The Baseball Blog: 2009 MLB Awards

2009 MLB Awards

With the World Series over it’s time to give out my 2009 MLB Awards. If you read this blog last year then you know that some of these awards are the traditional ones (MVP, Cy Young, etc.) and others are ones that I came up with just for the hell of it.

With a few obvious exceptions, these awards are based on the regular season. If things are really close between a few players I might lean towards a guy who played for a successful team or who also came through in the playoffs or something of that nature. As for the Most Valuable Player Awards or POY’s, etc., I base it on which player was most valuable to his team, not which player was most valuable to a winning team. For Cy Young Awards and other similar awards, I base it on the best pitcher, not the best pitcher for a winning team. For any of these awards I only go to team performance as a sort of tie-breaker in a really close case.

I don’t give out defensive awards because fielding is just too hard to grade effectively. However, I do take into account defensive performance when selecting the winner of each award. But for the most part, I’ll only use defense as a small factor unless a player is either exceptionally good or bad defensively.

Some of these selections were clear cut, no doubt winners. Others were really close. For the most part I value the rate at which a player is productive and not just the total numbers, but obviously I always take into effect things like at bats, games played, appearances, etc.

American League Most Valuable Player Award
Winner: Joe Mauer-Catcher-Minnesota Twins
Runner-up: Mark Teixeira-First Base-New York Yankees
Third Place: Kevin Youkilis-First Base-Boston Red Sox
Comments: Mauer was the clear cut winner. He missed time early on with an injury and still finished with solid totals (94 runs, 30 doubles, 28 homers, and 96 RBI in 138 games). Mauer pulled off a rare sweep of the rate stats in the AL, finishing 1st in batting average, OBP, Slugging, and OPS. He also led the AL in Runs Created and RC per 27 outs. He was tied 2nd in the AL in intentional walks; 6th in hits, tied 7th in Total Bases, and 6th in Times on Base. And he did all of this while playing catcher in 112 games.

National League Most Valuable Player Award
Winner: Albert Pujols-First Base-St. Louis Cardinals
Runner-up: Prince Fielder-First Base-Milwaukee Brewers
Third Place: Hanley Ramirez-Short Stop-Florida Marlins
Comments: Pujols ran away with the NL MVP and was a legitimate triple crown threat. A-Pu led the NL in OBP; Slugging; OPS; Runs; Total Bases; Homers; Runs Created; RC27; Extra Base Hits; Times on Base; Intentional Walks; and AB/HR. How ridiculous is that? He was also 2nd in the NL in Doubles; tied for 2nd in Games Played; 3rd in average; 3rd in RBI; 3rd in BB; 6th in hits; tied 9th in Sac Flies; 9th in Power/Speed; and 6th in AB/K. And he played Gold Glove worthy defense at first base.

American League Cy Young Award
Winner: Zach Greinke-Starter-Kansas City Royals
Runner-up: Roy Halladay-Starter-Toronto Blue Jays
Third Place: Felix Hernandez-Starter-Seattle Mariners
Comments: Greinke was the clear cut AL Cy Young. He had a remarkable season that will probably not receive the acclaim it truly deserves due to the fact that he plays for the Royals. But in reality, the fact that he did what he did while pitching for Kansas City makes it all the more impressive. Greinke led the AL in ERA; WHIP; and HR/9. He was 2nd in the AL in H/9; K’s; Complete Games; Shutouts; K/BB; Quality Starts and Quality Start Percentage. He was 3rd in the AL in K/9. Despite pitching for a team that tied for the worst record in the AL, Greinke finished tied for 7th in the AL in Wins and tied 8th in Winning Percentage. He was 5th in the AL in BB/9; 5th in Innings Pitched; and tied 4th in Games Started. Among pitchers with at least 200 innings, Greinke was 1st in the AL OBP-Against; 2nd in Batting Average-Against; 2nd in Slugging-Against; and 2nd in OPS-Against. He had 4 Tough Losses and 0 Cheap Wins.

National League Cy Young Award
Winner: Chris Carpenter-Starter-St. Louis Cardinals
Runner-up: Tim Lincecum-Starter-San Francisco Giants
Third Place: Adam Wainwright-Starter-St. Louis Cardinals
Comments: This was one of the toughest awards to decide on. Lincecum was awesome again and certainly deserving. Though Chris Carpenter missed some time with injuries and was not quite the work horse that Lincecum was and Wainwright was, I still felt that he was the best pitcher in the National League this year. Carpenter led the NL in ERA; Win%; and HR/9. He was 2nd in the NL in wins; WHIP; and QS%. Carpenter was 3rd in the NL in BB/9 and tied 3rd in Complete Games. Carpenter was also 4th in the NL in H/9; tied 6th in Shutouts; and 8th in K/BB. Among NL pitchers with at least 180 IP, Carpenter was 2nd in SLGA and OPSA; 4th in OBPA; and 5th in BAA. He had 2 Tough Losses and 0 Cheap Wins.

American League Rolaids Relief Award (Best Relief Pitcher)
Winner: Mariano Rivera-Closer-New York Yankees
Runner-up: Andrew Bailey-Closer-Oakland Athletics
Third Place: (Tie) Joe Nathan-Closer-Minnesota Twins/Jonathan Papelbon-Closer-Boston Red Sox
Comments: When I picked this one I was really stunned at my conclusion. Not because of the winner; Mo Rivera was once again the best closer in the AL for certain. But I couldn’t believe I wound up naming Andrew Bailey as runner up. More on him later. As for the Sandman, Rivera pitched in 66 games, going 3-3 and converting 44 of 46 save chances (95.7%) while posting a 1.76 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP over 66.1 innings. Rivera fanned 72 and walked just 12. He held opposing batters to .197/.237/.311/.549 hitting. Rivera was 3rd in the AL in Saves. Among the 12 AL pitchers with at least 20 Saves, Rivera was 2nd in Save%. Among AL pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched, Rivera was 1st in ERA and K/BB; 3rd in WHIP; OBPA; and OPSA; 9th in SLGA; and tied 9th in BAA.

National League Rolaids Relief Award (Best Relief Pitcher)
Winner: Huston Street-Closer-Colorado Rockies
Runner-up: Trevor Hoffman-Closer-Milwaukee Brewers
Third Place: Jonathan Broxton-Closer-Los Angeles Dodgers
Comments: This was a tough one because although Street was very effective closing out games, some of his numbers didn’t wow you. But he was the best closer in the National League this season when you get down to it. Street made 64 appearances, going 4-1 with 2 Holds and 35 Saves in 37 chances (94.6%) while posting a 3.06 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP over 61.2 innings. Street fanned 70 while walking just 13 and held opposing batters to .194/.236/.324/.561 hitting despite pitching half the time at Coors Field. He was tied 7th in the NL in Saves but among 16 NL pitchers with at least 20 Saves, Street was 2nd in Save%. Among NL pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched, Street was 1st in OBPA; 2nd in WHIP; 5th in K/BB; 5th in OPSA; 11th in BAA and 11th in K/9.

American League Rookie of the Year Award
Winner: Andrew Bailey-Closer-Oakland Athletics
Runner-up: Nolan Reimold-Left Fielder-Baltimore Orioles
Third Place: Gordon Beckham-Short Stop-Chicago White Sox
Comments: This might have been the most lopsided contest of all. I had Andrew Bailey on one of my fantasy teams and I still had no idea how good of a season he had. He had a great season by any measure of standards. Compared to the rest of the rookies in the AL, Bailey was in another league. Bailey made 68 appearances for Oakland last season, going 6-3 with 2 Holds, 26 Saves in 30 chances (86.7%), a 1.84 ERA and a miniscule 0.88 WHIP over 83.1 innings. Bailey had 91 K against 24 BB. He dominated opposing batters, holding them to .167/.228/.248/.476 hitting. Bailey led all AL rookies in Saves with 26 and no other rookie had more than 2. He was 3rd among AL rookies in games pitched. Among AL rookie pitchers with at least 40 innings, Bailey was 1st in ERA; WHIP; BAA; OBPA; SLGA; and OPSA; and 4th in K/BB and K/9. Bailey’s OPSA was a ridiculous .476. Among AL rookies with at least 40 IP, the next best OPSA was .629.

National League Rookie of the Year Award
Winner: Chris Coghlan-Left Fielder-Florida Marlins
Runner-up: Garrett Jones-Right Fielder-Pittsburgh Pirates
Third Place: J.A. Happ-Starter-Philadelphia Phillies
Comments: This was a tough one to pick. One of the main deciding factors was that Garrett Jones played in just 82 games. Some people may not even know who Chris Coghlan is and his stats don’t jump off the page at you. But if you played in an NL-only fantasy league you know how consistently good he was. You really have to watch Coghlan to see how good he is. NL East fans that got to watch him 15 times or so figured out by the end of the year that he was a player and a guy you want in your lineup. Coghlan played in 128 games for the Marlins as a rookie and ended up hitting .321/.390/.460/.850 with 84 runs, 31 doubles, 6 triples, and 9 homers. Coghlan led all NL rookies in Runs, Hits, Doubles, Triples, and RC. Only 3 NL rookies qualified for the batting title and Coghlan was easily the leader in average, OBP, Slugging and OPS. He was 5th among NL rookies in triples, tied 9th in homers, 5th in RBI, 7th in SB, 3rd in BB, and 2nd in EXBH. Among NL rookies with at least 300 PA, Coghlan was 1st in batting average, OBP, and BB/K; 2nd in RC27; 3rd in OPS; and 4th in Slugging.

American League Manager of the Year Award
Winner: Joe Girardi-New York Yankees
Runner-up: Ron Washington-Texas Rangers
Third Place: Ron Gardenhire-Minnesota Twins
Comments: These types of awards are pretty subjective. In all pro sports it’s difficult to say how much influence a coach or manager had on his team. In baseball it’s even harder because managers have even less direct impact on the play of the game than coaches in football and basketball do. With all of that said, I still made an attempt. Yankee haters and many others might scoff at the idea of giving the manager of the Yankees this award or any credit at all but they’d be misguided. Being the manager of the Yankees is not easy. When anything else but a World Series championship is considered a failure it’s tough. Even if you win a championship you’re only doing what you were “supposed to do.” That’s a lot of expectation and pressure for a team and you are going to be in charge of making sure the team doesn’t wilt. You will also be the easiest person to blame if things don’t go right. Girardi came into an impossible situation, replacing the great Joe Torre, and taking over a team that had been eroding for years. The Yankees missed the postseason in Girardi’s first season as manager for the first time since the strike shortened season of 1994. This off-season the team spent hundreds of millions to bring in big name free agents. The team was opening up the new Yankee Stadium and asking fans to pay high prices for seats. Then there was all of the A-Rod controversy. Girardi held everything together and all of those egos came together to form something the Yankees hadn’t been since the early part of the decade: a real team. By midseason you would have thought these guys had been together for 15 years. Girardi might not be the best strategic manager but he’s the right coach for the Yankees and he deserves a ton of credit for their success this season.

National League Manager of the Year Award
Winner: Tony LaRussa-St. Louis Cardinals
Runner-up: Jim Tracy-Colorado Rockies
Third Place: Freddy Gonzalez-Florida Marlins
Comments: Man I hate Tony LaRussa. But he is an undeniably excellent manager. No matter who the Cardinals have on the roster, no matter what misfortune comes on the team during the season, LaRussa always ends up with his team contending. He did it again this season. LaRussa gets the absolute most out of each of his players and knows how best to utilize them. He also does what almost no other manager does: he never takes a pitch off. What I mean is that he puts a tremendous amount of thought into every minute of every game and spends hours away from the field preparing for games to come (at least when he’s not at a book signing). LaRussa’s “strategic advantage” hasn’t always translated into success in the postseason but there is probably not a better regular season manager in the game today.

Other Awards

American League Middle Relief Pitcher of the Year Award
Winner: Michael Wuertz-Reliever-Oakland Athletics
Runner-up: Darren O’Day-Reliever-Texas Rangers
Third Place: Matt Guerrier-Reliever-Minnesota Twins
Comments: This was probably the closest call of any of these awards. Wuertz and O’Day were both excellent middle relievers. In some ways O’Day was a little bit better but they were virtually equal. In the end I went with Wuertz because he was a bit more of a horse than O’Day, making 10 more appearances and throwing 23 more innings. Wuertz made 74 appearances for the A’s, going 6-1 with 4 Saves, 23 Holds, and just 2 Blown Saves. He fanned 102 while walking only 23 over 78.2 innings with a 2.63 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. Opposing batters hit just .188/.248/.319/.567 off of Wuertz. He was tied 4th in the AL in Games Pitched and 7th in Holds. Among pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched, Wuertz was 3rd in K/9; 5th in BAA and OBPA; 6th in WHIP; 7th in K/BB; 8th in OPSA; and 11th in SLGA.

National League Middle Relief Pitcher of the Year Award
Winner: Jeremy Affeldt-Reliever-San Francisco Giants
Runner-up: Nick Masset-Reliever-Cincinnati Reds
Third Place: Arthur Rhodes-Reliever-Cincinnati Reds
Comments: Jeremy Affeldt was not dominant last year but he was the best middle reliever in the National League. In 74 games, Affeldt posted a 1.73 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP over 62.1 innings, going 2-2 with 33 Holds and 0 Blown Saves. Opposing batters hit just .197/.306/.277/.583 off him with just 3 homers. Affeldt wasn’t lights out, as he walked 31 batters, but he got the job done with help from 18 ground ball double plays. He led the NL in Holds and among NL relievers with at least 40 IP he was 1st in ERA.

American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award
Winner: Andrew Bailey-Closer-Oakland Athletics
Runner-up: Brad Bergesen-Starter-Baltimore Orioles
Third Place: Neftali Feliz-Middle Reliever-Texas Rangers
Comments: This one wasn’t close, although Bergensen had an underappreciated season and Feliz was unhittable most of the time.

National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award
Winner: J.A. Happ-Starter-Philadelphia Phillies
Runner-up: Tommy Hanson-Starter-Atlanta Braves
Third Place: Randy Wells-Starter-Chicago Cubs
Comments: My fellow Braves fans might not like this pick but it’s the right one. Happ has to be the choice over Hanson because he threw so many more innings. Unlike Hanson, Happ was in the big leagues for the entire season. He pitched in 35 games, making 23 starts and 12 relief appearances. Overall he was 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP over 166 innings. He made 14 Quality Starts (61%) and threw 3 CG and 2 SHO. Happ led all NL rookie pitchers in Innings, K’s, CG, and SHO. He tied for 1st among NL rookies in Wins; 2nd in QS; and 3rd in GS. Only Happ and Randy Wells qualified for rate stats as rookies and Happ was better than Wells in most of them. Among NL rookies who threw at least 100 innings, Happ was 2nd in ERA, K/9, WHIP, BAA, and OBPA. He was 3rd in OBPA and OPSA. And of course he posted these numbers while pitching much of the time at Citizen’s Bank Park. Happ also had to pitch as a starter and out of the pen and he was good in both roles. He was 10-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 23 starts and 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA over 21.2 innings in 12 relief appearances.

All-American League Team (Best player at each position)

Catcher: Joe Mauer-Minnesota Twins
First Base: Mark Teixeira-New York Yankees
Second Base: Ben Zobrist-Tampa Bay Rays
Third Base: Alex Rodriquez-New York Yankees
Shortstop: Derek Jeter-New York Yankees
Left Field: Jason Bay-Boston Red Sox
Center Field: Torii Hunter-Anaheim Angels
Right Field: Shin-Soo Choo-Cleveland Indians
Designated Hitter: Adam Lind-Toronto Blue Jays
Left Handed Starter: CC Sabathia-New York Yankees
Right Handed Starter: Zack Greinke-Kansas City Royals
Left Handed Middle Reliever: Matt Thornton-Chicago White Sox
Right Handed Middle Reliever: Michael Wuertz-Oakland Athletics
Left Handed Closer: Brian Fuentes-Anaheim Angels
Right Handed Closer: Mariano Rivera-New York Yankees
Comments: I had a more difficult time choosing this team than I expected. Mauer was really the only no-brainer among position players. At first base there were 4 legit candidates in Tex, Kevin Youkilis, Miguel Cabrera, and Kendry Morales. I really had to go with Tex over Youk because Youkilis missed so much time. You could argue that I went the opposite way in choosing A-Rod over Evan Longoria, but Longoria had just 3 more homers and 13 more RBI than A-Rod in 140 more at-bats! Case closed there. The choice at short was between Jeter and Jason Bartlett. Jeter’s enormous edge in Runs Created (120.0-98.7) makes it clear that it wasn’t all that close. I was surprised that Bartlett ended up being the next best shortstop. I was just as surprised that I ended up naming Ben Zobrist the top second baseman, although it was hardly a tough choice. Zobrist’s RC27 was 8.12; the next highest RC27 for a qualified AL 2B was 6.10. Next. The outfield was tough because there just weren’t a lot of AL outfielders who had great seasons. Bay was an easy choice in left even though his numbers weren’t overwhelming. Center was one of the hardest decisions because you had to compare very different types of players. Although Torii Hunter missed a lot of time with injuries, I ended up going with him over Jacob Ellsbury. I guess the biggest thing is that I just value the power/speed game more than the singles/speed game. If Ellsbury had a .400 OBP and more walks than strikeouts that would be one thing. But if you only have a .355 OBP it makes a .415 Slugging Pct hard to defend. 70 steals is nice but I’d rather have a guy that gets on base and hits homers. I was definitely surprised that I ended up with Choo as the top right fielder but it wasn’t a tough choice. He led AL right fielders in Runs Created (total production) and RC27 (efficiency). Adam Lind as the top DH was a fairly easy choice. I’ve already discussed Greinke, Wuertz, and Rivera for other awards. CC and Jon Lester were very close but I went with Sabathia for top lefty starter because in 26.2 additional innings he had a better ERA, WHIP, BAA, OBPA, SLGA, and OPSA. He also won 4 more games. The lefty closer race was basically decided when George Sherrill was traded to the NL. Fuentes wasn’t that good. In fact, he was barley good. But the only two options were Fuentes and Sherrill, and Fuentes ended up with 23 more appearances, 13.2 more IP, and 28 more Saves. He did have 4 more Blown Saves but they came in 32 more save chances. There were a few good options for lefty middle reliever. I went with Thornton because he was better than the closest competitors in WHIP, K/BB, K/9, and OPSA.

All-National League Team (Best player at each position)

Catcher: Brian McCann-Atlanta Braves
First Base: Albert Pujols-St. Louis Cardinals
Second Base: Chase Utley-Philadelphia Phillies
Third Base: Pablo Sandoval-San Francisco Giants
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez-Florida Marlins
Left Field: Ryan Braun-Milwaukee Brewers
Center Field: Matt Kemp-Los Angels Dodgers
Right Field: Justin Upton-Arizona Diamond Backs
Left Handed Starter: Ted Lilly-Chicago Cubs
Right Handed Starter: Chris Carpenter-St. Louis Cardinals
Left Handed Middle Reliever: Jeremy Affeldt-San Francisco Giants
Right Handed Middle Reliever: Nick Masset-Cincinnati Reds
Left Handed Closer: Mike Gonzalez-Atlanta Braves
Right Handed Closer: Huston Street-Colorado Rockies
Comments: The NL team was much easier to pick than the AL. McCann, Pujols, Utley, Ramirez, Braun, and Kemp were all clear cut choices. So, to my surprise, was Kung Fu Panda at third base. Right Field was the toughest spot to pick among position players and it could have gone to a few different players. I chose Upton because I thought he was the best overall but there were probably a number of guys who would have been solid picks. I’ve already discussed Carpenter, Affeldt, and Street for different awards. There really was no great choice for top lefty starter. Clayton Kershaw and Happ had good numbers but they didn’t throw enough innings. Randy Wolf, Wandy Rodriguez, and Ted Lilly all had similar, solid years. I went with Lilly because I thought he was the best overall. Among qualified lefties, Lilly was 1st in the NL in WHIP and 4th in ERA. He was tied for 4th in Wins and QS among lefties, and he was 1st in QS%. Masset was an easy choice for righty middle reliever, as he was the only one of the top NL middle men who wasn’t left handed. Mike Gonzalez might appear a bizarre pick for top lefty closer in the NL but he actually won that distinction by default. He wasn’t really even a closer in 2009 but with 10 Saves he was the only lefty who you could even loosely be defined as a closer. Only 1 other NL lefty had more than 2 Saves and that other guy was Franklin Morales with 7. I don’t think I have to explain to you that Franklin Morales is not as good as Gonzalez. Gonzalez had twice as many appearances and was significantly better in all the important stats.

All-Major League Team (Best player at each position)

Catcher: Joe Mauer-Minnesota Twins
First Base: Albert Pujols-St. Louis Cardinals
Second Base: Ben Zobrist-Tampa Bay Rays
Third Base: Pablo Sandoval-San Francisco Giants
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez-Florida Marlins
Left Field: Ryan Braun-Milwaukee Brewers
Center Field: Torii Hunter-Anaheim Angels
Right Field: Shin-Soo Choo-Cleveland Indians
Left Handed Starter: CC Sabathia-New York Yankees
Right Handed Starter: Zack Greinke-Kansas City Royals
Left Handed Middle Reliever: Jeremy Affeldt-San Francisco Giants
Right Handed Middle Reliever: Michael Wuertz-Oakland Athletics
Left Handed Closer: George Sherrill-Baltimore Orioles/Los Angeles Dodgers
Right Handed Closer: Mariano Rivera-New York Yankees
Comments: There were a lot of clear cut choices here, even if some of them ended up surprising me. Mauer, Pujols, Ramirez, and Braun were easy picks. I was surprised by my decision to go with Zobrist for top 2B but he was better than Utley in all the rate stats and not far behind in totals. I was shocked by how clear cut a choice Sandoval was at 3rd. He had more total production than A-Rod because he Rodriguez missed so much time, but he actually outdid the Yankee cleanup man in RC27 as well. And Sandoval plays in an extreme pitchers park while A-Rod plays in an extreme hitters park. Center field was a toss up between Kemp and Hunter. Kemp had better totals because Hunter missed so much time, but Torii had better rate stats. This was one of the few choices I made that I didn’t really feel like I could defend my decision with numbers. I thought it was basically a toss up and I went with Hunter because I think he’s a better player. Once again I was surprised by my choice of Choo for top RF but once again it wasn’t that hard of a decision. Top right handed starter was very close. Greinke was better in some areas and Carpenter was better in others. I gave the nod to Greinke because he was more of a work horse than Carpenter, with 5 more starts, 36.2 more innings, 3 more CG, and 2 more SHO. The lefty starter situation was interesting because since it was the entire ML Cliff Lee’s full season was brought into play. I almost went with Lee because he had more CG, SHO, and QS. But Sabathia was better in BAA, OBPA, SLGA, OPSA, K/9, and WHIP. Sabathia was also 19-8, while Lee was 14-13. Affeldt was an easy choice over Matt Thornton for lefty middle reliever, as he had a 1.73 ERA, 33 Holds, and 0 Blown Saves, while Thornton had a 2.74 ERA, 24 Holds, 4 Saves, and 5 Blown Saves. I went with Wuertz over Nick Masset for top righty middle man and it wasn’t close. Wuertz was much more dominant, fanning 11.67 per 9 compared with 8.29 for Masset. He was also better in K/BB, WHIP, BAA, OBPA, and OPSA. With both AL and NL stats being included, the lefty closer situation was interesting. Even though Sherrill didn’t close for the Dodgers he did continue to pitch well in relief and his overall numbers were enough to negate the fact that Fuentes had 27 more Saves. Sherrill had 7 more appearances, 14 more innings, 4 less losses, and 11 more Holds than Fuentes. Sherrill had a 1.70 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP; Fuentes had a 3.93 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Opponents hit .209/.281/.307/.588 off Sherrill; they hit .254/.342/.378/.720 off Fuentes. 27 Saves isn’t nearly enough to offset all of that. Finally, Rivera as top righty closer was a no-brainer of course.

Major League Baseball Player of the Year Award (Best player in MLB)
Winner: Albert Pujols-First Base-St. Louis Cardinals
Runner-up: Joe Mauer-Catcher-Minnesota Twins
Third Place: Prince Fielder-First Base-Milwaukee Brewers
Comments: As great as Mauer was, this wasn’t even close. Mauer was better in average and OBP; Pujols was better in everything else.

Major League Baseball Starting Pitcher of the Year Award (Best starter in MLB)
Winner: Zack Greinke-Kansas City Royals
Runner-up: Chris Carpenter-St. Louis Cardinals
Third Place: Tim Lincecum-Starter-San Francisco Giants
Comments: This was explained earlier in the All-MLB Team.

Major League Baseball Middle Relief Pitcher of the Year Award (Best middle reliever in MLB)
Winner: Michael Wuertz-Oakland Athletics
Runner-up: Darren O’Day-Reliever-Texas Rangers
Third Place: Jeremy Affeldt-San Francisco Giants
Comments: Explained earlier in the AL award.

Major League Baseball Closer of the Year Award (Best closer in MLB)
Winner: Mariano Rivera-New York Yankees
Runner-up: Andrew Bailey-Oakland Athletics
Third Place: Huston Street-Colorado Rockies
Comments: See above.

Major League Baseball Rookie Player of the Year Award (Best rookie position player in MLB)
Winner: Chris Coghlan-Left Fielder-Florida Marlins
Runner-up: Garrett Jones-Right Fielder-Pittsburgh Pirates
Third Place: (Tie) Casey McGehee-Third Base-Milwaukee/Andrew McCutchen-Center Fielder-Pittsburgh Pirates
Comments: See above.

Major League Baseball Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award (Best rookie pitcher in MLB)
Winner: Andrew Bailey-Closer-Oakland Athletics
Runner-up: J.A. Happ-Starter-Philadelphia Phillies
Third Place: Tommy Hanson-Starter-Atlanta Braves
Comments: This wasn’t close.

Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award
Winner: Joe Girardi-New York Yankees
Runner-up: Tony LaRussa-St. Louis Cardinals
Third Place: Jim Tracy-Colorado Rockies
Comments: Okay, so maybe I’m letting the postseason effect me on this one but I don’t care.

American League Executive of the Year Award
Winner: Brian Cashman-New York Yankees
Runner-up: Tony Reagins-Anaheim Angels
Third Place: Jon Daniels-Texas Rangers
Comments: Again, I don’t care that Cashman has more funds than any of the other GM’s. He got the right players and he didn’t have to give up his young talent in order to do so.

National League Executive of the Year Award
Winner: Ruben Amaro Jr.-Philadelphia Phillies
Runner-up: John Mozeliak-St. Louis Cardinals
Third Place: Frank Wren-Atlanta Braves
Comments: Amaro has built a new powerhouse in the NL East. He replaced Pat Burrell with Raul Ibanez, signed Pedro for the end of the year, and managed to trade for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco without giving up the prospects that everyone was asking for.

Major League Baseball Executive of the Year Award
Winner: Ruben Amaro Jr.-Philadelphia Phillies
Runner-up: John Mozeliak-St. Louis Cardinals
Third Place: Brian Cashman-New York Yankees
Comments: See above.

Major League Baseball Pinch Hitter of the Year
Winner: Seth Smith-Colorado Rockies
Runner-up: Ross Gload-Florida Marlins
Third Place: Wes Helms-Florida Marlins
Comments: Seth Smith’s numbers off the bench are absurd. He was 17 for 36 as a pinch hitter, hitting .472/.574/.861/1.436 with 5 doubles, 3 triples, a homer, 12 runs, 12 RBI, 1 SB in 1 attempt, and 8 BB.

Postseason Most Valuable Player Award
Winner: (Tie) Mariano Rivera-Closer-New York Yankees/Alex Rodriguez-Third Base-New York Yankees
Runner-up: (Tie) Cliff Lee-Starter-Philadelphia Phillies/CC Sabathia-Starter-New York Yankees
Comments: I was pretty non-committal here. There were other guys who had great postseasons but these 4 were the best. I couldn’t choose between Rivera and A-Rod, and I couldn’t choose between the aces. Rivera pitched in 12 of the Yankees’ 15 playoff games, going 5 for 5 in save chances and allowing just 1 run on 10 hits and 5 BB with 14 K over 16 innings for a 0.56 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He got the Yankees out of several impossible situations and he put the opposition to bed whenever he got the ball with the lead. A-Rod went 19 for 52 in the postseason to hit .365/.500/.808/1.308 with 15 runs, 5 doubles, 6 homers, 18 RBI, 12 BB, 2 SB in 2 attempts, a SF, and 3 HBP. He had a slew of huge hits and was consistently getting on base, playing solid defense, and making things happen throughout the postseason. CC was a true ace for the Yanks in the playoffs, making 5 starts and going 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP over 36.1 innings. Cliff Lee was unbeatable for the runner-up Phils. In 5 starts Lee went 4-0 with 2 CG, a 1.56 ERA, and a 0.82 WHIP over 40.1 innings.


Just For Fun Awards

Best Team During the Regular Season: New York Yankees
Most Surprising Team: Colorado Rockies
Biggest in-season Turn Around: Colorado Rockies
Biggest in-season Collapse: Detroit Tigers
Most Disappointing AL Team: Cleveland Indians
Most Disappointing NL Team: New York Mets
Most Over Achieving AL Team: Minnesota Twins
Most Over Achieving NL Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Most Under Achieving AL Team: Detroit Tigers
Most Under Achieving NL Team: Chicago Cubs
Most Anonymously Decent Team: Seattle Mariners
Best non-playoff Team: (Tie) Atlanta Braves/Texas Rangers
Worst AL Team: Kansas City Royals
Worst NL Team: Washington Nationals
Luckiest AL Team: Seattle Mariners
Luckiest NL Team: San Diego Padres
Most Snake-bit AL Team: Cleveland Indians
Most Snake-bit NL Team: New York Mets
Worst Front Office: (Tie) Kansas City Royals/Pittsburgh Pirates
Worst AL Managerial Job: Ozzie Guillen-Chicago White Sox
Worst NL Managerial Job: Dave Wallace-Pittsburgh Pirates
Worst AL Home Fans: (Tie) Tampa Bay Rays/Texas Rangers
Worst NL Home Fans: (Tie) Atlanta Braves/Florida Marlins
Best Home Fans: (Tie) Philadelphia Phillies/Los Angeles Dodgers

ML Least Valuable Player of the Year
Winner: Ronny Cedeno-Short Stop-Seattle Mariners/Pittsburgh Pirates
Runner-up: Bill Hall-Third Base-Milwaukee Brewers/Seattle Mariners
Third Place: Willy Taveras-Center Field-Cincinnati Reds
Comment: Cedeno was 71 for 341, hitting .208/.256/.337/.593 with 79 strikeouts and only 19 walks.

ML Least Valuable Pitcher of the Year
Winner: Chien Ming Wang-Starter/Reliever-New York Yankees
Runner-up: Dana Eveland-Starter/Reliever-Oakland Athletics
Third Place: Jeff Bennett-Reliever-Atlanta Braves/Tampa Bay Rays
Comment: Wang pitched in 12 games, including 9 starts, going 1-6 while allowing 46 runs on 66 hits and 19 walks over just 42 innings for a 9.64 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP.

MLB Biggest Douche of the Year Award
Winner: Milton Bradley-Right Fielder-Chicago Cubs
Comments: None needed.