2013 Seattle Mariners Club Awards Announced

Sep 6, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager (15) hits a RBI single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the 3rd inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Hisashi Iwakuma unseated Felix Hernandez as the Seattle Mariners’ top pitcher according to the Seattle Chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, in voting results released Friday.

Iwakuma was presented with a trophy prior to Friday’s series opened with Oakland. Kyle Seager and Raul Ibanez also received trophies for Player of the Year and Unsung Hero respectively.

Seager earned POY honors for the second straight season, batting .263 with 22 homers, 69 RBI, 32 doubles and a team-high .340 on base percentage.

I’m not sure how “unsung” Ibanez was this season. He led the team with 29 home runs (tied for the most ever by any player 41 or over). He also had team-highs in slugging percentage (.499) and OPS (.811). It’s clear that the Mariners were a better offensive team with him in the lineup this year. Only time will tell if the organization wants to bring him back for another year.

Iwakuma posted a 14-6 record in 2013 with a 2.66 ERA. David Schoenfield of ESPN writes the Iwakuma will get some Cy Young Award consideration and makes an interesting case for him. In the end, his lack of strikeouts compared to Max Scherzer will probably do him in. That and the fact Scherzer has a 21-3 record. Iwakuma will finish in the top-3 in ERA in the American League, but has the lowest of any pitcher with 200+ innings.

Regardless of whether or not Iwakuma wins the Cy Young, he had a great season for the Mariners and looks to be a staple at the top of the rotation for at least the foreseeable future.