Major League Baseball inaugurated the This Year in Baseball awards in 2002. Fans voted on the awards at the official website, www.mlb.com.
There were seven categories the first year: Blooper of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Hitter 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 and finally became the Oddity of the Year in 2008.
The Starting Pitcher of the Year and Closer of the Year replaced the Pitcher of the Year award in 2004 and the Player of the Year award was dropped.
There have been more recent additions: Moment of the Year and Post-Season Moment were both added in 2007 and the Executive of the Year Award in 2008. In 2009, the Unsung Hero award replaced Moment of the Year.
