History
Major League Baseball inaugurated the This Year in Baseball awards in 2002. Fans vote on the awards at the official website, www.mlb.com.
There were six categories the first year: Blooper of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Play of the Year, Player of the Year and Setup Man of the Year.
In 2003, awards were added for Individual Performance of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. The Blooper of the Year was renamed Bizarre Play of the Year, but it went back to being called Blooper of the Year in 2004.
Two more categories were added in 2004: Closer of the Year and Hitter of the Year. The Starting Pitcher of the Year replaced the Pitcher of the Year award and the Player of the Year award was dropped.