2012 MLB Awards - Who is Most Deserving

These are not projections, but rather who I personally would vote for. 

AL Manager of the Year: Bob Melvin, Oakland A's

This was a close decision over the Orioles' Buck Showalter, who may well win the award. Both made the most out of what appeared to be putrid rosters heading into the season (although the O's looked a bit better than the A's). While both are worthy, Melvin should win because he was able to lead his team to a division crown, while the Orioles won a wild card.

Runners up (in order): Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles; Robin Ventura, Chicago White Sox


NL Manager of the Year: Davey Johnson, Washington Nationals

Manager of the Year often goes to a skipper whose team turned it around in the standings, which makes Davey Johnson a favorite. He took his team from below .500 a year ago to the best record in baseball (98-64) this season. Johnson's main opposition is Dusty Baker, whose Reds pioneered on without former MVP Joey Votto for six weeks

Runners up (in order): Dusty Baker, Cincinnati Reds; Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants


AL Comeback Player of the Year: Fernando Rodney, Tampa Bay Rays

A lot of people campaign for Adam Dunn for this award, but I don't care how many home runs he hit; he struck out 222 times and batted a paltry .204. If it wasn't for his pop, all that would be deserving of is a demotion. Alex Rios is intriguing, but recently his career path has included up and down seasons, and all he seems to be doing is following that. Then there's Fernando Rodney, who came out of nowhere to convert 48/50 saves with a 0.60 ERA. Case closed.

Runners up (in order): Alex Rios, Chicago White Sox; Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins; Rafael Soriano, New York Yankees


NL Comeback Player of the Year: Kris Medlen, Atlanta Braves

Buster Posey is probably going to win this award. But I'd rather give it to a relative unknown than a superstar returning from injury, Kris Medlen, (who is also coming back from injury: Tommy John surgery). He was an afterthought when the Braves announced their Opening Day rotation, as they had five young starters and a recovering Tim Hudson. To start the season, Medlen posted a 2.48 ERA in 38 bullpen appearances. But this is where it gets nasty: Since joining the Braves' staff on July 31, Medlen has gone 9-0 with a 0.97 ERA. 24 innings short from the required 162 to qualify for percentage stats, Medlen can't qualify for any of them. If 138 innings was the cutoff, though, he would lead the NL in ERA (1.57), winning percentage (.909), and HR/9 IP (0.4). There's almost a better argument for him for Cy Young than teammate Craig Kimbrel.

Runners up (in order): Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves; Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants; Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals; David Wright, New York Mets


AL Rookie of the Year: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Yoenis Cespedes could have won it almost any other year.

Runners up (in order): Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics; Matt Moore, Tampa Bay Rays; Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers


NL Rookie of the Year: Wade Miley, Arizona Diamondbacks

No, it shouldn't be Bryce Harper, in fact, he could even be argued for fourth place. Wade Miley won sixteen games with an anemic offense behind him, and possessed a 3.33 ERA. Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario hit .270 with 28 home runs, and could be an offensive force for years to come. But he's a liability behind the plate. Statistically, Miley deserves this award, but in five years, he will likely not be the most talked about candidate on this list.  

Runners up (in order): Wilin Rosario, Colorado Rockies; Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals; Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds; Norichicka Aoki, Milwaukee Brewers; Jordan Pacheco, Colorado Rockies


AL Cy Young: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays

Fernando Rodney will sure have support, but I'm of the belief that a closer, no matter what, should not win the Cy Young. The award is basically a toss-up between Justin Verlander and David Price. Price's ERA is seven points lower and he has three more wins on a worse offensive ballclub. Verlander, though, has tossed 27.1 more innings (in two more starts) and has 34 more strikeouts.

Runners up (in order): Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers; Fernando Rodney, Tampa Bay Rays; Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners; Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox


NL Cy Young: R.A. Dickey, New York Mets

Craig Kimbrel's situation is the same as Rodney's. He pitched about as well as he could, but for no more than an inning a night. Johnny Cueto pitched in a bandbox and finished with a 2.78 ERA and nineteen wins, both third in the league. Clayton Kershaw, going for back-to-back Cys, led the league in ERA and WHIP, but with such similar stats to the others a 14-9 record won't cut it. Gio Gonzalez won 21 games but simply wasn't quite as impressive as R.A. Dickey or Cueto. Dickey led the league in complete games, innings pitched and strikeouts, finished second in ERA and wins and third in WHIP, all while throwing a power knuckler and being 37. He gets my vote.

Runners up (in order:) Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers; Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds; Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants; Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves; Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals


AL Most Valuable Player: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

The rookie Mike Trout will get his in due time. But Miguel Cabrera hit for the Triple Crown. I value defense as much as anyone, but c'mon, Cabrera hit for the Triple Crown.

Runner up: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
(Oh, and to discount that WAR argument made by Trout's supporters: Baseball-reference.com has Darwin Barney's WAR this season at 4.5, and Josh Hamilton's at 3.6. Using WAR alone, Ben Zobrist would be a two-time MVP winner.)


NL Most Valuable Player: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants

Andrew McCutchen was the favorite for most of the season, but like his team, he cooled down once August started, batting only .252 from then to now. It's essentially between Buster Posey and Ryan Braun. Braun led the NL in home runs, runs scored, slugging percentage and OPS, finished second in RBI and third in batting average. Posey, the National League batting champion, was second in OPS, third in slugging percentage and sixth in RBI. Both play stellar defensively, but Posey will win because he is a catcher. When both had such similarly impressive seasons, that is certainly a deciding factor.

Runners up (in order): Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers; Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates; Chase Headley, San Diego Padres; Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals

Onto the Postseason: MLB Division Series Projections

The Rays gather around home plate to welcome Evan Longoria, whose walk-off last night propelled Tampa into the Postseason.

You've probably heard what transpired last night in Major League Baseball, a night that was probably the most thrilling ever in regular season history. Following the collapses of the Red Sox and Braves, there is more baseball to be played.


Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers
Prediction: Rangers in four.

Yes, the Rays have a lot of fight in them, and their September run was riveting. But momentum doesn't always carry over, and overall the Rangers are the better team. Texas' superb offense, which ranked third in baseball with 855 runs, just won't be contained enough for the Rays to win the series. And the Rangers have a solid enough rotation that they should be able to contain the average Tampa offense enough to have the advantage on the scoreboard.

Tampa Bay also has rotation issues, as David Price just pitched yesterday, and James Shields won't be able to start until Game 2. Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis, and even rookie Matt Moore are being considered by manager Joe Maddon for the Game 1 nod. Niemann and Davis both have ERAs over four, and Moore has only pitched 9.1 innings of major league ball in his entire career. But, hey, with the Rays, anything is possible.


Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees
Prediction: Yankees in five.

The Tigers are actually the favored by many people across the country; an ESPN SportsNation poll had 63% of the country picking the Tigers to win the series. Detroit does have a slightly better one-two punch in their rotation, sporting Justin Verlander and Doug Fister, who both have ERAs lower than CC Sabathia's 3.00. Ivan Nova will start Game 2 for the Yankees.

The reason 63% of the country has picked Detroit to win this series is because of one person: sure-to-be AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. But in baseball, one pitcher simply can't win a series by himself. CC Sabathia has the skills to match Verlander pitch for pitch. Considering games one and four a toss-up is reasonable, since New York has the edge at the plate.


Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Prediction: Brewers in four.

Only the Phillies sport a more solid postseason rotation than the Brewers. Milwaukee should be able to shoot down Arizona's offensive core (Justin Upton) fairly easily.

That being said, the Diamondbacks are very relatable to last year's Giants. They have a triple-A call-up playing first base for them. Their ace and 21 game winner Ian Kennedy was written off by the Yankees organization just a few years ago. They didn't have postseason aspirations at the start of the season. Yet somehow, they have chugged along to an improbable 94 wins and an NL West crown that was supposed to be won by the Giants or Rockies.

You can't write off the D'Backs. It's just too hard to pick them to get past Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and the all-in Brewers. It's championship or bust with Fielder likely out following this postseason, and Milwaukee will come out with full force.


St. Louis Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Prediction: Phillies in four.

The Phillies would have been better off losing to Atlanta last night, oddly enough. For one, St. Louis is a tougher matchup than division foe Atlanta, a team they were able to take care of this year. An Atlanta win also would have forced a playoff, resulting in the winning team being fatigued and without their ace to start the series.

All of that aside, Philly is still the favorite. We all know why. Heck, they have Vance Worley, a guy who went 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA on the year, coming out of the bullpen. Whether Roy Oswalt will even start remains to be seen. The rotation is just unfair.

The only thing stopping the Phils from winning it all this fall will be an offensive letdown, something this veteran crew is subject to. It happened last year against the Giants, and resulted in a postseason exit.

Well, that, or a surging Albert Pujols, who is coming off a .355 September. Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday just so happen to be pretty good as well. While the Cards are capable of putting up runs against anyone, Philly should be able to contain them just enough to move on.

Ramirez, Damon Reunited, now in Tampa Bay

In 2004, Johnny Damon looked like a caveman and Manny Ramirez' dreads were the same as always when, as members of the Boston Red Sox, the two cornerstone players won a World Series. The Boston Curse was over at last. Those days are long gone for the 37-year-old Damon and 38-year old Ramirez, both far past their prime, but looking to prove they both have something left in the tank.

The small-market Tampa Bay Rays haven't exactly had the best of offseasons this winter, losing the top dogs of their 2008 World Series team, Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena. Rafael Soriano, the team's lights-out closer last season, recently signed with the Yankees. Tampa's window seems to be closing. Evan Longoria, the team's centerpiece, remains, but the Rays look to be headed back to where they've been for years: at the bottom of the standings, or at least watching from home in October.

They still possess a solid starting rotation, led by up-and-coming superstar ace David Price, who started for the American League and this past season's All-Star Game, as well as the aforementioned Longoria. But without Crawford and Pena, will the Rays be able to produce nearly enough offense to contend with Boston and New York in the AL East?

GM Andrew Friedman showed he at least wants to try with the signings of Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. It would be a dream for him and the 50 fans that go to Tampa Bay games if they could relive what the two did as teammates in Boston, a World Series championship. Could the 2011 Rays be the 2008 Rays, or better yet, 2010 Giants? All of the signs say no, but there is certainly a chance.

Damon will take the place of Crawford in the outfield, where the Rays can expect a slight drop-off in every statistical category. But Damon is still a solid MLB player at this stage in his career, who can almost guarantee a .350 OBP.

In Ramirez' case, one really doesn't know what to expect. He still seems to be, while not the Manny Ramirez of the past, one of the better hitters in the game. .280/25/75 or so, while seemingly slightly exaggerated, does seem realistic for this season (if he can stay healthy) considering what he's done with the bat the past few years.

While the signing of Damon and Ramirez certainly doesn't make the Tampa Bay Rays once again contenders for an MLB crown, it gives them a fighter's chance. Damon is a veteran clubhouse leader while Manny will be Manny, regardless of location. What would be nice for the Rays organization is if these signings could bolster attendance for the team a bit, but we all know that's not going to happen anytime soon.