win at this point,” Story said. “Every win from here on out is huge.”It was the first three-homer game of Story’s career and his fifth multihomer game this season. The outburst came at the expense of Giants starter Andrew Suarez (6-10).Story’s first home run, a 459-foot shot to left field, according to Statcast, gave the Rockies a 2-1 lead in the first inning.He topped that with another solo homer in the fourth that traveled an estimated 505 feet onto the concourse beyond the left-field stands. It was the longest homer in franchise history and the longest since Statcast began tracking distances in 2015. It just edged out the 504-foot drive Giancarlo Stanton hit in Denver when he played for Miami.“As soon as it came off the bat I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s going to hit the scoreboard. It’s going to go straight to my Lamborghini in the parking lot,'” Gonzalez said.Story’s last home run — his 31st of the season — soared a projected 416 feet and gave Colorado a 4-3 lead. He popped out of the dugout for a curtain call as the crowd of 24 http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-dustin-pedroia-jersey ,790 cheered.“When you have a night like tonight it’s hard to explain,” Story said. “You kind of get these feelings, these intuitions, and you try to act on them, not outthink yourself.”Suarez wasn’t unhappy with his outing despite the big night from Story.“It’s crazy how baseball works,” he said. “I threw well and one guy beat me.”Harrison Musgrave (2-3) got the win and Adam Ottavino pitched the ninth for his sixth save.Aramis Garcia went deep for San Francisco, which has lost five in a row.RAW POWERStory’s first home run had a little twist to it. After he connected, he lost his balance and fell to the ground as the ball landed on the concourse in left field.“That first one was a little different,” he said. “I’ve never fallen down like that. Maybe on a swing and a miss.”DANGER AVERTEDRockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon gave his team a scare when he was hit in the helmet on a line drive off the bat of teammate Antonio Senzatela in the third inning. Blackmon was on deck when the ball hit him near the team logo in the front of his helmet. He was looked at by a trainer and Black but was able to stay in the game. Blackmon received a loud ovation when he came to bat.ROAD WOESSan Francisco has struggled away from home lately and at Coors Field all season. The Giants have lost six straight in Denver and nine of their last 11 on the road overall.“It’s been a rough time in Colorado,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “It has been a tough place the last couple of years.”TRAINER’S ROOMGiants: SS Brandon Crawford was out of the lineup with a sore knee. Bochy said the knee has bothered Crawford recently and with San Francisco having an off day on Thursday, he should be able to return Friday.UP NEXTGiants: LHP Derek Holland (7-8, 3.56 ERA) will get the start when San Francisco opens a three-game series at Milwaukee on Friday. Holland is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in his last eight starts.Rockies: RHP Jon Gray (11-7, 4.70) faces Clayton Kershaw when Colorado begins a crucial three-game series against the Dodgers on Friday night.