Cubs could win awards season, too, between Kris Bryant, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Joe Maddon

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It already seems like the Cubs are everywhere, from Disney World to “Saturday Night Live” to the United Center for a Blackhawks game to the late-night talk-show circuit. After winning 103 games and the franchise’s first World Series title in 108 years, awards season won’t be any different.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America unveiled the finalists for its major awards on Monday, with Joe Maddon trying to repeat as the National League’s Manager of the Year, Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester competing for the Cy Young hardware and Kris Bryant still looking like the MVP. 

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The BBWAA conducted its voting before the postseason began, with Maddon going up against Dave Roberts (whose Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Cubs in the NL Championship Series) and ex-Cubs manager Dusty Baker (who led the Washington Nationals to 95 wins and a division title).

Hendricks (16-8, 2.13 ERA) and Lester (19-5, 2.44 ERA) are up for the award teammate Jake Arrieta won last year and may have theoretically split the vote during a season where Washington’s Max Scherzer piled up 20 wins, 284 strikeouts and 228-plus innings.

From here, Bryant looks like a sure thing after a spectacular follow-up to his Rookie of the Year campaign, generating 39 homers, 102 RBI, 121 runs scored and a .939 OPS, plus his defensive versatility all over the field. Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy and Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager are also MVP finalists, with the winners revealed next week on MLB Network.

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