With the regular season winding down, it's time to think about the things that really matter in life: postseason awards. Today, we'll be handicapping the Manager of the Year Award races.

The question in the National League is which West manager will receive the hardware.

The front-runner

Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers

Baseball is a game of failure. That's a threadbare notion, but one that gets repeated all the time because, well, it's true. Entering every season, each team can expect to win 60 and lose 60. The other 42 decisions determine the winners from the losers. So it's notable, then, when a team like the 2017 Dodgers breaks that convention..

With 50 games remaining, the Dodgers are on pace to win 114. That's a near-historic amount, and it comes in spite of Los Angeles leading the NL in days lost to injury. Ridiculous, right?

As such, Roberts seems like a shoo-in to win the Manager of the Year Award. While the trophy is often reserved for surprising teams, there is a healthy precedent for historic seasons bucking the trend. Take, for instance, Lou Piniella's win in 2001 after his Mariners notched 116 victories. Whether the Dodgers win 116, 114, or 110, Roberts should win the award.

Battle of the surprises

Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks
Bud Black, Colorado Rockies

We're pairing Torey Lovullo and Bud Black because their cases are similar. Both are in their first years with their clubs, and both inherited rosters that weren't expected to produce winners.

Lovullo took over a Diamondbacks squad that seemed closer to rebuilding than contention. Black, meanwhile, was tapped to oversee a Rockies team that seemed a year away.

It's a testament to each skipper that they seem all but certain to reach the postseason. Were the Dodgers not a super team, we would be flipping a coin to decide whether Lovullo or Black would be the MOY.

Also meriting mention

Dusty Baker, Washington Nationals

The Nationals were expected to be good, and they have been. What earns Dusty Baker points is how the Nationals have staked out a large lead despite dealing with various injuries and a leaky bullpen. Baker isn't going to win the award, and he might not finish in the top three. He should, nonetheless, be handed a contract extension at season's end.

Craig Counsell, Milwaukee Brewers

Craig Counsell is the best dark-horse candidate in the NL. If the Brewers find a way to top the Cubs in the Central, then maybe voters will deem that more impressive than the Dodgers' excellence -- or, at least, impressive enough for Counsell to finish in the top three. Again, in a normal year, he would be guaranteed a high finish. This isn't a normal year though.