Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The Baseball Blog: 2011 Horse Collar Awards Part IV (MLB Awards)

Major League Awards


The Scott Williamson Award

Major League Baseball Rookie Pitcher of the Year

Winner: Jeremy Hellickson (SP-Tampa Bay)

Runner-up: Craig Kimbrel (Closer-Atlanta)

Third Place: Michael Pineda (SP-Seattle)

Comments: I put Pineda 3rd because he had a very good overall season.

It’s hard for relievers to match starters in value because the inning total is so much smaller but Kimbrel was dominant enough to finish runner-up in this case.

Hellickson was a fairly easy choice. Among ML rookie starters (min. 120 IP), Hellickson was 1st in ERA; 2nd in AVGA; and 5th in WHIP, OBPA, SLGA, and OPSA. Among all ML rookies he was 1st in CG and QS; tied 1st in SHO; and 2nd in QS% (min. 10 QS) and WAR (4.2).


The Bob Hamelin Award

Major League Baseball Rookie Position Player of the Year

Winner: Freddie Freeman (1B-Atlanta)

Runner-up: Eric Hosmer (1B-Kansas City)

Third Place: (Tie) Danny Espinosa (2B-Washington)/Mark Trumbo (1B-Anaheim)

Comments: I couldn’t decide between Espinosa and Trumbo. Trumbo led all rookies in homers, while Espinosa had the best power/speed combo of any rookie.

Freeman and Hosmer had very similar seasons. It was really hard to determine the winner. It may have helped Freddie that he plays for my team.


The Ben Grieve Award

Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year

Winner: Jeremy Hellickson (SP-Tampa Bay)

Runner-up: Craig Kimbrel (Closer-Atlanta)

Third Place: Freddie Freeman (1B-Atlanta)

Comments: Freeman was my top position player rookie but I put two pitchers ahead of him.

Kimbrel would have won this award if he hadn’t slumped badly down the stretch. Through September 8th, Kimbrel had appeared in 71 games, fanning 115 in 69.2 innings with a 1.55 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He was 4-2 with 43 saves in 48 chances and had allowed only 1 homer all season. Opponents had hit .169 with a .457 OPS off of him.

Over the rest of the season (19 games), Kimbrel made 8 appearances, fanning 12 in 7.1 innings with a 7.36 ERA and a 1.77 WIHP. He was 0-1 with 3 saves in 6 tries and allowed 2 homers. Opponents hit .259 with a .864 OPS off of him. All of that was a major reason the Braves lost their lead and failed to make the postseason. And it was the reason he lost this award.

Hellickson benefited from pitching in a great pitchers park and with a super defense behind him. But he was consistent and had the best overall season.


The Jesse Orosco Award

Major League Baseball Middle Reliever of the Year

Winner: Tyler Clippard (RP-Washington)

Runner-up: Jonny Venters (RP-Atlanta)

Third Place: David Robertson (RP-New York Yankees)

Comments: David Robertson had a stellar season. He led all MLB relievers in WAR and was 10th among all MLB pitchers in WPA. He stranded 34 of 44 inherited runners, recorded 34 holds and 1 save, and had only 3 blown saves. Robertson was 2nd among MLB relievers (min. 40 IP relief) in ERA. He was nasty, finishing 4th among ML relievers in K/9 and SLGA; 6th in OPSA; and 8th in AVGA.

But as awesome as Robertson was, I still put the NL guys ahead of him. Jonny Venters was tied for 2nd among all ML relievers with a 3.7 WAR and 4th among all ML pitchers with a 4.6 WPA. He stranded 15 of 20 inherited runners and recorded 35 holds and 5 saves with only 4 blown saves. JV was 3rd among ML relievers (min. 40 IP relief) in SLGA; 7th in OPSA; 10th in ERA; and 11th in AVGA.

Clippard was the best middle reliever in the game this season. He was 5th among ML relievers with a 3.4 WAR and 1st among all ML pitchers with a 5.2 WPA. He stranded 36 of 46 inherited runners and recorded 38 holds (1st in ML). Clippard did blow 7 saves but he was in the top 20 in the ML in many key stats. Among ML relievers (min. 40 IP relief), Clippard was 4th in WHIP and OBPA; 5th in AVGA; 8th in ERA; 14th in OPSA; tied 15th in K/BB; and 16th in K/9.


The Mariano Rivera Award

Major League Baseball Closer of the Year

Winner: Jose Valverde (Closer-Detroit)

Runner-up: John Axford (Closer-Milwaukee)

Third Place: (Tie) Mariano Rivera (Closer-New York Yankees)/JJ Putz (Closer-Arizona)

Comments: As I’ve said numerous times all ready, the most important stat for me among closers is save percentage. Rivera was 4th among ML relievers with a 3.5 WAR. Among ML relievers (min. 40 IP relief), Mo was 5th in K/BB; 6th in WHIP; 10th in OBPA; 12th in ERA and OPSA; and 21st in SLGA. He was very good closing out games as always, recording 44 saves in 49 tries for an 89.8% save percentage (11th best in ML).

Putz was tied 20th among ML relievers with a 2.2 WAR and stranded 8 of 10 inherited runners. Among ML relievers (min. 40 IP relief), Putz was 7th in OBPA and WHIP; 8th in K/BB; and 20th in ERA. He went 45 for 49 in save chances for a 91.8% save percentage (5th best in ML).

John Axford was the 2nd best closer in the ML this season. He was tied 11th among ML relievers with a 2.7 WAR and 8th among ML pitchers with a 4.2 WPA. Among ML relievers (min. 40 IP relief), the Ax Man was 13th in ERA; 15th in SLGA; 18th in K/9; and 20th in OPSA. He was 46 for 48 in save tries for a 95.8% save percentage (2nd best in ML).

But the best closer in the game this season was Mr. Krabs. Valverde wasn’t the nastiest, finishing 23rd in ERA and 63rd in WHIP among the 160 ML relievers with at least 40 IP in relief. However, he was tied 11th among ML relievers with a 2.7 WAR and he stranded all 6 inherited runners. Most importantly of course, he led all of baseball in both saves (49) and save percentage (100%), as he was 49 for 49 in save tries.


The Goose Gossage Award

Major League Baseball Reliever of the Year

Winner: Tyler Clippard (RP-Washington)

Runner-up: Jonny Venters (RP-Atlanta)

Third Place: Jose Valverde (Closer-Detroit)

Comments: When it comes to pitching value, often times the 8th inning guys are better than the closers. Valverde was the top closer and I put him in third place for the top reliever award because he was a perfect 49 for 49 in save chances. To lead the ML in both saves and save percentage is impressive and it makes it more impressive that he didn’t blow a single save all season.

But Venters and Clippard were the best relievers. Everyday Jonny pitched in 85 games, more than half of his team’s games, and 6 more than any other pitcher in baseball. He worked 88 innings in relief (tied 4th in ML) and had 35 holds (2nd in ML) and 5 saves with only 4 blown saves. He was tied 2nd among ML relievers with a 3.7 WAR and 4th among ML pitchers with a 4.6 WPA.

Clippard was the best reliever in the game this season. He pitched in 73 games (tied 23rd in ML) but he was more than a 1 inning guy, throwing 88.1 innings in relief (3rd in ML). He led the ML with 38 holds. Clippard was 5th among ML relievers with a 3.4 WAR and led all ML pitchers with a 5.2 WPA.


The Bob Gibson Award

Major League Baseball Starting Pitcher of the Year

Winner: Justin Verlander (SP-Detroit)

Runner-up: Clayton Kershaw (SP-Los Angles)

Third Place: (Tie) Roy Halladay (SP-Philadelphia)/Cliff Lee (SP-Philadelphia)

Comments: Jered Weaver had yet another excellent and underappreciated season, but he wasn’t as good as the top 3 NL guys.

Lee and Halladay were both excellent as usual. In many seasons they would have won this award, but this year there was a pitcher in each league who had a better year.

Kershaw will probably not get the recognition he deserves because of Verlander’s year but he also had a special season.

As everyone knows, Verlander was simply a level above the rest this season. He was tied for 2nd among all ML players in WAR and 1st in WAR for pitchers. He led the ML with 24 wins (3 more than any other pitcher). He was 1st in the ML in K’s and IP; tied 1st in GS; tied 6th in SHO; and tied 7th in CG. Among all qualified ML pitchers, Verlander was 1st in H/9 and WHIP (.057 better than any other pitcher); 4th in ERA; 8th in K/BB; and 9th in K/9. Verlander was 1st in the ML in Adjusted ERA, Adjusted Pitching Wins/Runs, Base-Out Runs/Wins Saved, and Situational Wins Saved. He was 3rd in the ML in WPA.


The Walter Johnson Award

Major League Baseball Pitcher of the Year

Winner: Justin Verlander (SP-Detroit)

Runner-up: Clayton Kershaw (SP-Los Angeles)

Third Place: (Tie) Roy Halladay (SP-Philadelphia)/Cliff Lee (SP-Philadelphia)

Comments: No reliever had a shot this year, as it was a very strong year for starting pitching.

Let’s look at a few more in depth starting pitching numbers for Justin Verlander and where he ranked among ML pitchers (when applicable; rankings for rate stats include qualified pitchers only): 34 starts (tied 1st); 24 wins (1st); 5 losses; 5 no decisions; 82.8 W% (2nd); 4 complete games (tied 7th); 2 shutouts (tied 6th); 28 quality starts (tied 1st); 82.4% QS% (2nd); 251 innings pitched (1st); and 7.4 IP/GS (2nd).

Here are some more: 116 pitches per start (1st); 24 starts of 100-119 pitches (tied 11th); and 10 starts of 120 pitches or more (1st). Verlander’s maximum number of pitches in any start was 132 (tied 2nd).

Verlander had 3 Cheap Wins (wins in non-quality starts; tied 40th most in ML) and 4 Tough Losses (losses in quality starts; tied 30th most in ML). Verlander had 25 Team Wins (team wins in starts; tied 1st most in ML); 9 Team Losses (team losses in starts); and a .735 Team Win Percentage (5th in ML).

Verlander had zero Wins Lost (starts in which he left game in position for win but bullpen blew it) and 4 Losses Saved (starts in which he left game in position for loss but team came back to tie or take lead; tied 30th most in ML).

The Tigers averaged 4.7 runs per game in which Verlander started (40th in ML) and 5.0 runs per game while Verlander was in the game (30th in ML).

Verlander bequeathed 11 runners to the bullpen during the season; none of them scored. Verlander also led the majors in average Game Score.


The Mike Schmidt Award

Major League Baseball Position Player of the Year

Winner: Jose Bautista (RF-Toronto)

Runner-up: Miguel Cabrera (1B-Detroit)

Third Place: Matt Kemp (CF-Los Angeles)

Comments: Matt Kemp was awesome this year. He played every day and played solid defensive in center field, doing it at spacious Dodger Stadium. He put up his great numbers in a strong pitchers park and did it in an otherwise weak lineup. Kemp was 1st in the ML in WAR, WAR for position players, Offensive WAR, RBI, and Power/Speed Combo; 2nd in TB and Base-Out Runs/Wins Added; tied 2nd in Games Played and IBB; 3rd in SLG, Adjusted OPS, RC, Adjusted Batting Runs/Wins, and Situational Wins Added; tied 3rd in homers; 4th in OPS, runs, RC27, Offensive Win Percentage; tied 4th in SB; 6th in EXBH and WPA; 7th in AVG, OBP, and TOB; tied 7th in hits; and 9th in AB/HR.

As great as Kemp was, Cabrera and Bautista were the top 2 position players in the game this season. Miguel Cabrera helped lead the Tigers into the playoffs and he came through big time for Detroit in the postseason as they reached the ALCS. Cabrera was 1st in the ML in AVG, OBP, doubles, RC, Adjusted Batting Runs/Wins, TOB, Base-Out Runs/Wins Added; 2nd in OPS, Adjusted OPS, RC27, and Offensive Win Percentage; tied 2nd in Games Played; 3rd in Offensive WAR, BB, EXBH, and WPA; 4th in SLG and IBB; 5th in WAR for position players, runs, TB, and Situational Wins Added; 6th in hits; 9th in WAR; and tied 10th in RBI.

Bautista gets my vote for top position player. He didn’t play for a playoff team but he was a big part of the reason the Jays finished with a .500 record despite playing in the same division as the Yanks, Bo Sox, and Rays. Bautista was 1st in the ML in SLG, OPS, homers, BB (22 more than any other player), Adjusted OPS, RC27, Offensive Win Percentage, AB/HR (2.3 AB better than any other player), WPA, and Situational Wins Added; 2nd in WAR for position players, Offensive WAR, OBP, RC, and Adjusted Bating Runs/Wins; tied 2nd in WAR and IBB; 3rd in Base-Out Runs Added; tied 3rd in TOB; 4th in Base-Out Wins Added; and tied 8th in runs.


The Barry Bonds Award

Major League Baseball Player of the Year

Winner: Jose Bautista (RF-Toronto)

Runner-up: Miguel Cabrera (1B-Detroit)

Third Place: Matt Kemp (CF-Los Angeles)

Comments: Justin Verlander was awesome but there’s no way he’s the MVP of the majors for this season. The idea of pitchers winning MVP awards is interesting, as is the history of pitchers winning the award. I mean, when looking at the history you have to realize that the MVP is voted on by writers, and some are more knowledgeable than others. Likewise, some take the responsibility more seriously than others. In addition, popular beliefs and theories about baseball have changed over time, and so has the game.

Since 1969—the year that the mound was lowered 5 inches and the top of the strike zone was lowered from the top of the shoulders to the armpit in an attempt to curtail the pitching dominance of the era—only 6 pitchers have won their league’s MVP award: Vida Blue (1971), Rollie Fingers (1981), Willie Hernandez (1984), Roger Clemens (1986), Dennis Eckersley (1992), and now Justin Verlander (2011).

A few interesting things jump out immediately when looking at this list. First and foremost, it’s fascinating (at least to me) that all 6 pitchers won the award in the American League. It would be interesting enough if all 6 had been from either league, as it just seems unlikely that they would all come from 1 league. The fact that it’s the American League that has had all 6 winners is even more interesting considering that the AL has played with the DH since 1973 (during which time 5 pitchers have won the MVP).

Pitchers are usually able to have more impressive numbers in the NL which you might think would attract voters. It’s possible that voters have considered great pitching seasons in the AL more impressive since they have to face lineups with DH’s. However, I doubt that has had much of an impact on the voting. It may be total coincidence.

Another interesting thing about the 6 guys who have won since 1969 is that half of them were fulltime relievers. This is very interesting because many “old school” baseball writers have long held on to a generally negative view of relief pitchers. The idea that “a guy is in the bullpen for a reason,” is an attitude less prevalent but still very much alive today.

The other thing about it is that relievers quite obviously rack up far fewer counting stats (IP, K’s, Wins, etc.) than starting pitchers. If you just consider that a reliever might have a 3.00 ERA over 70 innings, while a starter might have a 3.00 ERA over 240 innings, you can see right away how good a reliever would have to be to match the value of a starter.

I’m not sure why 3 of the 6 guys have been relievers. The “Saves” stat may be the number one reason for it. I don’t think saves are meaningless and I certainly don’t think save percentage is meaningless, but there’s no debating the fact that the save is one of the most overrated of traditional baseball stats. And it was even more overrated in the recent past.

Another factor may be the “fireman/closer” issue. During the 70’s and 80’s, the “star” relief men were not like the closers of today. They would often come in to get a starter out of the jam, many times prior to the 9th inning, just as “high leverage” guys do today. However, they wouldn’t then be replaced by another reliever; they would usually be counted on to finish off the win, even if it meant pitching 3 innings. Thus, guys getting the saves in the old days were pitching more innings and perhaps making more appearances than the guys getting all the saves today. In a sense, Goose Gossage was the high leverage guy, the setup man, and the closer all rolled into one. Obviously this would make those guys more valuable and closer to starting pitchers in terms of value.

This actually brings me back to the issue of why the AL has had all 6 winners. I have 2 other possible factors that may have been involved. With the DH, a starter has a better chance of pitching in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings because they never get pinch hit for. Staying in the game longer not only means more innings and more strikeouts, it also means a better chance of earning a win or even a complete game or shutout.

At the same time, an AL manager can bring his best reliever in at any time and leave him in for as long as he wants without ever having to worry about pinch hitting for him. Again, staying in the game longer means more innings and K’s and a greater chance for a decision.

I have no idea if this has had an impact. More than that, I don’t even know if my assumptions have actually played out that way, and I don’t have time to research it. Just throwing out some ideas.

The other thing that jumps out is the years in which pitchers won the MVP. Vida Blue won in 1971 and no pitcher won again until 1981. From 1981-1992, 4 pitchers won the award, 3 of them relievers. After 1992, there wasn’t another pitching MVP until Verlander. It can’t be a coincidence that a pitcher won the MVP this season when offensive numbers were weaker than they had been in any year since 1992, the last year a pitcher had won the MVP.

In fact, as I explained in a midseason blog, offensive numbers this season were strikingly similar to 1992 with the exception of strikeouts (there are many more now than there were then). It only makes sense that the chances of a pitcher winning the MVP would be greater in seasons when there are more pitchers having great seasons than there are hitters.

It may also be that the inflated offensive numbers of the recent power era made it harder for voters to justify taking pitchers over position players. It should actually work the opposite way, meaning a pitcher having a dominant season in an era dominated by offense should have a better chance of winning the MVP than a pitcher having a dominant season in an era dominated by pitching.

And indeed, despite the fact that 40 homer seasons and double digit scoring games became commonplace in the power era, we did see some of the most dominant pitching seasons of the last 40 years (Maddux, Martinez, Johnson, Clemens, etc.). Yet none of those pitchers (at least during the power era) won the MVP. Also, notice that Clemens won in 1986, the year before the offense/power explosion of ’87 (and perhaps a preview of the so-called PED’s era).

The fact that Fingers won in 1981 is especially interesting, as that was one of the more unusual years in baseball history. An extended players strike during the middle of the season cut out more than a 3rd of the year. There was actually a fairly large gap between the number of games played by certain teams. 4 teams played only 103 games, while the Giants played 111 games. The average number of games played per team was 107. Once the strike ended, MLB took the unusual (or at least it seems that way today) step of declaring that there would be 2 distinct halves of the season, with team records from games played before the strike being completely separate from games played after the strike. The division winners from the first half would play the division winners from the second half in a playoff series to determine who would go to the respective LCS.

I have no idea what MLB planned to do if by some not that unlikely chance the same team won a division in both halves. What I can tell you is that the Cincinnati Reds got completely fucked, as they finished with the best record in baseball, but didn’t win their division either half and missed out on the playoffs. Let this be another lesson that baseball didn’t get dumb with Bud; it’s been dumb forever. Getting back to the point, as you can imagine, the 1981 season was weird and surreal, and this may have led to Fingers (a reliever) getting the award.

Now let’s look at each individual case, starting with Vida Blue in 1971. First of all, Blue had a ridiculous season, going 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA, a 0.952 WHIP, and 301 K over 312 innings. He threw 24 complete games (yes, 24) and 8 shutouts. Those numbers sound great and they were, but it’s more important to note that the top 3 leaders in WAR in the AL that season were starting pitchers. The award could just as easily have gone to Wilbur Wood or Mickey Lolich.

One other interesting note is that Bobby Murcer received no 1st place votes and finished 7th in the voting despite finishing 2nd in the AL in AVG, 1st in OBP, 2nd in SLG, 1st in OPS, 1st in RC, 1st in Adjusted OPS, and 1st in just about every conceivable SABR stat. And he was a Yankee, so it’s not like he played in obscurity.

Also, remember that 1971 was truly long ago in terms of baseball. Consider that Micky Lolich started 45 games that year and went the distance 29 times. I mean, in a very real sense, starting pitchers were more valuable back then because they pitched in more games and in more innings. So maybe we just want to leave that one alone and get to the next one which wasn’t until 1981.

As we’ve already discussed, ’81 was a very weird year, and this goes a long way to explaining Fingers getting the award. His numbers don’t sound that great: 6-3 with 28 saves, a 1.04 ERA, and a 0.872 WHIP in 78 innings over 47 games. But remember that there were only about 107 games that year. Fingers was right at the top of all the SABR pitching numbers. However, he wasn’t even the most valuable pitcher, which was clearly Steve McCatty of the Oakland A’s, who didn’t receive any 1st place votes and finished 12th in the voting.

Fingers received 15 of 28 1st place votes and an 81% share. Rickey Henderson was a close 2nd, with 12 1st place votes and a 79% share. He was 1st in WAR, 1st in WAR for position players, tied 3rd in Offensive WAR, and 2nd in Defensive WAR. He probably should have won, but Dwight Evans (1 1st place vote) would have also been better than Fingers.

1984 was the “Year of the Tiger”, so perhaps it was natural that one of the Detroit players would win. Hernandez was an old school fireman, going 9-3 with 32 saves, a 1.92 ERA and a 0.941 WHIP in 140.1 innings over 80 games. He won 16 1st place votes and a 78% share. Hernandez had a great year but he wasn’t even the most valuable pitcher that season. Toronto’s Dave Stieb was absolutely dominant again but got shafted in the voting (and in the Cy Young voting), finishing tied for 22nd, probably because he was only 10th in wins.

Kent Hrbek was 2nd with 5 1st place votes. Another fireman, Dan Quisinberry, received 5 1st place votes and was 3rd. Eddie Murray was 4th and would have been a good choice for winner. However, it’s his teammate that is the most bizarre part of the ’84 voting. Cal Ripken was 1st in WAR, WAR for position players and Offensive WAR and 2nd in Defensive WAR. He was 3rd in RC. Yet Ripken finished 27th (last) in the MVP voting, receiving 1 10th place vote. This is all the more weird due to the fact that Ripken had won the award just the year before.

In 1986, Clemens won with 19 1st place votes and an 86 % share. He had a dominant season, going 24-4, and he was 3rd in WAR. However, another starter, Teddy Higuera was 2nd in WAR and he didn’t get any 1st place votes and finished 15th in the voting. Don Mattingly was 2nd with 5 1st place votes. The most bizarre part of the 1986 AL voting was the fact that Jim Rice got 4 1st place votes and finished 3rd in the voting, while Wade Boggs got no 1st place votes and finished 7th. Boggs was 1st in WAR, WAR for position players, and Offensive WAR.

Rice didn’t have anywhere near the season that Boggs had. Boggs was certainly appreciated in the 80’s, but he was obviously placed behind others in value because of his lack of homers and RBI. But that doesn’t explain Rice being 3rd. People always talk about how the media didn’t like Rice because of his surly attitude and there has always been talk about his race being a factor. None of those things are evident in the 1986 voting, as he arguably shouldn’t have been in the top 10. You will already have noticed by now that Boggs, Rice, and Clemens all played for the Red Sox, and that may have had an impact on things.

The last pitcher to win before Verlander was reliever Dennis Eckersley in 1992. Eckersley received 15 1st place votes and a 78% share. Eck was 7-1 with 51 saves, a 1.91 ERA, and a 0.913 WHIP in 80 IP over 69 games. Impressive numbers to be sure, but he wasn’t even in the top 10 in WAR. In fact, he wasn’t even in the top 10 in WAR for pitchers. There were so many good starting pitchers that season that Eck shouldn’t have even been in the top 3 in voting for the Cy Young.

Kirby Puckett finished 2nd with 3 1st place votes and a 53% share. Joe Carter got 4 1st place votes and finished 3rd with a 51% share which is a joke. He wasn’t even the 3rd most valuable player on his team. If you think I’m being harsh, consider that his OBP was .309 and his OPS was .808. Carter shouldn’t have received any votes, period. The award should almost certainly have gone to Big Frank Thomas, who didn’t get a single 1st place vote and finished 8th.

So what does all of this tell us? The only thing I can really get out of it is something that I already knew: baseball awards, especially before SABR theories became more accepted, should always be taken with a grain (or a million grains) of salt.

There is actually one other lesson to learn from all of this but it is also something we already knew: voters have a tendency to focus on players from the best team. All 5 of the pitchers who had won the MVP since 1969 prior to Verlander played for the team with the best record in the AL that year (in 1971 the A’s were tied with Baltimore for the most wins; in 1981 the Brewers were 2nd overall but 1st in the “second half”).


The Sparky Anderson Award

Major League Baseball Manager of the Year

Winner: Tony LaRussa (St. Louis)

Runner-up: Joe Maddon (Tampa Bay)

Third Place: Ron Washington (Texas)

Comments: I had to put Washington third, as he got his team back to the World Series for the 2nd year in a row, and twice was within a strike of winning it.

Maddon led his team on a ridiculous comeback to reach the postseason.

LaRussa led his team on an equally ridiculous comeback to reach the playoffs and then just as ridiculous a postseason run to win the WS. As stated before, it’s time to give LaRussa his due. He’s the best manager of the modern era and this may well have been his finest job ever.


The John Schuerholz Award

Major League Baseball Executive of the Year

Winner: John Mozeliak (St. Louis)

Runner-up: Jon Daniels (Texas)

Third Place: (Tie) Ruben Amaro (Philadelphia)/Dave Dombrowski (Detroit)

Comments: The Phils keep improving their roster and yet they keep going backwards in terms of progress in the postseason. But as any reasonable and rational baseball person knows, you can build the best team in the league and still fall in the postseason simply because it’s a crapshoot.

I included Dombrowski as well as Amaro, as his moves turned out better than a lot of people expected.

Daniels and Mozeliak were the top two and I had to give it to Mozeliak. Hard to go against the champs, even though the Rangers came so close to winning.


The Matt Stairs Award

Major League Baseball Pinch Hitter of the Year

Winner: Matt Downs (Houston)

Runner-up: Miguel Cairo (Cincinnati)

Third Place: Chris Heisey (Cincinnati)

Comments: Greg Dobbs and Aaron Rowand also had good years in the pinch.

Heisey was one of the top bench guys for the second year in a row. He had 11 hits, 2 homers, and 11 RBI as a PH. He was 3rd in the ML in SLG and 6th in OPS as a PH (min. 25 PA).

Cairo has basically been in this role his entire career. He had 11 hits, 1 homer, 7 RBI, and 3 BB as a PH. Cairo was 1st in AVG; 2nd in OBP, 3rd in OPS, and 5th in SLG as a PH (min. 25 PA).

But the clear winner was Matt Downs. For anyone in a deep NL fantasy league (yes, we do exist), Downs was a frustrating guy because you’d pick him up off the waiver wire and then he wouldn’t play for 20 days. The day after you dropped him he would hit a 3-run homer. Downs had 15 hits, 3 homers, 15 RBI, 8 EXBH, and 7 BB as a PH. He was 1st in EXBH, TB, RC, OBP, and OPS as a PH (min. 25 PA).


The Tony Cloninger Award

Major League Baseball Best Hitting Pitcher

Winner: Dontrelle Willis (SP-Cincinnati)

Runner-up: Carlos Zambrano (SP-Chicago Cubs)

Third Place: Daniel Hudson (SP-Arizona)

Comments: Daniel Hudson was the sleeper, as he was in the AL until being traded to Arizona in the middle of last season, so he hadn’t built up a reputation as a good hitting pitcher. Hudson went 18 for 65 to hit .277/.309/.369/678 with 3 doubles, a homer, 14 RBI, 3 BB, and 11 SH. He led all ML pitchers in hits, RBI, and TB. He was 2nd in RC; 3rd in SLG; 4th in OBP, OPS, and RC27; and 5th in AVG (min. 25 PA).

Carlos Zambrano is one of the worst human beings in baseball and he isn’t a very good pitcher anymore but he’s still one of the top hitting pitchers around. Big Z went 13 for 43 to hit .302/.333/.488/.822 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 RBI, and 2 BB. He had only 2 SH, which probably says more about his ego and his selfishness than it does about his prowess as a hitter. Zambrano was tied 1st among ML pitchers in homers, 3rd in RC, 4th in TB, and 5th in hits. He was 2nd in RC27, SLG, and OPS; and 3rd in AVG and OBP (min. 25 PA).

Dontrelle Willis didn’t get as many AB’s as the other guys but he was easily the best hitting pitcher. The D-Train struggled on the mound again but he was still a force at the plate, going 12 for 28 to hit .429/.429/.714/1.143 with 3 doubles, a triple, a homer, 4 RBI, 3 SH, and just 2 K. Among ML pitchers he was 1st in RC and TB; tied 1st in triples and EXBH; and tied 6th in hits. He led all pitchers in RC27, AVG, OBP, SLG, and OPS (min. 25 PA). That’s no accident. He may not be a great pitcher but he’s a super athlete.


The Mark Lemke Award

Major League Baseball Postseason Most Valuable Player (Non-World Series Champion)

Winner: Ryan Braun (LF-Milwaukee)

Runner-up: Miguel Cabrera (1B-Detroit)

Third Place: Mike Napoli (C-Texas)

Fourth Place: Nelson Cruz (RF-Texas)

Comments: I changed this award up a bit. Last year I didn’t make any distinction between players from WS champs and players from also-rans. But I realized that every year I would pick all guys from the winning team so I made this award and I moved the Mark Lemke title to it. Lemer, after all, was playing on the losing side during that 1991 WS when he was such a hero (though he was a champion in 1995 and he came through many times in many postseasons). I also added a fourth place because I wanted to.

Derek Holland didn’t make the cut but he was the best pitching candidate, pitching in 6 games, making 4 starts, and going 2-0 with a hold. He posted a 3.38 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP with 14 K over 24 innings. He did allow 2 unearned runs and he had only 1 QS.

Cruz had a historic postseason in terms of power, crushing 8 dingers, 3 more than any other player, and was tied for 2nd with 16 RBI. He went 14 for 62 to hit .266/.314/.645/.959 with 13 runs, 2 doubles, and 7 BB. Unfortunately for him, it may be the play he didn’t make in right field with 2 out in the 9th of game 6 that is best remembered.

Mike Napoli was the breakout star of the postseason. He went 19 for 58 to hit .328/.414/.500/.914 with 11 runs, a double, 3 homers, 15 RBI, 1 SB in 1 attempt and 10 BB. In addition to being one of the most dangerous hitters of the postseason, he also disproved critics of his fielding skills, making all kinds of plays in the field.

Miguel Cabrera was as good in the playoffs as he was all season long. He went 11 for 35 to hit .314/.489/.771/.1.261 with 7 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, 10 RBI, 2 SB in 2 attempts, and 12 BB. He was 1st in OBP and OPS; 2nd in SLG and RC27; and tied 2nd in RC (min. 25 PA).

Like Cabrera, Braun’s regular season excellence carried over into the playoffs. He went 17 for 47 to hit .405/.468/.714/1.182 with 7 runs, 7 doubles, 2 homers, 10 RBI, 1 SB in 1 attempt, and 4 BB. He was 1st in AVG and RC27; 2nd in OBP; and 3rd in SLG and OPS (min. 25 PA).


The Reginald Martinez Jackson Award

Major League Baseball Postseason Most Valuable Player (World Series Champion)

Winner: David Freese (3B-St. Louis)

Runner-up: Albert Pujols (1B-St. Louis)

Third Place: Chris Carpenter (SP-St. Louis)

Fourth Place: Jason Motte (Closer-St. Louis)

Comments: Again, this award is for the championship team only. Once again I added a fourth place because these are my awards and I can do that.

Lance Berkman didn’t make the cut but he was certainly a good candidate, going 20 for 64 to hit .313/.413/.438/.851 with 17 runs, 11 RBI, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 9 BB, and 2 SB in 2 attempts. He was 3rd in RC (min. 25 PA). Berkman had one of the biggest hits of the postseason, driving home the tying run with two out in the 10th of game 6.

Jason Motte was a rock at the back of the St. Louis pen. He made 12 appearances, going 0-1 with 5 saves in 5 chances and posting a 2.19 ERA and a 0.49 WHIP with 8 K and only 1 BB over 12.1 innings. He allowed just 5 hits, and held batters to .119/.140/.190/.330 hitting.

Chris Carpenter was St. Louis’ ace in October. Carp went 4-0 in 6 starts with a complete game shutout (in Game 5 of the NLDS in Philly against Roy Halladay) and 4 QS. He averaged 6.0 innings per start and the Cards were 5-1 with him on the mound. Carpenter posted a 3.25 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP with 21 K over 36 innings, while holding batters to a .695 OPS.

Albert Pujols further strengthened his case both for a huge contract and for a place among the greatest players in baseball history. He went 24 for 68 to hit .353/.463/.691/1.155 with 15 runs, 16 RBI, 8 doubles, 5 homers, 12 BB, and 1 SB in 2 attempts. He was 1st in RC and 4th in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, and RC27 (min. 25 PA). AP was 2nd in hits and tied 2nd in BB, doubles, and homers. Pujols clubbed 3 dingers in STL’s win in game 3 of the WS. He struggled outside of that game, and unbelievably some talking heads had started criticizing him late in the series. But Pujols got one of the biggest hits of the entire postseason, a 1-out double off of Neftali Feliz that started their rally in the bottom of the 9th of game 6.

David Freese might not be Mr. October but he was Mr. October 2011. I know that made him sound like a Playgirl model but it wasn’t meant to come out that way. He went 25 of 63 to hit .397/.465/.794/1.258 with 12 runs, 21 RBI, 8 doubles, a triple, 5 homers, 21 RBI, and 7 BB. He was 1st in SLG; 2nd in AVG, OPS, and RC; and 3rd in OBP and RC27 (min. 25 PA). He was 1st in hits and RBI (5 more than any other player); and tied for 2nd in doubles and homers.

Freese had too many big hits to recount all of them here (and I mean that). In game 4 of the NLDS, Freese came up with 1 out in the bottom of the 4th with the Cards down 2-1 and ripped a 2-run double to put STL on top. He blasted a 2-out, 2-run homer in the 6th to make it 5-2 and the Cards went on to win it 5-3.

He had big hits even when the Cards didn’t win. In game 1 of the NLCS, Freese came up with 1 out in the top of the 4th with the Cards down 2-1 and crushed a 3-run bomb to put the Cards up 4-2. They went on to lose that one 9-6.

In game 3 of the NLCS, Freese hit an RBI double with 2 out in the bottom of the 1st to cap off the Cards 4-run outburst. It turned out to be very important, as they had to hang on to win 4-3. In game 6 of the NLCS, Freese hit a 2-out, 3-run homer in the top of the 1st to put the Cards up 4-0. They went on to win 12-6 to take the series.

Obviously, Freese’s biggest hits came late in game 6 of the WS. With the Cards down 7-5 in the bottom of the 9th, Freese came up with 2 on and 2 out and hit a 1-2 pitch off the right field wall for a game tying 2-run triple. Following another comeback in the 10th, Freese led off the 11th with the score tied 9-9 and hit a 3-2 pitch onto the lawn in center for a game winning homer.

He won both the NLCS and WS MVP. Freese had a hit in 16 of STL’s 18 postseason games.


The Vincent Edward “Bo” Jackson Award

Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year

Winner: Bartolo Colon (SP-New York Yankees)

Runner-up: Alex Gordon (LF-Kansas City)

Third Place: Lance Berkman (RF-St. Louis)

Comments: Each one of these guys had a different sort of comeback year. They ended up being ranked in order of how impressive their form of comeback is. Berkman had a bounce back year as an aging vet who had looked to be in the twilight of his career the year before. Alex Gordon had a breakthrough year after it looked like he was destined to be a bust. Colon had a miraculous comeback year at age 38 after several years ruined by injury and being out of baseball the previous season.

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