Award Race: August 28
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by user Timothy Moreland(Bball3345)
For the fifth time, I offer my opinion on who should win the major MLB awards. My picks assume the season ends today; therefore, these are not necessarily who I think will win come the end of the season. (Note: These are who I would vote for, not who I think will actually win them).
AL MVP
1. Derek Jeter
2. Joe Mauer
4. David Ortiz
Jeter and Mauer remain atop the list, although it is practically a coin flip between the two in my opinion. Powered by a .352 average and 1.263 OPS in August, Hafner surpassed Big Papi. Sizemore, who held the four spot at the beginning of the month, managed only a .351 OBP in August. Manny was just being Manny this month, hitting .378/ .500/ .635 behind Ortiz.
NL MVP
Biggest change here is the placement of Pujols in an unfamiliar spot, behind Beltran. Missing time due to injury has finally caught up to Pujols in the MVP race. If this were awarded on a per-game basis, instead of the whole body of work, Pujols would clearly take the honors. Fortunately for Beltran, this is not the case. Beltran is on pace to post his third straight 1.000+ OPS and fifth straight .600+ SLG. Berkman, who was not on the list last time, bumps Soriano down and Webb, who probably shouldn’t have been there, off. Berkman’s .456 OBP and 8 home runs in August have done wonders for his candidacy.
AL Cy Young
2. Roy Halladay
5. Danny Haren
There has been intense support for Halladay, but I ranked him below the rookies in the previous edition. Since then Halladay has remained consistent, while Liriano hit the DL, Verlander hit the wall, and Papelbon got hit. Papelbon still stands above the other closers in spite of a rough patch, Liriano will continue to slide down the list the longer he remains inactive, and Verlander needs to regain his form to get back on. In the meantime, Haren has won six of his last seven, striking out 12 in his latest start.
NL Cy Young
2. John Smoltz
4. Brandon Webb
I predicted Webb would endure the race to win the Cy Young. Unfortunately, August had other plans. Webb has not gone past 6.0 innings in his three starts, while seeing an increase in ERA from 2.77 to 2.99. Three starts before August, Webb’s ERA was 2.51. Carpenter took advantage, averaging 8.6 innings in his last three starts, allowing a total of 3 runs. Smoltz jumped from off the list to the number two spot by winning eight of his last nine decisions with a 31:4 K:BB ratio in his last three.
AL Rookie of the Year
4. Jered Weaver
5. Joel Zumaya
This list remains virtually unchanged with the only difference being the flip-flop of Papelbon and Verlander. Verlander’s ERA has risen from 2.69 to 3.42 since July 26th. At 158 innings pitched, his young arm is feeling the effects.
NL Rookie of the Year
2. Dan Uggla
4. Andre Ethier
Ethier makes an appearance, bumping Fielder down a notch. The top stays the same with ERA leader Johnson ahead of his teammates Uggla and Ramirez.
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Date
Mon 08/28/06, 10:06 am EST
