MLB Mid-season Awards

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I'm doing a full run of the awards for my next column, but I figured I'd start a thread here. List your front-runners for the official MLB awards.....

 

AL MVP: Manny Ramirez, Bos

NL MVP: Barry Bonds, SF

AL Cy Young: Curt Schilling, Bos

NL Cy Young: Ben Sheets, Mil

AL Rookie of the Year: Bobby Crosby, Oak

NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Bay, Pit

AL Manager: Buck Showalter, Tex

NL Manager: Bobby Cox, Atl

[Bruiser Chong 0]

AL MVP: Manny Ramirez, Bos

NL MVP: Scott Rolen, Stl

AL Cy Young: Curt Schilling, Bos

NL Cy Young: Jason Schmidt, SF

AL Rookie of the Year: Bobby Crosby, Oak

NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Bay, Pit

AL Manager: Buck Showalter, Tex

NL Manager: Tony LaRussa, Stl

 

I'll say more about my picks later.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

AL MVP: Manny Ramirez, Bos

NL MVP: Scott Rolen, Stl

AL Cy Young: Curt Schilling, Bos

NL Cy Young: Randy Johnson, Arizona(even though he could be traded to the AL.). The man has a perfect game this year, leads the majors in strikeouts, has a sub 3 ERA and leads the majors with a .86 WHIP

AL Rookie of the Year: Lew Ford, Minn (better stats, plain and simple)

NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Bay, Pit

AL Manager: Buck Showalter, Tex

NL Manager: Dave Miley, Cinci (horrid pitching staff and still in the Wild Card race)

[Guest Rrrsh]

AL MVP: Vlad

NL MVP: Rolen

AL Cy Young:Schill

NL Cy Young: Schimdt

AL Rookie of the Year: Ford

NL Rookie of the Year: Bay

AL Manager: Showalter

NL Manager: Cox

[Guest Real F'n Show]

AL MVP: Man Ram

NL MVP: Scott Rolen

AL Cy Young: Curt Schilling

NL Cy Young: Randy Johnson

AL Rookie of the Year: Joe Mauer

NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Bay

AL Manager: Ron Gardenhire

NL Manager: Bobby Cox

[Bored 0]

AL Rookie of the Year: Lew Ford, Minn (better stats, plain and simple)

Lew Ford isn't eligible, plain and simple.

 

I'll save my picks for when the first hald ends.

[phoenixrising 0]

AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez, New York

NL MVP: Scott Rolen, St. Louis

AL Cy Young: Mark Mulder, Oakland

NL Cy Young: Randy Johnson, Arizona

AL ROY: Bobby Crosby, Oakland

NL ROY: Jason Bay, Pittsburgh

AL Manager: Lou Pinella, Tampa Bay

NL Manager: Tony Larussa, St. Louis

[the pinjockey 0]

AL MVP: Manny Ramirez, Bos

NL MVP: Barry Bonds, SF

AL Cy Young: Curt Schilling, Bos

NL Cy Young: Jason Schmidt, SF

AL Rookie of the Year: Lew Ford, Min (ESPN has him listed as a rookie on the stats page)

NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Bay, Pit (I sooooo want to say Madson as a homer pick here, but Bay can't be disputed)

AL Manager: Buck Showalter, Tex

NL Manager: Ned Yost, Mil

[Guest FrigidSoul]

AL Rookie of the Year: Lew Ford, Minn (better stats, plain and simple)

Lew Ford isn't eligible, plain and simple.

Its funny that he's listed as a rookie on most sites and baseball analisyts refer to him as a rookie as well.

[Bored 0]

I know espn.com does list him as a rookie in the stats but he isn't. He spent too much time on the active roster prior to this season to be eligible. I'm trying to find an article that says officially why he's not eligible but best I can do is Peter Gammons making reference to him not being a rookie in his last column when discussing his choice for ROY to this point:

 

(Lew Ford has been great for the Twins with his .317 average and .872 OPS, but he doesn't qualify).

Oh and do a Google news search of the term "rookie Lew Ford" and you'll find no reference. You will find plenty of "rookie Bobby Crosby" and "rookie Joe Mauer" mentions.

[Styles 0]

AL MVP: Manny Ramirez, BOS

NL MVP: Scott Rolen, STL

AL Cy Young: Curt Schilling, BOS

NL Cy Young: Roger Clemens, HOU

AL Rookie of the Year: Daniel Cabrera, BAL (I'm allowed a homie )

NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Bay, PIT

AL Manager: Buck Showalter, TEX

NL Manager: Tony Larussa, STL

[Bored 0]

Okay found a USA Today article on Ford not being rookie from May:

 

http://www.keepmedia.com/ShowItemDetails.d...10032&oliID=213

Baseball's first seven weeks have not been friendly to what was supposed to be a bumper crop of rookies.

Atlanta Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche hasn't hit. The same for the Oakland Athletics' Bobby Crosby and the New York Mets' Kazuo Matsui, both shortstops. Catcher Joe Mauer is rehabbing a knee for the Minnesota Twins.

 

How about Twins outfielder Lew Ford, who carried a .333 average into Thursday night's game, or lefty pitcher Cliff Lee, who is 5-0 with a 2.96 ERA for the Cleveland Indians?

 

Close, but no cigar.

 

Ford and Lee aren't officially rookies, but they are about as close as a player can get without being one.

 

Major League Baseball rules say a player is a rookie until he gets 130 at-bats, pitches 50 innings or doesn't have more than 45 days on the roster.

 

Ford, 27, who has helped the Twins into first place in the American League Central, missed qualifying by one day. He played a week last season with a hairline fracture in his right forearm.

 

Ford was injured July 9 when he got hit with a batting-practice pitch but played defense and was used a pinch-runner. X-rays revealed the fracture. He was disabled July 14, one day after losing his rookie status.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

They should really make an exception in his case then. He was on the active roster but he wasn't playing...that's fucked up.

[Guest Soylent Green Is People]

AL MVP: Manny Ramirez, Boston

NL MVP: Scott Rolen, St. Louis

AL Cy Young: Mark Mulder, Oakland

NL Cy Young: Jason Schmidt, San Francisco

AL Rookie of the Year: Bobby Crosby, Oakland

NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Bay, Pittsburgh

AL Manager: Buck Showalter, Texas

NL Manager: Tony LaRussa, St. Louis

[Guest Anglesault]

They should really make an exception in his case then.

Do you really want to open that can of worms?

Edited July 10, 2004 by Anglesault

[Bruiser Chong 0]

AL MVP: Manny Ramirez, Bos - I don't follow the AL as much as I do the NL, but it seems that Manny's the only guy who's really lived up to his status among the superstars. A-Rod's been adjusting and while he's picked things up over the past two months, I still don't think he's producing as much as he has in years past.

 

NL MVP: Scott Rolen, Stl - Plain and simple, this is a guy I would kill to have on my team. This season, there simply has not been a better guy in scoring opportunities. It seems like anytime there's a runner at second and Rolen's at the dish, you're just moments away from tacking on another run batted in for the guy. I've watched a lot of Cards games this season and there've been few times where he hasn't come through in run-scoring chances. And believe me, he gets a lot of them. He's also done the impossible and managed to eclipse his teammate, Albert Pujols, the first half. Whether it be at the plate or on the field, Rolen has actually been better than Pujols in most respects. To me, there's no real question about who's the NL MVP so far. It's this guy.

 

AL Cy Young: Curt Schilling, Bos - Seems like most of the aces you hear about are in the NL, so that's my only real reason for giving Curt the nod here. Guys like Zito have fallen back to Earth, while guys like Vazquez show signs of brilliance at times and suck other times. And for once, Pedro's actually looking human.

 

NL Cy Young: Jason Schmidt, SF - I don't know why there's any debate about this one. Jason Schmidt is the Cy Young for the NL. Hands down. It's not Clemens, it's not Johnson. The whole old man does well thing is quite touching, but this guy is coming off of surgery and he hasn't lost anything on his stuff. After a pair of rocky outings his first couple of times out, he's been nothing short of brilliant. The guy has racked up a great amount of strike outs, has magnificent ERA and while Johnson threw a perfect game, Schmidt has thrown how many one-hitters that've gone unnoticed? Were it not for the suckage that is the Giants' pen, Schmidt would be the winningest pitcher in baseball right now. Pretty amazing, considering he missed the first several weeks. If I'm a batter, it's not Clemens, Johnson or Wood I fear. It's Schmidt.

 

AL Manager: Buck Showalter, Tex - So far, he's done the impossible, taking a perennial last place team and kept them at the top of the AL West. Best yet, he's done it the first season without the guy who was originally intended to turn things around. This isn't a fluke, either. These guys can hit, pitch a bit and contend. There's no smoke and mirrors here, a la Tony Pena's Royals last season.

 

NL Manager: Tony LaRussa, Stl - At the outset of the season, all you heard in regards to the NL Central was that it was basically going to be the Cubs and Astros battling for the top spot. Well, we're two days from the All-Star break and neither one of those teams look to even have a shot at the division. No, the team that most people wrote off because they didn't have good enough pitching, has the second best record in baseball going into the break. Credit good management, who saw the team's problems and went out and actually fixed them without sacrificing any key elements. As much as it pains me to say, I think the Cards when completely healthy, are a better team than the Cubs when they're completely healthy. The rest of the credit needs to go to LaRussa, who many people thought was slowly losing it. If he is, managers around the circuit should take note and follow suit, because it's sure working.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

AL MVP: Manny Ramirez

NL MVP: Scott Rolen

AL Cy Young: Curt Schilling

NL Cy Young: Roger Clemens

AL Rookie of the Year: Bobby Crosby

NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Bay

AL Manager: Buck Showalter

NL Manager: Tony LaRussa

[geniusMoment 0]

Comeback player of the year: Ken Griffey Jr.

[Vern Gagne 0]

AL MVP-Vlad Guerrero

NL MVP-Barry Bonds

AL Cy Young-Mariano Rivera

NL Cy Young-Ben Sheets

AL ROY-Bobby Crosby

NL ROY-Jason Bay

AL Improved-Shon Figgins

NL Improved-Ben Sheets

AL MOY-Buck Showalter

NL MOY-Tony LaRussa

AL Executive-John Hart

NL Executive-Walt Jocketty

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

AL MVP: Alfonso Soriano, Texas

 

I think he deverse it, because alot of people were dissing Texas when they made the trade him for A-Rod. They said the Texas Rangers wouldn't make the post-season in a long time. Fast foward to now, Texas Rangers are sitting on top of their divison. And alot of it has to do with Soriano.

 

NL MVP: Barry Bonds, SF

 

He is a machine plain and simple. He is the main reason they are still contending to go the post-season. And he will problay get his 700 home run at the pace he is going.

 

AL Cy Young: Curt Schilling, BOS

 

Only consisent pitcher playing in the AL right now.

 

NL Cy Young: Jason Schmidt, SF

 

Best pitcher playing this season right now IMO. Roger Clemons and Randy Johnson are having great seasons considering their age, but that doesn't hide the fact that Jason Schmidt has been pitching the best this season.

[Brett Favre 0]

AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero, Ana

NL MVP: Scott Rolen, Stl

AL Cy Young: Mariano Rivera, NYY

NL Cy Young: Jason Schmidt, SF

AL Manager: Buck Showalter, Tex

NL Manager: Ned Yost, MIL

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Comeback player of the year: Ken Griffey Jr.

If I were to pick a Comeback player, it would have to be Ray Lankford. Here's a guy who was absolutely considered DONE. He didn't play organized ball at any level last season. This year, he's hitting 266/365/435, and building his case as one of St. Louis's all time greats.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

AL Rookie of the Year: Daniel Cabrera, BAL (I'm allowed a homie )

If he continues to pitch like he has so far, I think he could win the ROY award.

 

He's 6-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 12 starts, including 1 Complete Game Shutout and he's taken 2 no hitters into the 6th inning as well. Not too shabby for a player who was in A ball last year (and I got to see pitch once). Hes clearly the Orioles #1 pitcher right now which says a lot for their pitching staff.

[geniusMoment 0]

Comeback player of the year:  Ken Griffey Jr.

If I were to pick a Comeback player, it would have to be Ray Lankford. Here's a guy who was absolutely considered DONE. He didn't play organized ball at any level last season. This year, he's hitting 266/365/435, and building his case as one of St. Louis's all time greats.

 

I guess I spoke too soon. Oh well, my season's over. Might as well find something else to watch.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Even if Griffey hadn't gone down again, I don't know if I'd give him the award. He was showing shades of his former self at times, but he was also batting in the mid .200's and had been in a horrible slump since his final steps towards joining the 500 Club.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

I was just wondering, could those of you who named Scott Rolen your MVP possibly send me some of that primo hash that you've scored?

[the max 0]

Even if Griffey hadn't gone down again, I don't know if I'd give him the award. He was showing shades of his former self at times, but he was also batting in the mid .200's and had been in a horrible slump since his final steps towards joining the 500 Club.

 

Plus he had a nasty 1-20something after hitting 500.

 

I was just wondering, could those of you who named Scott Rolen your MVP possibly send me some of that primo hash that you've scored?

 

May I ask why you have this opinion? He's had a breakout year, plays the best defense, and drives in runs. Who's your pick for NL?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Perhaps he's wondering why Scott Rolen > Barry Bonds on their ballots. I've got a full 10 spot ballot coming up on the column, and I place Rolen third, behind Bonds and Abreu.

[Guest goatfish]

AL MVP: 1. Manny Ramirez Bos

2. Vlad Guerrero Ana

3. David Ortiz Bos

 

Thoughts: Although I admire what Vlad has done switching leagues, Manny is delivering here in Boston. Ortiz gets third right now, but I think Pudge might jump on this list in the end. Blalock also deserves consideration.

 

NL MVP: 1. Scott Rolen Stl

2. Jim Thome Phi

3. Barry Bonds SF

 

Thoughts: Rolen is playing out of his mind right now, thus he deserves the MVP. Realistically, Bonds should be number one every year (and I hate the man), but Thome gets number two right now based on his incredible past month. Pujols, Abreu and Helton deserve consideration.

 

AL Cy Young: 1. Curt Schilling Bos

1a. Mark Mulder Oak

2. Javier Vazquez NY

 

Thoughts: Schilling gets the Cy Young to blatant homerism by me, but I agree that it could go either way between him and Mulder right now. Vazquez has been relatively unnoticed in NY, being a rock (relatively) for the Yankees pitching staff, and his switching leagues and going to a big market for the first time is something that was doubted by some when he signed with NY. Mark Buehrle, Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana and Mariano Rivera deserve consideration.

 

NL Cy Young: 1. Jason Schmidt SF

2. Randy Johnson Ari

3. Roger Clemens Hou

 

Thoughts: Schmidt has pitched unbelievably this year, and deserves the award at the halfway point, but this award could go anywhere by the end of the year, the N.L. is that stacked. Matt Clement, Ben Sheets, Carlos Zambrano, and Tom Glavine deserve consideration.

 

Al ROY: 1. Shingo Takatsu Chi

2. Bobby Crosby Oak

3. Zach Greinke KC

 

Thoughts: Shingo has been a Godsend for Chi's bullpen, making Billy Koch thankfully tradeable for Chicago fans and a number of my fantasy teams. Crosby has been solid offensively, but has struggled defensively. Greinke's just a hunch I have.

 

NL ROY: I have no idea who the NL's rookies are, so I can't rate them.

 

AL Manager of the year: 1. Buck Schowalter Tex

2. Lou Pinella TB

 

Thoughts: These are the only two that deserve rating, and a first place team in the West is much more impressive then a third place team in the East.

 

NL Manager of the year: 1. Tony LaRussa Stl

2. Bobby Cox Atl

 

Thoughts: LaRussa has more talent, and has the best record, so he gets the nod. What Cox has done with limited talent in Atlanta is impressive. I have no idea who Milwaukee's manager is, but he gets the third spot over whoever Cincinatti's manager is.

 

AL Bust of the Year: 1. Sidney Ponson Balt

2. Bartolo Colon Ana

3. Derek Lowe Bos

 

Thoughts: Two fat pitchers lead this list. I was tempted to list Colon first, because he has more to work with in Anaheim, but Ponson has just been horrendous in Baltimore. I don't want to talk about Derek Lowe, as that will make me break my computer in rage. Barry Zito narrowly avoids making this list, as does Edgar Martinez, Jason Giambi, and Byung Hyun Kim.

 

NL Bust of the Year: 1. Morgan Ensberg Hou

2. Andruw Jones Atl

3. The Houston Astros/The Arizona Diamondbacks

 

Thoughts: Ensberg was predicted to have a breakout season this year after flourishing in a platoon role last year, but he couldn't produce in a lineup including Berkman, Kent, a rejuvinated Biggio, and a hurt Bagwell. Jones has played good defense, but his bat has slumped. The Astros and Diamondbacks collectively have not played up to expectations.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I picked Rolen simply because he's been the best in the NL the first half of the season. He leads the majors in RBIs, has hit well for average and power; draws walks; doesn't strike out too often. He's amazing with the glove, something that Barry Bonds no longer is. Plus, his team has a hefty lead in the most competitive division in baseball; something I don't think they could accomplish without his glove and bat.

 

And I won't be sold on Takatsu until he goes through the league a second time. If you'll recall, Dontrelle Willis was basically unstoppable the first half of last season, but the second time around, teams hit him much better.