MLB Experts' 2010 Award Predictions

Evan Longoria / Jason Heyward / Felix Hernandez / Albert Pujols

Preseason predictions are invariably an exercise in foolishness, but they're just so difficult to resist.

So here, a day before the MLB FanHouse staff's fearless prognostications about how the playoff spots will shake out are unveiled, we take a crack at picking the winners of the three big individual awards handed out after the season by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

In the interest of full disclosure, we should note that our 13 panelists last season tabbed five different players to win the American League MVP -- none of whom was Joe Mauer, who ultimately came up one vote shy of being a unanimous selection. Who led the way on our ballots? Um, Grady Sizemore, with six MVP nods.

And eventual winner Albert Pujols earned only three MVP votes on the NL side.

So, it goes without saying that these picks are for entertainment purposes only.

There was a decent bit of consensus in this year's predictions. Though neither Jason Heyward nor Roy Halladay has competed in the National League before, our panelists overwhelmingly expect them to make a splash -- and they see more of the same from Pujols.

On the American League side, we expect big things from division-rival third basemen Evan Longoria and Alex Rodriguez, who got the bulk of the MVP votes.

King Felix leads a balanced field on the Cy Young front, while another power pitcher, the Rays' Wade Davis, was a popular choice to lead the AL rookie class.

AL MVP Predictions
Ed Price	Evan Longoria	This is simply the year for former Long Beach State DirtBag infielders. Longoria and Tulowitzki are at the heart of two playoff-bound teams, both offensively and defensively. -- John Hickey Teixeira will be playing his second season in pinstripes, so he knows what New York's like now and will be more comfortable. With a home park that should allow him to eclipse the 40-homer mark and a lineup that will afford him plenty of chances to drive in runs, Tex looks ready to explode. -- Tom Fornelli
Jeff Fletcher	Kendry Morales
Frankie Piliere	Evan Longoria
John Hickey	Evan Longoria
Tom Krasovic	Evan Longoria
Steve Phillips	Evan Longoria
Andrew Johnson	Victor Martinez
Marc Lancaster	Alex Rodriguez
Matt Snyder	Alex Rodriguez
Tom Fornelli	Mark Teixeira
Knox Bardeen	Alex Rodriguez
Josh Alper	Alex Rodriguez
Pat Lackey	Evan Longoria

NL MVP Predictions
Ed Price	Chase Utley	Yes, it's cliche to pick Pujols year after year, but the thing is he's far and away the best hitter in the National League like clockwork. There's no reason to expect the Cardinals first baseman to slow down now. -- Andrew Johnson No player is more responsible for the Phillies' three-year reign in the NL East than Utley. He hits for power and average and plays great defense at a position where offense is scarce. -- Pat Lackey
Jeff Fletcher	Chase Utley
Frankie Piliere	Albert Pujols
John Hickey	Troy Tulowitzki
Tom Krasovic	Albert Pujols
Steve Phillips	Albert Pujols
Andrew Johnson	Albert Pujols
Marc Lancaster	Albert Pujols
Matt Snyder	Troy Tulowitzki
Tom Fornelli	Albert Pujols
Knox Bardeen	Albert Pujols
Josh Alper	Albert Pujols
Pat Lackey	Chase Utley

AL Cy Young Predictions
Ed Price	Justin Verlander	Verlander showed last year he is a true ace, with some dominating performances down the stretch in which he pitched into the late innings with phenomenal stuff. While CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez should all be great, Verlander is ready to be recognized at the top of his class. -- Ed Price There's nothing Hernandez can't do except force the Mariners to win. He'll need some help from the offense, but when he's on, he just dominates. -- John Hickey
Jeff Fletcher	Justin Verlander
Frankie Piliere	Jon Lester
John Hickey	Felix Hernandez
Tom Krasovic	CC Sabathia
Steve Phillips	Felix Hernandez
Andrew Johnson	Zack Greinke
Marc Lancaster	Justin Verlander
Matt Snyder	Jon Lester
Tom Fornelli	Jon Lester
Knox Bardeen	Felix Hernandez
Josh Alper	Felix Hernandez
Pat Lackey	Felix Hernandez

NL Cy Young Predictions
Ed Price	Josh Johnson	Unless he's spooked by Philly's bandbox, the six-time All-Star will benefit from going to a pitcher's league and a great team by taking home some hardware. -- Tom Krasovic If you had to build a starting pitcher in a lab, you would want one who was built like an ox, struck out hitters in bunches without walking them and kept the ball from leaving the yard. In other words, you'd want Johnson. He showed he had all the tools in 2009. He'll use them to dominate the NL in 2010. -- Josh Alper
Jeff Fletcher	Tommy Hanson
Frankie Piliere	Ubaldo Jimenez
John Hickey	Josh Johnson
Tom Krasovic	Roy Halladay
Steve Phillips	Roy Halladay
Andrew Johnson	Roy Halladay
Marc Lancaster	Roy Halladay
Matt Snyder	Roy Halladay
Tom Fornelli	Roy Halladay
Knox Bardeen	Roy Halladay
Josh Alper	Josh Johnson
Pat Lackey	Roy Halladay

AL Rookie of the Year Predictions
Ed Price	Wade Davis	At 24, Davis is ready to shed the prospect label and give the Rays 180 innings and a league-average ERA. That'll be plenty for Rookie of the Year honors. -- Tom Krasovic Jackson has shown a lot more pop in his bat than expected this spring, and though I wouldn't expect him to continue at his .350-plus average clip all season, he should produce enough to be the best newcomer in the junior circuit. -- Tom Fornelli
Jeff Fletcher	Brian Matusz
Frankie Piliere	Wade Davis
John Hickey	Netfali Feliz
Tom Krasovic	Wade Davis
Steve Phillips	Wade Davis
Andrew Johnson	Austin Jackson
Marc Lancaster	Brian Matusz
Matt Snyder	Carlos Santana
Tom Fornelli	Austin Jackson
Knox Bardeen	Austin Jackson
Josh Alper	Wade Davis
Pat Lackey	Wade Davis

NL Rookie of the Year Predictions
Ed Price	Jason Heyward	Nothing has Bobby Cox more excited about his last (?) year as Braves manager than Heyward, who looks like a left-handed version of Dave Winfield with a similarly staggering collection of tools. Oh yeah, he's 20 and Atlanta's everyday right fielder -- despite just three at-bats above Double-A. -- Ed Price We live in an age of hype, a fact that makes it easy to be skeptical of Strasburg, but the San Diego State phenom has everything necessary to dominate in the majors right now. He'll get his shot sometime around June, and take off immediately. -- Andrew Johnson
Jeff Fletcher	Jason Heyward
Frankie Piliere	Jason Heyward
John Hickey	Jason Heyward
Tom Krasovic	Jason Heyward
Steve Phillips	Jason Heyward
Andrew Johnson	Stephen Strasburg
Marc Lancaster	Jason Heyward
Matt Snyder	Gaby Sanchez
Tom Fornelli	Jason Heyward
Knox Bardeen	Jason Heyward
Josh Alper	Alcides Escobar
Pat Lackey	Jason Heyward