MLB Awards

The MLB season is fast coming to an end and since none of the playoff races are very interesting I am left with nothing to talk about except my picks for the MLB awards. So here are my picks for the MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager awards.

AL MVP - Joe Mauer

Easy pick. He leads the AL in batting average, slugging %, and OBP. He has 28 HR and 89 RBI and he is a catcher which means he doesn't play every game. That batting average by the way is a godlike .372. The guy is a great baseball player and has kept the Twins playoff hopes alive almost single handedly.

Runner Up - Mark Teixeira

Best $180 million the Yankees ever spent. Tex has 37 HR and 118 RBI to go along with his .290 batting average and Gold Glove defense. The guy is an amazing baseball player and if it wasn't for Joe Mauer batting like he is playing against the farm team every night then he would have won the award for sure.

NL MVP - Albert Pujols

Best player in baseball hands down. The guy is a phenomenal hitter who is going to break every hitting record there is by the time he is done. He is hitting .330 with 47 HR and 129 RBI and is leading the majors in OBP and slugging %. This will be one of many MVP awards he wins by the time his career is over.

Runner Up - Prince Fielder

The Prince has 41 HR with 129 RBI and a solid .296 batting average. Going to be a lot of 2nd place trophies for this man as long as he plays in the same league as Pujols.

AL Cy Young - Zack Greinke

Now no pitcher has ever won the Cy Young with less than 16 wins and Greinke currently has 15 so he will either need to improve on that. Other than the lack of wins (he plays for the Kansas City Royals remember) Greinke is a statistical beast. He leads the AL in ERA with a 2.08 which is unreal and is 2nd in the AL in strikeouts with 229. He has been a workhorse this year for the Royals pitching 216.1 innings with 6 complete games (only 1 behind Roy Halladay).

Runner Up - Felix Hernandez

King Felix has had a great year posting 16 wins, a 2.45 ERA, and 196 strikeouts. His numbers are real impressive but not as impressive as Greinke's.

NL Cy Young - Adam Wainwright

Wainwright has had an amazing year for the St. Louis Cardinals and along with Chris Carpenter has formed one of the best 1-2 combos in baseball. He leads the NL in wins with 18 and is 3rd in ERA with a 2.59. Now Carpenter has a better ERA and Tim Lincecum has more strikeouts (247 to Wainwright's 193) but Wainwright was a former closer who was made a starter out of neccesity and I think that he deserves it more.

Runner Up - Tim Lincecum

Mitch Kramer (Dazed and Confused reference) has been great this year. He has a solid ERA and has been getting the strikeouts as usual but Wainwright has just been better. Add the fact Lincecum only has 14 of the Giants 81 wins and it makes my choice clearer.

AL Rookie of the Year - Andrew Bailey

25 saves (9th in the AL) and a 1.95 ERA (2nd only to Mariano Rivera) and 1st in strikeouts among closers with 85. The guy came out of nowhere and has been great for the Oakland A's who always seem to have a good closer. No doubt he will be traded while on the podium accepting his award.

Runner Up - Ricky Romero

Not the best record in the world (12-9) and not a great ERA (4.28) but he stepped into the #2 role in the Blue Jays rotation and showed signs of brilliance. If he had a better team behind him he may have done better.

NL Rookie of the Year - J.A. Happ

10-4. 2.77 ERA. 105 strikeouts

Runner Up - Tommy Hanson

10-4. 2.85 ERA. 100 strikeouts. Close but no cigar.

AL Manager of the Year - Ron Washington of the Texas Rangers

Last year the Rangers were 79-83. This year they are 82-68 and challenged for a Wild Card birth. Washington has done a great job with his young pitching staff and even rejuvenated the career of fatass Andruw Jones. If he doesn't win this award then baseball is fixed.

NL Manager of the Year - Jim Tracy of the Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are currently leading the Wild Card race by 5 games and are a lock to make the playoffs. The Rockies are 86-65 right now which is a massive improvement from last year when they finished 74-88. Tracy has done a great job with very little and the Rockies could be dangerous in the playoffs with Jason Marquis and Jorge De La Rosa in the rotation.

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