Another GREAT baseball season is nearing an end. As the season concludes, I take a look into my crystal ball and progosticate the end of season awards. Several awards are all but locked up...a couple are as wide open as Wrigley Field in October. Make sure to find me on Twitter (@TheKman84) and let me know what you think....HERE WE GO!!!
AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR:
SHOULD WIN: Ron Gardenhire (MN Twins) - Gardie has won yet another AL Central title and besides a brief midseason stint in 2nd place, has been in the driver seat of the division the entire year. His ballclub is within 2 games of home field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. Those stats alone would put Gardie in the running without any further discussion. There's more. The Twins have been without All Star Closer Joe Nathan the entire season and former MVP Justin Morneau's picture has been on Milk boxes since the mid-season break. Some guy named Danny Valencia has hit the cover off the ball and Jim Thome looks like the Mr. Incredible of old. I wish I could say it's luck, but this happens year after year after year. Gardenhire, although looking like Burl Ives, will win this award comfortably.
COULD WIN: Ron Washington (TX Rangers) - Washington has his boys in the playoffs for the first time since the Rangers got rid of all their talent (steroids) such as Pudge Rodriguez, Juan Gone Gonzalez, and Raffy Palmiero. Speed, Power, Pitching and defense are all cornerstones of this Ranger ballclub. Nolan Ryan should get part of the award if Washington wins for his part in assembling the pitching staff and enstilling the "bulldog" mentality in them. It's a shame that the Rangers are banged up right now and most likely will exit in the first round. The Rangers are looking like the class of the West for years to come and Washington will get a well deserved extension soon to which he can buy all the blow he wants.
Dark Horse: Ozzie Guillen (Whitesox) - Most would argue, and I would also, that this season is Ozzie's best in his 7 seasons managing on the south side. With far less talent than Tampa Bay and New York, Oz would get the nod over Girardi and Madden. His call to get rid of Jim Thome and go to DH by commitee was this season's overall downfall/memory.
MY MIDSEASON PICK WAS: Ron Washington
NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Dusty Baker (Reds)- If you had to bet on ONE guy to win NL manager of the year to save your life....I'm guessing you'd be dead right now. Dusty AND his toothpick have brought winning back to the Queen City. Most Cub fans will tell Reds fans to enjoy the 1 or 2 titles before he ruins all the young arms and gets fired. I will agree.
COULD WIN: Bud Black (Padres) - If you had to bet ONE guy to win NL manager of the year to save your life.....I'd ask what type of shady people do you consort with? But this is another great story, even if they end up on the outside looking in. Most picked San Diego to finish dead last in the NL west this year, and they have proved EVERYone wrong. Heading into Wednesday, the Padres are still alive for both the West AND the wild card. Remember people, Bud Black was the pitching coach for Mike Scoscia's World Series champion Angels...so no surprise the SD pitching staff is easily one of the best in the league.
DARK HORSE: Bobby Cox (Braves) - Would anyone have a problem with the writers honoring the best NL manager of the past 25 years by voting him as NL Manager of the year? Nope. A playoff appearance coming out of arguably the deepest division in the NL would be an impressive and fitting way to end Bobby's Hall of Fame career.
MY MIDSEASON PICK WAS: Dusty Baker
AMERICAN LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Neftali Feliz (Rangers) - 2.81 ERA, 38 Saves, .89 WHIP are GREAT numbers for a closer...let alone a rookie in the middle of a pennant race. I saw this first hand in 2005 with Bobby Jenks. Some of the most grizzled veterans can't pitch in the closer role, but this kid hit the ground running. Let's also not forget that Feliz's ridiculous numbers are being put up in one of the best hitters parks in all of baseball. Overall, the good numbers and role Feliz had helping his team get to October is why he tops my list.
Honorable Mention: Danny Valencia (Twins) - .318BA 7 HR'S 40RBI and a .815 OPS. I take Valencia over either of the Tiger outfielders because both kind of faded in the stretch run, while Valencia stepped into the well oiled machine that is the Minnesota Twins and instantly became a workable cog. Valencia is one of the several Twinkies that stepped in and produced in Morneau's absence. Power numbers were not there, but thats most likely due to the ballpark he played in. Valencia also provided solid defense at the hot corner.
MY MIDSEASON PICK: B Boesch (Tigers)
NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Buster Posey (Giants) - .313 BA, 16 HR's, 64RBI, .873 OPS - Buster Posey is the man. solid numbers for a catcher. Solid numbers for a catcher playing in a pitchers ballpark. Solid numbers for an everyday rookie in a pennant race. His handling of the SF pitching staff is nothing short of sublime. Run away NL winner in my opinion.
Honorable Mention: Jaime Garcia: 2.70 ERA, 13-8 WL, and 1.32 WHIP - Garcia had a great year. He plays in a division with lots and lots of big boppers, and yet he kept his ERA under 3.00. That's impressive. Garcia performed beyond St Louis expectations, but one cant help but question whether this is just another Dave Duncan special??? If he turns into Kyle Lohse, we'll know for sure. No disrespect meant towards Jaime. Disrespect MEANT for Lohse.
MY MIDSEASON PICK FOR NL ROY: Gaby Sanchez
NL CY YOUNG: Roy Halladay (Phillies) - Doc Halladay is down right dirty. Dude almost threw 3 no hitters this year. It's my opinion that in 100 years the Cy Young award will be called the Roy Halladay Award....I'm not joking...he's that good. Put Doc on the best team in the NL and mark him down for 20 wins for the next 5 to 6 years. My Sox only played Halladay's Jays 6 games a year, but that almost certainly meant seeing him twice. That is two times TOO MANY. I am so glad this guy is in the NL.
Honorable Mention: Ubaldo Jimenez (Rockies) - If they gave out awards for each half, Ubaldo would have won the first half Cy. I hinted towards the notion in my midseason report that Ubaldo might make a run at Denny McLean's 30 wins....I was a bit off. Ubaldo has yet to get to 20 wins. Despite his 2nd half struggles, his 1st half performance warrants him being in the team photo for CY candidates.
MY MIDSEASON CY PICK: Ubaldo Jimenez
AL CY YOUNG WINNER: David Price (Tampa Bay Rays) - Let me start by saying that King Felix is the downright dirtiest pitcher in the American League. King Felix, however, is ONE stinking game over .500 on the season, and his WHIP, ERA, and K's are at the top of the charts. Price's numbers are at or near the top as well, plus he's pitching for a good team. Let's not forget Price's everyday competition in comparison to say...the AL West. It's not even a question who has the tougher opponents day in and day out. 2.73 ERA 19-6 WL, and a 1.20 WHIP sound like Cy Young numbers to me. One last thing I'll say about King Felix is this: Zack Greinke won the Cy Young last year on a bad team...but he went 16-8....MUCH better than 13-12.
HONORABLE MENTION: CC Sabathia (Yankees) - CC's numbers are comparable to Price and I could honestly see this going either way. I wonder if Boston and NY sports writers will split their votes and leave the award in Price's hands. One thing I would say about Sabathia is this: If I was playing a game 163 to get into the playoffs and I could pick any pitcher, I'm probably going Sabathia.
MY MIDSEASON PICK: David Price
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera - Cabby wins in a close vote, but wins regardless. .328 BA, 38 HR's, 126 RBI's, and 1.044 OPS gives him the nod over Konerko, Cano, and Hamilton. Hamilton is not being considered as he has spent more than a month on the DL. Imagine the Tigers without Miguel Cabrera...Does the term "Dumpster Fire" come to mind? Yikes. This guy is the ONLY Tiger that got the memo that baseball starts in April and ends in September. I hate giving MVP awards to guys on losing teams, but the numbers dont lie. Cabrera is the best offensive player in Major League Baseball.
Honorable Mention: Paul Konerko (Whitesox) - Before you call me a mouth breathing homer, look at the man's numbers: .310 BA, 38 HR's, 107 RBI's, and a .971 OPS. Compare those numbers to Cabrera's. Also take into consideration Paulie is one of the top 3 or 4 defensive first basemen in the AL. Add the fact that Konerko is the Captain of the team and you have yourself a valuable player. Unfortunately, the only way the White Sox get ANY press on national networks is by either playing the Yankees/RedSox, throwing a perfect game, or winning the World Series. I have yet to hear Konerko's name mentioned in the discussion on the 4 letter sports channel. Take Konerko away from the Sox lineup and the Royals end up in 3rd place...if you catch my drift. The term "valuable" cant be more perfect for Konerko's role on his club.
MY MIDSEASON PICK: Miguel Cabrera
NL MVP: Joey Votto (Reds) - .325BA, 37 HR's, 111 RBI, and 1.029 OPS are RIDICULOUS numbers! I'm guessing you assumed a powerful 1st baseman from the NL Central would run away with the MVP award this year? I did too. Fact of the matter is Votto beats out Pujols because Votto is going to the playoffs and Pujols isnt. I love Votto's attitude...He said he hates the Cubs, and we all remember what happened between his Reds and Pujols' Cardinals. Too often I go to a ballgame and see players from different teams hugging and chatting pregame...Votto agrees with me...those guys are NOT your friends...Dude is very young and to be so vocal at such a young age tells you Cincinnati has something special at first base.
Honorable Mention: Albert Pujols (Cardinals) - The sexy pick is Carlos Gonzalez. Let me debunk the Cargo myth right now... First, Cargo's numbers: .331 BA, 34 HR's, 117 RBI's. Great season numbers...look closer now...Home #'s .386 BA, 26 HR's, 76 RBI's. Now look on the road: .293 BA 8 HR's, and 41 RBI. WOW. This guy is making a living mashing at Coors. I dont hate on the guy because he's taking advantage of his surroundings, but he is ABSOLUTELY a product of Coors Field, and not worthy of an MVP Award. Pujols put up big numbers in a decent sized ball park. Albert would hit 40 dingers if he played in Yellowstone park. Like I said before, Pujols loses only because he is not going to the playoffs, and Votto is. Numbers are comparable.
So that's it folks...tell me what you think! Keep an eye out for my post season predictions as soon as the matchups are set. Can't Wait for October baseball!!!
