It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that time of year again\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 but this time I actually have people paying attention to what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m saying thanks to the BBA so lets let the festivities begin!!! (Oh, one thing first\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 big props to baseball-reference.com for helping me organize my thoughts\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6)
\n\u00c2\u00a0
\nManager of the year \u00e2\u20ac\u201c
\n1)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Mike Scioscia (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – or whatever they are called this week\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6)\u00c2\u00a0 For all the heartache this team has suffered this season with the loss of rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart in May, it would have been easy for Mike\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s team to roll over and grieve for the whole season.\u00c2\u00a0 But Mr. Scioscia wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let that happen and he led this team to the AL West victory.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping that this is the catalyst to crush the post season choke that the Angels have suffered from in recent years.\u00c2\u00a0 Ironically, it is for this reason that I have also chosen the Angels to win the World Series this year.
\n2)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Ron Gardenhire (Minnesota Twins)- The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Never say Die\u00e2\u20ac\u009d boys pulled it off again this season taking the AL Central from my beloved Tigers in a game that will probably be seen 10,000,000 more times on the MLB Network as an instant classic.\u00c2\u00a0 Mr. Gardenhire year after year seems to have a way of raising a fire in his players down the stretch.\u00c2\u00a0 Even with two of his best players out of the lineup due to injury in September (Slowey and Morneau) the Twins fought back and went 17-4 down the stretch to force a play in game.
\n3)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Jimmy Leyland (Detroit Tigers) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c What can I say, my boys broke my heart AGAIN\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 But Mr. Leyland showed us a side of himself that he hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t in the past couple of years.\u00c2\u00a0 Small ball was more prevalent in their game this year\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 lots of sac bunts, stolen bases and charges to the plate.\u00c2\u00a0 Mr. Leyland proved to the fans that he does know how to run a lineup National League style with his great use of pinch hitters and runners in the late innings.\u00c2\u00a0 Now if we can just take the hitting from 2008 and combine it with the pitching and small ball from 2009 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we may have a winner here in 2010!
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\nRookie of the Year
\n1)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Rick Porcello (Tigers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c P) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c 14-9, 3.96 ERA, 89K\/52BB, WHIP 1.34 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c All I have to say about Mr. Porcello is that this kid is 20 years old\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 20 YEARS OLD.\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not even old enough to buy a beer yet he has the poise and presence on the mound of a 42 year old seasoned veteran.\u00c2\u00a0 His win to loss ratio, all be it quite impressive, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t begin to show the talent that Rick will grow into.\u00c2\u00a0 He suffered some crushing no decisions from bull pen errors this season.\u00c2\u00a0 Rick is quickly following in the footsteps of another ROY winner on his team \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Justin Verlander in 2006.
\n2)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Matt Wieters (Orioles \u00e2\u20ac\u201c C) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c 9HR, 43 RBI, .288 BA, .340 OBP -\u00c2\u00a0 I actually got to see his major league debut on TV \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it was against the Tigers\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think much of him at the time but he proved me wrong.\u00c2\u00a0 A few more years of seasoning in the MLB and Mr. Wieters will be crushing balls over the wall with the best of them (a Joe Mauer in training).
\n3)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Elvis Andrus (Rangers \u00e2\u20ac\u201cSS) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c 6HR, 40RBI, .267BA, .329 OBP -\u00c2\u00a0 He was great for a rookie with the bat (mediocre for the league) but what he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do with the bat he made up for with his glove.\u00c2\u00a0 Elvis Andrus was a breath of fresh air for the long suffering defensively Rangers.\u00c2\u00a0 He may mature and become tremendous, but what he has now defensively is far beyond what the organization has had in the recent past.
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\nCy Young Award \u00e2\u20ac\u201c
\n1)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Zack Greinke (Royals)- 16\/8, 2.16 ERA,\u00c2\u00a0 229.1 IP, 242 SO -\u00c2\u00a0 WOW \u00e2\u20ac\u201c an ERA like that for a starting pitcher hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been seen in baseball since\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 uh\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 the 1920\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.\u00c2\u00a0 Mr. Greinke\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s win column suffered due to lack of run support but we all know when it comes to pitching stats it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more than what is in the win column.\u00c2\u00a0 He also struck out 9.5 batters per 9 innings pitched\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a shame such talent lies at the bottom of the American League Central standings\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 we will let him come play for the Tigers if he wants to.\u00c2\u00a0
\n2)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Justin Verlander (Tigers) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c 19\/9, 3.45 ERA, 240 IP, 269 SO -\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153JV\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as we affectionately call him here in the D also suffered from lack of run support but he was known as the stopper \u00e2\u20ac\u201c when the Tigers were on a loosing skid he was the one to put a win up and stop it.\u00c2\u00a0 Mr. Verlander\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impressive strike out pitching this season was not as impressive as the fact that in the 8th and 9th inning he had the ability to dial it up to 97 MPH+.\u00c2\u00a0 Mr. Verlander was also considered a workhorse for the Tigers this year consistently throwing over 115 pitches each outing.\u00c2\u00a0 JV also struck out 10.1 batters per 9 innings.\u00c2\u00a0 His ERA and propensity to have 1 blow up inning per game is the reason he was not my number 1 pick this go round.
\n3)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Felix Hernandez (Mariners)- 19\/5, 2.49 ERA, 238.2 IP, 217 SO \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I have always liked King Felix\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 and I was happy to see that he had a good year, but in comparison to Verlander and Greinke he just didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the stuff to make the top two spots on my list.\u00c2\u00a0 Mr. Hernandez struck out 8.2 batters per 9 innings pitched.\u00c2\u00a0 He will get his Cy someday, just not this year.
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\nAL MVP –
\n1)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Joe Mauer (Twins)- I hate to say it, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not so much a fan of the Man of Muscles, but the AL MVP belongs to Joe Mauer of the Twins hands down.\u00c2\u00a0 I can give big props to a catcher who stands 6\u00e2\u20ac\u21225\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a long way down when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re squatting behind the plate every night) and can rake at a .365 clip nearly all season.\u00c2\u00a0 After being on the DL to start the 2009 season, the very first swing of his bat nets the man a home run to start his year \u00e2\u20ac\u201c an omen to come as Joe earned his 3rd batting title in 4 years this season.\u00c2\u00a0 Mr. Mauer is a monster with his bat, smooth with the leather and has proved over the last couple of years to be the rock that his team leans on for guidance and leadership.
\n2)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Derek Jeter (Yankees) – I hate the Yankees like I hate cancer and famine and flood \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but Derek Jeter deserves a nod for MVP as well.\u00c2\u00a0 A .334 BA is nothing to shake a stick at, especially with 18 HR’s and 30 SB’s.\u00c2\u00a0 As always, Jeter can be counted on for being Johnny-on-the-spot and he is as valuable defensively as he is offensively.
\n3)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) -\u00c2\u00a0 One night of binge drinking and brawling with the spouse doesn’t make a season, and it shouldnt ruin one either.\u00c2\u00a0 Miggy finished up the 2009 season with a .324 batting average.\u00c2\u00a0 Last year he was the AL homerun champ, but he fell short of that mark this year with 34 long balls and a team high of 104 RBI’s.\u00c2\u00a0 Fortunately, Miggy has found a home at 1st base and his defensive skills have finally started to show… I’m expecting huge things from him next year.
\n4)\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners) – another 200 hit season to his record, for a record of 9 consecutive years (in case you’re counting that’s every year he has been in the MLB.\u00c2\u00a0 If it wasnt for Joe Mauer, Ichiro would have had the batting title with a .352 while bringing 46 across the plate.\u00c2\u00a0
\n5)\u00c2\u00a0 CC Sabathia (Yankees) -\u00c2\u00a0Impressive pitching in not only the regular season (19-8 with a 3.37 ERA) he has been tearing it up in the post season (I know that doesnt count for voting but still…)\u00c2\u00a0 CC was nowhere near a gamble when the Yankees picked him up in free agency, and he has proved that he is earning his huge paycheck.
\n6)\u00c2\u00a0 Kendry Morales (Angels) -\u00c2\u00a0Truly his break out year, 2009\u00c2\u00a0saw\u00c2\u00a0Kendry hitting at a .306 clip with 34 Homers and 108 runs\u00c2\u00a0batted in.\u00c2\u00a0 He was truly an offensive\u00c2\u00a0force for his\u00c2\u00a0team this season and I would put money on him being an MVP winner in the\u00c2\u00a0very near future.\u00c2\u00a0
\n7)\u00c2\u00a0 Mark Teixeira (Yankees)\u00c2\u00a0– honestly again, I’m going to put personal opinions of a certain team asside, but Mr. Teixeira proved that he too earned his hefty Yankees paycheck.\u00c2\u00a0 Mark hit at a .292 clip with 39 homers and 122 RBI’s on the season.\u00c2\u00a0 I also think he is deserving of the gold glove at 1st base.
\n8.)\u00c2\u00a0 Alex Rodriguez (Yankees) -\u00c2\u00a0This nomination\u00c2\u00a0pains me more than the Joe Mauer vote… I truly and deeply dislike\/despise A-Rod.\u00c2\u00a0 After missing the first month of the season he posted an impressive 30 homers, 100 RBI and a .286 BA – I’ll swallow my pride and include him.
\n9)\u00c2\u00a0 Kevin Youkilis (Red Sox) – Mr. Youkilis proved this season that he can still swing a hefty, hefty bat (even if he looks very funny at the plate doing it – can you say Cal Ripken Jr. violin stance throwback?) Kevin hit 27 homers 36 doubles with a .305 BA – those power numbers are intimidating no matter what league you play in.
\n10)\u00c2\u00a0 Carlos Pena (Rays) -\u00c2\u00a0he lead the league in home runs this year with 39 while driving in 100 runs.\u00c2\u00a0 With these numbers one would think he would have a batting average over .350…nope – a sad .227 – this reason alone will hurt his chances for MVP.\u00c2\u00a0 39 homers and 100 rbi’s = 40% of his runs driven in were with his own feet…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that time of year again\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 but this time I actually have people paying attention to what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m saying thanks to the BBA so lets let the festivities begin!!! (Oh, one thing first\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 big props to baseball-reference.com for helping me organize my thoughts\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":352,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1670\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}