And the Awards Winners Are...
AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez
Listen, I hate the Yankees. I greatly dislike A-rod. And I still think, a season later, that the Tigers are (were) a great story. Magglio Ordonez had an amazing season. He carried a team that played much of the year without Gary Sheffield to protect him in the lineup. He finally showed what everyone thought, that if he could stay healthy for an entire season, he could do this. But A-rod showed us again the same thing he has shown us since he broke into the bigs. He can hit. He can hit it far. And he can hit it often. The Yankees were all but dead in the water back in May. They were 14.5 games out of first place. Their signing of Kei Igawa, to offset the Sox signing Dice-K, worked out so poorly, he was sent down to the minors. Mike Mussina was removed from the rotation. Johnny Damon was hurt, Jason Giambi was hurt, Bobby Abreu had a terrible first half. Their $28 million pitcher was so-so. The only other constants were Posada and Jeter. Jeter is overrated, and Posada is no A-rod. If A-rod didn't have the season he did, we might still be talking about a 14.5 game lead for the Red Sox.
(Honorable mentions: Magglio Ordonez, Vlad, Grady Sizemore)
AL Cy Young - CC Sabathia
With all due respect to Josh Beckett, CC Sabathia has been the ace the Indians have been waiting for. He's top 5 in the AL in wins and strikeouts. He's sixth in the league in ERA (out of the top 5 by 0.03). Second in starts, and first in innings pitched. Beckett has pitched very well all season. He's been there when the Red Sox have needed him the most. But CC Sabathia has also gone 4-1 when matched up against aces Justin Verlander and Johan Santana this season. Beckett will have his day. At some point he'll win a Cy Young, or two, or three. But this season belongs to CC. The Indians needed Sabathia to step up and be the ace he's always made them believe he could be, and he has delivered. He's also turned in 24 quality starts in 33 tries. (note, I believe Beckett will win the actual award, benefits of playing in the media heavy East, but if I had a vote, it would go to Sabathia.)
(Honorable mentions: Justin Verlander, Josh Beckett, John Lackey)
AL ROY - Dustin Pedroia
This is a two horse race between Pedroia and Delmon Young of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Pedroia started the season terribly. All of Red Sox nation was wondering if the youngster had been rushed to the bigs. Could he handle big league pitching? Well, 5 months later, you have your answer. Delmon might leads all rookies in hits and RBI's. But Dustin Pedroia is first in average, slugging, OPS (100 points better than Young) and is second in OBP. And nothing against Delmon, he's shown that he has what it takes to be a star for years to come in this league, but Pedroia has done all of this in the middle of a pennant race. And Hall of Famer Peter Gammons points out another interesting statistic about Pedroia's consistency and diversity as a hitter, on the season he had 48 XBH, 47 BB, and 42 SO. He's become a face of a franchise in one of the biggest baseball cities in America. He's listed generously at 5'9", but he plays like he's Big Papi. He's adjusted better to Boston than the highly overpaid JD Drew, without ever having played a significant big league game before this season.
(Honorable mentions: Delmon Young, Reggie Willits)
NL MVP - Jimmy Rollins
I'm not sure what was more amazing. The New York Mets epic collapse, or the Philadelphia Phillies amazing comeback in the NL East. On September 13th, the Mets were 6.5 games in front of Philadelphia. On September 30th, the Philadelphia Phillies won the NL East by a game. Say all you want about the amazing season that Matt Holliday had. And unfortunately it was all for naught from the Prince of Milwaukee. Ask any Philly what the constant was all season long, and I bet not a single player would hesitate to answer Jimmy Rollins. Chase Utley is a phenomenal second baseman, and figures to be one for years to come, but while he missed 30 games on the DL this season, it was Rollins that kept them afloat. Brett Myers has been off and on all year, and Cole Hamels started the season like a bat out of hell, but then slowed to the pace of five wins in the final half of the season. So what did Jimmy Rollins do that was so important? Let's see... he hit .296, slugged .531, had an OPS of .875, hit 30 homers, and drove in 94 runs. He also played in all 162 games the Phillies had this season. Oh, and he, along with Curtis Granderson of the Detroit Tigers, became the first players since 1957 to go 20-20-20-20. What does that all mean? 20 triples, 20 doubles, 20 homers and 20 stolen bases all in the same season. Only four players in the history of baseball have ever done that. Not Tris Speaker, not Ted Williams, not even Ty Cobb. Just Jimmy Rollins and Curtis Granderson in 2007, Willie Mays in 1957 and Frank "Wildfire" Schulte way back in 1911. You'd be hard pressed to find a player in baseball that did more for his team this season, let alone in the NL.
(Honorable mentions: Matt Holliday, Carlos Zambrano)
NL Cy Young - Jake Peavy
The pitching triple crown hardly seems as exciting as it's offensive counterpart, but it's certainly no less impressive. Peavy went 19-6 this season with a 2.36 ERA, and 234 strikeouts in 217 innings. He led all NL pitchers in ERA (by over half a run, 0.65), WHIP, K's and wins, and he was also top 5 in the NL in innings pitched. Of Peavy's six losses, half were quality starts, and his worst start of the season, the only one of all 33 in which he gave up more than 4 earned runs, was on 3 days rest. And in September, when the Padres needed him to be Cy Young, he was. Minus the start on 3 days rest, he made 5 others, in those 5 combined, he gave up 6 earned runs and won 4 of them. The lone loss was a 2-1 loss in 14 innings to Colorado in which he went 7 innings, struck out eight, and gave up 1 earned run. After two promising seasons in '04 and '05, he seemed to take a step back last season. Well, it seems that after career bests in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched this season, the 26 year old right hander is here to stay.
(Honorable mentions: Brandon Webb, Brad Penny)
NL ROY - Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Braun
I know, how can I do that. I can't, you can't have two winners for one award. Well, I'm going to. For every other award, there is someone that sticks out head and shoulders above the rest. There is something that puts each player above his peers. Well in this race, that isn't the case. Both youngsters had amazing seasons on teams that were in a playoff race, Braun's ended a little earlier, and Tulowitzki's didn't start until later, but his is actually still going, 163 games strong for the NL Wild Card. In 113 games Ryan Braun hit .324, slugged .634, had an OPS of 1.004, stole 15 bases, hit 34 homers, drove in 97 runs, had 26 doubles, 6 triples, 91 runs scored, and a partridge in a pear tree. In 154 games, Troy Tulowitzki hit .287, slugged .472, had an OPS of .829, hit 31 doubles, 24 homers, drove in 98 runs, scored 101 runs and had 173 hits. Each season a little different. Each season very impressive for anyone, let alone someone playing in their first full season in the bigs. Braun had 56 XBH's and Tulowitzki had 59. If there is only one NL Rookie of the Year, you tell me who it is, because I can't find just one.
(Honorable mentions: Are you serious? These guys are it. Then again, if Hunter Pence hadn't missed 50+ games, we might be talking about a triumvirate of winners)
There you have it. Straight from the horse's mouth. Go ahead and argue, but you know I'm right. Just a little clarification on Zambrano as an honorable mention for NL MVP, but not as Cy Young, he deserves it. He wasn't the best pitcher in the NL this year, but he's certainly a legitimate MVP candidate. He went 4-2 in September. He shows more emotion on the mound than Paris Hilton showed when she was getting hauled off to prison. The city of Chicago lives and dies with the Big Z. Sure he went 18-13 on the season, but he got a decision in all but three of his starts. And sure the Cubs were only 18-16 in games started by Zambrano; but ask any Cub who they want on the mound in a must win game, there wouldn't be a vote except Zambrano. Only one Cub drove in over 100 runs this season (Aramis Ramirez, 101). Only one hit over 30 homers (Alfonso Soriano, 32). But somehow they're in the playoffs.
I don't buy it that a starting pitcher can't be the MVP. Pedro Martinez should have been the AL MVP for Boston in 1999. Mariano Rivera should have been the AL MVP for New York in 2004. And sometimes, the big statistics aren't always the big statistics as exampled by Randy Johnson in 2004, where he should have been the NL Cy Young award winner, not Roger Clemens, despite going 16-14. The award is for best pitcher, not most wins, not most popular. And now you wonder how someone could lose 14 games and still be the "best pitcher?" Like this: Randy Johnson, 2004, 16-14, 245.2 innings pitched, 290 strikeouts, a 2.60 ERA, the 17th perfect game in baseball history, and get this, a 0.90 WHIP. It probably didn't have a whole lot to do with Johnson that the Diamondbacks went 51-111 that season. But it probably had a lot to do with the Diamondbacks that Johnson went only 16-14. And you can't help but to wonder, if they were even a .500 team, how many more wins might he have had, or how many fewer games might he have lost? But hey, what do I know?
Listen, I hate the Yankees. I greatly dislike A-rod. And I still think, a season later, that the Tigers are (were) a great story. Magglio Ordonez had an amazing season. He carried a team that played much of the year without Gary Sheffield to protect him in the lineup. He finally showed what everyone thought, that if he could stay healthy for an entire season, he could do this. But A-rod showed us again the same thing he has shown us since he broke into the bigs. He can hit. He can hit it far. And he can hit it often. The Yankees were all but dead in the water back in May. They were 14.5 games out of first place. Their signing of Kei Igawa, to offset the Sox signing Dice-K, worked out so poorly, he was sent down to the minors. Mike Mussina was removed from the rotation. Johnny Damon was hurt, Jason Giambi was hurt, Bobby Abreu had a terrible first half. Their $28 million pitcher was so-so. The only other constants were Posada and Jeter. Jeter is overrated, and Posada is no A-rod. If A-rod didn't have the season he did, we might still be talking about a 14.5 game lead for the Red Sox.
(Honorable mentions: Magglio Ordonez, Vlad, Grady Sizemore)
AL Cy Young - CC Sabathia
With all due respect to Josh Beckett, CC Sabathia has been the ace the Indians have been waiting for. He's top 5 in the AL in wins and strikeouts. He's sixth in the league in ERA (out of the top 5 by 0.03). Second in starts, and first in innings pitched. Beckett has pitched very well all season. He's been there when the Red Sox have needed him the most. But CC Sabathia has also gone 4-1 when matched up against aces Justin Verlander and Johan Santana this season. Beckett will have his day. At some point he'll win a Cy Young, or two, or three. But this season belongs to CC. The Indians needed Sabathia to step up and be the ace he's always made them believe he could be, and he has delivered. He's also turned in 24 quality starts in 33 tries. (note, I believe Beckett will win the actual award, benefits of playing in the media heavy East, but if I had a vote, it would go to Sabathia.)
(Honorable mentions: Justin Verlander, Josh Beckett, John Lackey)
AL ROY - Dustin Pedroia
This is a two horse race between Pedroia and Delmon Young of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Pedroia started the season terribly. All of Red Sox nation was wondering if the youngster had been rushed to the bigs. Could he handle big league pitching? Well, 5 months later, you have your answer. Delmon might leads all rookies in hits and RBI's. But Dustin Pedroia is first in average, slugging, OPS (100 points better than Young) and is second in OBP. And nothing against Delmon, he's shown that he has what it takes to be a star for years to come in this league, but Pedroia has done all of this in the middle of a pennant race. And Hall of Famer Peter Gammons points out another interesting statistic about Pedroia's consistency and diversity as a hitter, on the season he had 48 XBH, 47 BB, and 42 SO. He's become a face of a franchise in one of the biggest baseball cities in America. He's listed generously at 5'9", but he plays like he's Big Papi. He's adjusted better to Boston than the highly overpaid JD Drew, without ever having played a significant big league game before this season.
(Honorable mentions: Delmon Young, Reggie Willits)
NL MVP - Jimmy Rollins
I'm not sure what was more amazing. The New York Mets epic collapse, or the Philadelphia Phillies amazing comeback in the NL East. On September 13th, the Mets were 6.5 games in front of Philadelphia. On September 30th, the Philadelphia Phillies won the NL East by a game. Say all you want about the amazing season that Matt Holliday had. And unfortunately it was all for naught from the Prince of Milwaukee. Ask any Philly what the constant was all season long, and I bet not a single player would hesitate to answer Jimmy Rollins. Chase Utley is a phenomenal second baseman, and figures to be one for years to come, but while he missed 30 games on the DL this season, it was Rollins that kept them afloat. Brett Myers has been off and on all year, and Cole Hamels started the season like a bat out of hell, but then slowed to the pace of five wins in the final half of the season. So what did Jimmy Rollins do that was so important? Let's see... he hit .296, slugged .531, had an OPS of .875, hit 30 homers, and drove in 94 runs. He also played in all 162 games the Phillies had this season. Oh, and he, along with Curtis Granderson of the Detroit Tigers, became the first players since 1957 to go 20-20-20-20. What does that all mean? 20 triples, 20 doubles, 20 homers and 20 stolen bases all in the same season. Only four players in the history of baseball have ever done that. Not Tris Speaker, not Ted Williams, not even Ty Cobb. Just Jimmy Rollins and Curtis Granderson in 2007, Willie Mays in 1957 and Frank "Wildfire" Schulte way back in 1911. You'd be hard pressed to find a player in baseball that did more for his team this season, let alone in the NL.
(Honorable mentions: Matt Holliday, Carlos Zambrano)
NL Cy Young - Jake Peavy
The pitching triple crown hardly seems as exciting as it's offensive counterpart, but it's certainly no less impressive. Peavy went 19-6 this season with a 2.36 ERA, and 234 strikeouts in 217 innings. He led all NL pitchers in ERA (by over half a run, 0.65), WHIP, K's and wins, and he was also top 5 in the NL in innings pitched. Of Peavy's six losses, half were quality starts, and his worst start of the season, the only one of all 33 in which he gave up more than 4 earned runs, was on 3 days rest. And in September, when the Padres needed him to be Cy Young, he was. Minus the start on 3 days rest, he made 5 others, in those 5 combined, he gave up 6 earned runs and won 4 of them. The lone loss was a 2-1 loss in 14 innings to Colorado in which he went 7 innings, struck out eight, and gave up 1 earned run. After two promising seasons in '04 and '05, he seemed to take a step back last season. Well, it seems that after career bests in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched this season, the 26 year old right hander is here to stay.
(Honorable mentions: Brandon Webb, Brad Penny)
NL ROY - Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Braun
I know, how can I do that. I can't, you can't have two winners for one award. Well, I'm going to. For every other award, there is someone that sticks out head and shoulders above the rest. There is something that puts each player above his peers. Well in this race, that isn't the case. Both youngsters had amazing seasons on teams that were in a playoff race, Braun's ended a little earlier, and Tulowitzki's didn't start until later, but his is actually still going, 163 games strong for the NL Wild Card. In 113 games Ryan Braun hit .324, slugged .634, had an OPS of 1.004, stole 15 bases, hit 34 homers, drove in 97 runs, had 26 doubles, 6 triples, 91 runs scored, and a partridge in a pear tree. In 154 games, Troy Tulowitzki hit .287, slugged .472, had an OPS of .829, hit 31 doubles, 24 homers, drove in 98 runs, scored 101 runs and had 173 hits. Each season a little different. Each season very impressive for anyone, let alone someone playing in their first full season in the bigs. Braun had 56 XBH's and Tulowitzki had 59. If there is only one NL Rookie of the Year, you tell me who it is, because I can't find just one.
(Honorable mentions: Are you serious? These guys are it. Then again, if Hunter Pence hadn't missed 50+ games, we might be talking about a triumvirate of winners)
There you have it. Straight from the horse's mouth. Go ahead and argue, but you know I'm right. Just a little clarification on Zambrano as an honorable mention for NL MVP, but not as Cy Young, he deserves it. He wasn't the best pitcher in the NL this year, but he's certainly a legitimate MVP candidate. He went 4-2 in September. He shows more emotion on the mound than Paris Hilton showed when she was getting hauled off to prison. The city of Chicago lives and dies with the Big Z. Sure he went 18-13 on the season, but he got a decision in all but three of his starts. And sure the Cubs were only 18-16 in games started by Zambrano; but ask any Cub who they want on the mound in a must win game, there wouldn't be a vote except Zambrano. Only one Cub drove in over 100 runs this season (Aramis Ramirez, 101). Only one hit over 30 homers (Alfonso Soriano, 32). But somehow they're in the playoffs.
I don't buy it that a starting pitcher can't be the MVP. Pedro Martinez should have been the AL MVP for Boston in 1999. Mariano Rivera should have been the AL MVP for New York in 2004. And sometimes, the big statistics aren't always the big statistics as exampled by Randy Johnson in 2004, where he should have been the NL Cy Young award winner, not Roger Clemens, despite going 16-14. The award is for best pitcher, not most wins, not most popular. And now you wonder how someone could lose 14 games and still be the "best pitcher?" Like this: Randy Johnson, 2004, 16-14, 245.2 innings pitched, 290 strikeouts, a 2.60 ERA, the 17th perfect game in baseball history, and get this, a 0.90 WHIP. It probably didn't have a whole lot to do with Johnson that the Diamondbacks went 51-111 that season. But it probably had a lot to do with the Diamondbacks that Johnson went only 16-14. And you can't help but to wonder, if they were even a .500 team, how many more wins might he have had, or how many fewer games might he have lost? But hey, what do I know?
posted by Trevor at 3:41 AM
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