Did the Brewers help or hinder the campaigns of 2013 award winners?
On Thursday Andrew McCutchen was named the NL MVP, wrapping up the 2013 award season. McCutchen and the Pirates won 94 games this season, including 12 against the Brewers.
That got me thinking: Were the Brewers a contributing or deciding factor in any of this season's awards races? Let's take a look:
NL MVP
| Rank | Player | G vs MIL | Performance | Performance overall |
| 1 | Andrew McCutchen | 19 | .354/.414/.646 | .317/.404/.508 |
| 2 | Paul Goldschmidt | 7 | .417/.517/.708 | .302/.401/.551 |
| 3 | Yadier Molina | 17 | .354/.408/.538 | .319/.359/.477 |
Make no mistake, the Brewers played a big part in McCutchen's career year. Those 19 games reflect about an eighth of his season, and his 1.059 OPS against the Crew was his best against any divisional opponent. The Brewers also allowed six of his 21 home runs.
However, the Brewers didn't exactly shut down Goldschmidt or Molina, either. All told, the Brewers' influence was probably neutral here.
NL Cy Young
| Rank | Pitcher | IP v MIL | Performance | Performance Overall |
| 1 | Clayton Kershaw | 17 | 0.53 ERA, 0.471 WHIP, 1 BB, 17 K | 1.83 ERA, 0.915 WHIP, 1.98 BB/9, 8.8 K/9 |
| 2 | Adam Wainwright | 14.1 | 3.14 ERA, 1.047 WHIP, 0 BB, 17 K | 2.94 ERA, 1.068 WHIP, 1.30 BB/9, 8.2 K/9 |
| 3 | Jose Fernandez | 0 | n/a | 2.19 ERA, 0.979 WHIP, 3.02 BB/9, 9.7 K/9 |
Let's make one thing perfectly clear: Clayton Kershaw dominated the NL all season long and a rough outing against the Brewers almost certainly would not have cost him the award. However, it's worth noting that Kershaw crushed the Brewers, while Wainwright looked somewhat human against them. It wasn't enough to decide the award, but it likely widened the gap.
NL Rookie of the Year
| Rank | Player | v MIL | Performance | Performance overall |
| 1 | Jose Fernandez | 0 IP | -- | 2.19 ERA, 0.979 WHIP, 3.02 BB/9, 9.7 K/9 |
| 2 | Yasiel Puig | 0 G | -- | .319/.391/.534 |
| 3 | Shelby Miller | 31 IP | 2.03 ERA, 1.097 WHIP, 9 BB, 29 K | 3.06 ERA, 1.206 WHIP, 2.96 BB/9, 8.8 K/9 |
The Brewers may have cost Adam Wainwright some votes for Cy Young, but they practically managed the campaign to get Shelby Miller the Rookie of the Year. Miller's 31 innings against the Brewers represented 18% of his entire season and he dominated them throughout. Without those outings against the Brewers, Miller's ERA goes up to 3.29.
NL Manager of the Year
| Rank | Manager | v Brewers | v others | Total |
| 1 | Clint Hurdle | 12-7 (.632) | 82-61 (.573) | 94-68 |
| 2 | Don Mattingly | 4-2 (.667) | 88-68 (.564) | 92-70 |
| 3 | Fredi Gonzalez | 2-4 (.333) | 94-62 (.603) | 96-66 |
The Brewers may have helped Clint Hurdle win Manager of the Year, but they also may have saved Don Mattingly's job.
The Dodgers were 17-24 when they came to Milwaukee on May 20, and rumors were circulating that Mattingly was about to be fired. The Dodgers won two of three in Milwaukee, starting a stretch that saw them go 75-46 the rest of the way and win the NL West.
So there you have it. Did the Brewers have any significant impact on the 2013 BBWAA awards? No, probably not. But this was fun anyway, right?
