Preseason Awards
Thankfully, its almost that time. Spring training games are in full swing starting this week, and the season opener is right around the corner. Oh, and there's that whole World Baseball Classic thing to hold us over until then, which could actually be entertaining to watch (minus the Little League-esque rule of calling the games after 14 innings). If I get around to it in the next few weeks, I'll come up with some team predictions for the season, if not for the whole MLB, maybe at least for the AL East. But anyways, we all know that with the exception of a select few players, individual awards are just as important.
AL MVP: David Ortiz - Boston Red Sox.
Am I biased here? Yes. Am I delusional? No. Listen, we've heard the arguments before, he doesn't flash the leather, I get it. But Mo Vaughn wasn't exactly a Gold Glover when he won the MVP back in '95. In fact, Papi actually probably helps his team by DH'ing over playing the field. It keeps him fresh enough to play almost everyday, and the Sox don't have to deal with mediocre play at first place. So arguments in his favor? How about being one of the most feared hitters in baseball. How about being a lefty, where a lefty specialist isn't always your best option. How about being a fun-loving, mango salsa making, clubhouse guy. And mark my word, if Manny isn't a huge headache in Boston this season, Papi will be a large reason why. Honorable mention: Vladimir Guerrero - Angels, Alex Rodriguez - Yankees.
NL MVP: Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards still have what it takes to win the NL Central, but they won't do it without another great season from Pujols. Which, as he's proven over the past few years, is not far fetched. He held the lineup together last year with injuries to Scott Rolen, Larry Walker, Jim Edmonds and company. If he can do what he did last year without a supporting cast, there's no reason to believe he can't repeat the feat, hopefully with more help this year. Albert is clearly the elite hitter in the NL. Honorable mention: Andruw Jones - Braves, Derek Lee - Cubs.
AL Cy Young: Rich Harden - Oakland Athletics.
This young A's team is shaping up. Run support for pitchers should be better this season than it was last year. As with any candidate for any award, health will be a main concern for the young Harden. Barry Zito has also looked good early on in spring training which should take some pressure off of Harden. His wicked fastball should allow him to continue striking out plenty of people, while getting his WHIP down again. In three pro seasons he has 355 K's in 392.1 innings, and his WHIP has dropped from 1.50 to 1.33 to a marvelous 1.06 last season. Honorable mention: Johan Santana - Twins.
NL Cy Young: Pedro Martinez - New York Mets. Until Pedro proves otherwise, he is still one of the best pitchers in the major leagues. People didn't think he'd be able to cope without a 98 MPH fastball, well guess what, he did. Toe injury or not, Pedro will be the best of the best again this season. And with the addition of Carlos Delgado, the maturation of Jose Reyes and David Wright, the pressure that should now be off of Carlos Beltran, oh, and a guy named Billy Wagner to close out the games and hopefully preserve some more wins, Pedro should finally get the team support to show the voters that only care about wins and losses that he is deserving of the honor. Honorable mentions go to: Jake Peavy - Padres, Ben Sheets - Brewers, Chris Carpenter - Cardinals.
AL ROY: Felix Hernandez - Seattle Mariners.
Without a doubt the best young pitching prospect since the oft-injured Mark Prior. In 12 starts last year he went 4-4 with 77 K's in 84.1 innings pitched. He also held opponents to a .203 BAA and sported a flashy 1.00 WHIP. The future is getting brighter in Seattle, and now fans have something to get excited about every 5th day instead of just watching Ichiro slap his way to the single season hits record.* Oh, did I mention he'll turn 20 years old on April 8th?
NL ROY: Rickie Weeks - Milwaukee Brewers. The future is also bright in Milwaukee. Seriously. Ben Sheets should bounce back from a less than exciting season last year. And the young duo of Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder should finally get their shots to play everyday for a young team. With Carlos Lee in the lineup, at least until the trade deadline, expect these two young hitters to flourish without the pressure of playing in a city like Boston or New York. Honorable mention: Prince Fielder - Brewers, Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals.
AL Fireman of the year: Mariano Rivera - New York Yankees.
Without question, the best closer in the history of baseball. Tell me he's only got one pitch, tell me he's getting old, tell me the Red Sox have gotten to him, and I'll point you to his 1.38 ERA and miniscule 0.87 WHIP from last season. Case closed. No need for honorable mentions.
NL Fireman of the year: Billy Wagner - New York Mets. Wagner still has one of the nastiest sliders in baseball. He's got a good set of starters ahead of him, and a lineup that can get him the ball with the lead. Honorable mention: Brad Lidge - Astros.
MLB comeback player of the year - Barry Bonds - San Francisco Giants. To quote 50 Cent:
Hate it or love it the under dog's on top
And I'm gon shine homie until my heart stop
Regardless of your feelings of Barry Bonds, he is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. If you look at his stats before his record breaking 73 home run season, his stats were still staggering. He would still have been the first (and only) member of the 500-500 club. Hate him because he's abrasive, hate him because he seems insincere, hate him because he allegedly took steroids, hate him because he's going to break Babe Ruth's, and possibly Hank Aaron's home run marks, or hate him because like Kobe says, people love him for the exact same reasons. You have no doubt seen the cross-dressing Bonds display from spring training earlier this week. Regardless of his intentions, this can only help his cause in a clubhouse people always argue is separated. If he gets any protection this season, and that knee holds up, Albert the Great might not be the NL MVP. Honorable mention: Ben Sheets - Brewers, Jim Thome - White Sox, Frank Thomas - A's.
There you have it. As if I wasn't already anxious enough for the season to start, thinking about all this baseball stuff isn't helping the situation. Flame me, post comments, agree or disagree, I always welcome other people's opinions, even if they're wrong. As always, I can be reached via email at bchcky@yahoo.com.
*With all due respect to Ichiro, he is not a great hitter. He is a great lead-off man. His record setting 262 hit season in '04 pales in comparison to the 1920 season of George Sisler, the previous record holder with 257 hits. To go along with his 257 hits, Sisler also had: 19 HR, 122 RBI, 42 SB, .407 BA, .632 SLG, and a .449 OBP, which dwarfs every number Ichiro put up in the same categories in his record setting season: 8 HR, 60 RBI, 36 SB, .372 BA, .455 SLG and a .414 OBP. Is Ichiro the new record holder for single season hits? Yes. Complete like Sisler? No. Remember, most does not always equal best, just ask Emmitt Smith.
AL MVP: David Ortiz - Boston Red Sox.
Am I biased here? Yes. Am I delusional? No. Listen, we've heard the arguments before, he doesn't flash the leather, I get it. But Mo Vaughn wasn't exactly a Gold Glover when he won the MVP back in '95. In fact, Papi actually probably helps his team by DH'ing over playing the field. It keeps him fresh enough to play almost everyday, and the Sox don't have to deal with mediocre play at first place. So arguments in his favor? How about being one of the most feared hitters in baseball. How about being a lefty, where a lefty specialist isn't always your best option. How about being a fun-loving, mango salsa making, clubhouse guy. And mark my word, if Manny isn't a huge headache in Boston this season, Papi will be a large reason why. Honorable mention: Vladimir Guerrero - Angels, Alex Rodriguez - Yankees.NL MVP: Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards still have what it takes to win the NL Central, but they won't do it without another great season from Pujols. Which, as he's proven over the past few years, is not far fetched. He held the lineup together last year with injuries to Scott Rolen, Larry Walker, Jim Edmonds and company. If he can do what he did last year without a supporting cast, there's no reason to believe he can't repeat the feat, hopefully with more help this year. Albert is clearly the elite hitter in the NL. Honorable mention: Andruw Jones - Braves, Derek Lee - Cubs.
AL Cy Young: Rich Harden - Oakland Athletics.
This young A's team is shaping up. Run support for pitchers should be better this season than it was last year. As with any candidate for any award, health will be a main concern for the young Harden. Barry Zito has also looked good early on in spring training which should take some pressure off of Harden. His wicked fastball should allow him to continue striking out plenty of people, while getting his WHIP down again. In three pro seasons he has 355 K's in 392.1 innings, and his WHIP has dropped from 1.50 to 1.33 to a marvelous 1.06 last season. Honorable mention: Johan Santana - Twins.NL Cy Young: Pedro Martinez - New York Mets. Until Pedro proves otherwise, he is still one of the best pitchers in the major leagues. People didn't think he'd be able to cope without a 98 MPH fastball, well guess what, he did. Toe injury or not, Pedro will be the best of the best again this season. And with the addition of Carlos Delgado, the maturation of Jose Reyes and David Wright, the pressure that should now be off of Carlos Beltran, oh, and a guy named Billy Wagner to close out the games and hopefully preserve some more wins, Pedro should finally get the team support to show the voters that only care about wins and losses that he is deserving of the honor. Honorable mentions go to: Jake Peavy - Padres, Ben Sheets - Brewers, Chris Carpenter - Cardinals.
AL ROY: Felix Hernandez - Seattle Mariners.
Without a doubt the best young pitching prospect since the oft-injured Mark Prior. In 12 starts last year he went 4-4 with 77 K's in 84.1 innings pitched. He also held opponents to a .203 BAA and sported a flashy 1.00 WHIP. The future is getting brighter in Seattle, and now fans have something to get excited about every 5th day instead of just watching Ichiro slap his way to the single season hits record.* Oh, did I mention he'll turn 20 years old on April 8th?NL ROY: Rickie Weeks - Milwaukee Brewers. The future is also bright in Milwaukee. Seriously. Ben Sheets should bounce back from a less than exciting season last year. And the young duo of Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder should finally get their shots to play everyday for a young team. With Carlos Lee in the lineup, at least until the trade deadline, expect these two young hitters to flourish without the pressure of playing in a city like Boston or New York. Honorable mention: Prince Fielder - Brewers, Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals.
AL Fireman of the year: Mariano Rivera - New York Yankees.
Without question, the best closer in the history of baseball. Tell me he's only got one pitch, tell me he's getting old, tell me the Red Sox have gotten to him, and I'll point you to his 1.38 ERA and miniscule 0.87 WHIP from last season. Case closed. No need for honorable mentions.NL Fireman of the year: Billy Wagner - New York Mets. Wagner still has one of the nastiest sliders in baseball. He's got a good set of starters ahead of him, and a lineup that can get him the ball with the lead. Honorable mention: Brad Lidge - Astros.
MLB comeback player of the year - Barry Bonds - San Francisco Giants. To quote 50 Cent:
Hate it or love it the under dog's on top
And I'm gon shine homie until my heart stop
Regardless of your feelings of Barry Bonds, he is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. If you look at his stats before his record breaking 73 home run season, his stats were still staggering. He would still have been the first (and only) member of the 500-500 club. Hate him because he's abrasive, hate him because he seems insincere, hate him because he allegedly took steroids, hate him because he's going to break Babe Ruth's, and possibly Hank Aaron's home run marks, or hate him because like Kobe says, people love him for the exact same reasons. You have no doubt seen the cross-dressing Bonds display from spring training earlier this week. Regardless of his intentions, this can only help his cause in a clubhouse people always argue is separated. If he gets any protection this season, and that knee holds up, Albert the Great might not be the NL MVP. Honorable mention: Ben Sheets - Brewers, Jim Thome - White Sox, Frank Thomas - A's.
There you have it. As if I wasn't already anxious enough for the season to start, thinking about all this baseball stuff isn't helping the situation. Flame me, post comments, agree or disagree, I always welcome other people's opinions, even if they're wrong. As always, I can be reached via email at bchcky@yahoo.com.
*With all due respect to Ichiro, he is not a great hitter. He is a great lead-off man. His record setting 262 hit season in '04 pales in comparison to the 1920 season of George Sisler, the previous record holder with 257 hits. To go along with his 257 hits, Sisler also had: 19 HR, 122 RBI, 42 SB, .407 BA, .632 SLG, and a .449 OBP, which dwarfs every number Ichiro put up in the same categories in his record setting season: 8 HR, 60 RBI, 36 SB, .372 BA, .455 SLG and a .414 OBP. Is Ichiro the new record holder for single season hits? Yes. Complete like Sisler? No. Remember, most does not always equal best, just ask Emmitt Smith.
posted by Trevor at 4:51 PM
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