MLB Awards Review

Now that the calendar has turned to September I wanted to look back and see how my MLB Award Predicitions are going. One of the best thing about blogging is that there is a record of what you thought. Lets see how smart I was (sarcastic) back in April:

MVP -Manny Ramirez (NL), Grady Sizemore (AL)
Cy Young -Johan Santana (NL), Jon Lester (AL)
Manager of the Year - Jerry Manuel (NL), Ron Gardenhire (AL)
Rookie of the Year - Cameron Maybin (NL), David Price (AL)

Obviously my picks leave a lot to be desired. Right now, I dont see any of my 8 picks being correct. So, lets change them. Here is what I think now.

NL MVP - Albert Pujols: .320 avg (5th), .443 obp (1st), .669 slg (1st), 1.112 ops (1st), 102 runs (1st), 41 HRs (1st), 110 RBIs (3rd), 98 walks (3rd). If anyone doesn't vote him first, they should lose the ability to vote forever. This one is a slam dunk.
Runner-Up: No one.

AL MVP - Joe Mauer: .368 avg (1st), .436 obp (1st), .615 slg (1st), 1.051 ops (1st). That alone should win him the MVP. When you factor in his 26 HRs and 80 RBIs and the fact that he is a catcher, this one should also be a slam dunk. Just think what his numbers would have been had he not missed April with a back injury.
Runner-Up: Mark Teixeira.

NL Cy Young - Tim Lincecum: 13-4 (t4 wins), 2.33 ERA (2nd), 222 K's (1st), 4 CG's (t1st), 2 Shutouts (t1st), 1.03 Whip (3rd), .208 BAA (2nd). There a lot of contenders, but Lincecum is the reigning winner and no one has taken it from him. This one comes down to who pitches the best in September.
Runner-Up: Chris Carpenter, Dan Haren, Adam Wainwright, Matt Cain...

AL Cy Young - Zack Greinke: 13-8 (t5th in wins), 2.32 ERA (1st), 202 K's (2nd), 6 CG's (1st), 3 Shutouts (1st), 1.08 Whip (1st), .233 BAA (1st). While this one should be easy, it will be hard for some to vote a pitcher on the worst team in the AL as the Cy Young. Doesn't matter to me as he has been by far the best pitcher in the AL this season.
Runner-Up: Justin Verlander.

NL Manager of the Year - Tony LaRussa. The Cardinals are just 1 game off the pace for the best record in the NL. All the experts had the Cubs running away with the NL Central but the Cardinals have the biggest lead (10.5 games) of any team in the Majors.
Runner-Up: Jim Tracy.

AL Manager of the Year - Mike Scioscia. The Angels have the 2nd best record in the Majors despite injuries to starting pitchers John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, Kelvim Escobar and the death of Nick Adenhart (13 different pitchers have started a game this year). Now mix in the free agent defections of Mark Teixiera, Francisco Rodriguez, and John Garland and it is amazing that they are where they are.
Runner-Up: Ron Washington.

NL Rookie of the Year - JA Happ. 10-3, 2.63 ERA (5th in NL), .226 BAA (6th in NL). Happ has been the best pitcher on the defending World Series Champs. That has gotten him a lot of attention and thanks to being in the majors all year, he edges out the competition.
Runner-Up: Tommy Hanson.

AL Rookie of the Year - Andrew Bailey. Who? Exactly. Not many have noticed the Oakland Closer but check out these numbers. 6-3 with 21 saves, 1.88 ERA, 72 IP, 44 hits, 76 K's (leads all AL relievers), 0.92 Whip, and a .173 BAA. The only question will be, has anyone noticed him outside of the Bay Area.
Runner-Up: Jeff Niemann.

There you go. Now lets see how I did a month from now.