Award Race June 28
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by user Timothy Moreland(Bball3345)
This version will be a little different than the previous two Award Race's. The All-stars will not be included, as I did seperate articles on them here and here. Thus, I will focus more on the other awards, listing a top 5 instead of just who I think should be the winner(Note: These are who I would vote for, not who I think will actually win them). And the winners are...
AL MVP
Cleveland has a strong showing here as Hafner and Sizemore have been the only bright spots to an otherwise dismal roster. After a 5/5 night yesterday, Mauer increases his lead in the AL batting race, as well as providing stellar defense behind the plate. With Santana, Liriano, and a strong bullpen making the task of scoring a run off of the Twins difficult, Mauer has almost completely carried the offense by himself at a position where offense does not come often. Wells has been one of the top batters in the leaugue, as well as helping the Blue Jays become legitimate contenders in the AL East. With A-Rod "slumping" this year and a rotation that hasn't scared anyone, Jeter is having yet another strong year.
NL MVP
Although Pujols missed some time with injury, he is back now and he blew away the rest of the league before he was set down. His amazing leads in most of the offensive categories were not even caught while he was gone. Carlos Beltran, now healthy, has looked like the player New York signed to a huge multi-year contract last year. His offense matches anyone in the league, which is combined with Gold-Glove caliber defense. The surprisingly competitive Marlins have been led this year by Miggy, the most valuable hitter outside of Pujols. Arizona's chances for the postseason have faded recently; however, Webb's complete dominance was one of the main reasons they stayed in the race so long. With a strong K rate, a ridiculous talent at getting hitters to smash the ball into the ground, and a tenacious middle infield defense behind him, Webb has no reason to fail. With Pujols out, the Cardinals fate rested on the shoulders of Rolen and they held on tight to first place. With Pujols back, they combine to form one of the best teammate duos in the game.
AL Cy Young
Santana has been the best pitcher in the AL, by far. However, he has gotten some help, because Halladay missed a couple starts and Liriano started the year in the pen. With Halladay healthy and Liriano shutting down teams every fifth day, this should be a truly great three-way race for the Cy. Zito has been solid for the resurgent A's. Papelbon gives the Red Sox a dominant closer, which will help them in close games come October.
NL Cy Young
Webb was discussed earlier as an MVP candidate, so it makes sense he would be the Cy Young winner. Arroyo and Schmidt are both former Pirates who have been dominant in different ways this year. Arroyo does not give out free passes, while Schmidt utilizes the strikeout. Zambrano again proves he should receive far more attention than the oft-injured Prior and Wood. Capuano has lowered his ERA to right around 3.00 this year, while having even better stuff than his breakthrough year last year. While his K rate is up some, it is the fact he has significantly cut down on walks driving his success.
AL Rookie of the Year
As the runner-up for the Cy Young, it makes sense Liriano would be the Rookie of the Year. The AL is chock full of good young pitchers, with 4 of the 5 candidates helping the team from the mound. Papelbon has been the best reliever in the game this year, Verlander has been the best pitcher on the best staff in the majors, and Zumaya has been the dominant reliever for them. Napoli has used his limited playing time with the Angels to do big things.
NL Rookie of the Year
Offensively, Uggla and Fielder have been been fairly similar; however, Uggla's offense comes from 2B, while Fielder is a firstbaseman. Throw in the fact, Uggla has been arguably the top defender in the leaugue, and he is an easy pick for Rookie of the Year. Joshua Johnson has flown under the radar with a 2.20 ERA in 10 starts and 7 relief appearances. Hanley Ramirez, the third Marlin on the list, combines with Uggla to form a great young middle infield. Wainwright, the former Braves top prospect, has shown he can consistently get big league hitters out with a 2.45 ERA in 27 relief appearances.
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| Player Articles | Dwight Gooden | Albert Pujols | Travis Hafner | Carlos Zambrano | Ryan Howard | Adam LaRoche | |||
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Date
Wed 06/28/06, 5:02 am EST
