2011 MLB Award Picks

[infrared41]

don't doubt that the crochety, stubborn BBWAA voters will vote for Cano or Ellsbury because "their teams won because of them" or "tougher media pressure" or garbage like that. But that doesn't make it right.

Joe Posnanski has written a great article about the typical fallacies involved in BBWAA voting.

I disagree completely I am one who believes games under pressure make a player more valuable.

If memory serves, this article was discussed earlier this season. Anyway, my argument is that there is more "pressure" on a good player on a bad team than there is on any player on a good team. The good player on the bad team knows that if he's not getting it done, then it's pretty likely it ain't getting done. The good player on a bad team is going to be under constant "pressure." A player on a good team doesn't need to sweat "pressure" as much because he knows he has team mates who can pick him up.

[vicfurth]

I'm waiting for the year when Mike Young (Rangers) finally wins some award. Any award will do. Since the Juan Gonzalez trade, Young has done nothing but produce high-quality defense (save this year), consistently get on base, and be a stabilization in a very young, raw clubhouse.

That's all in addition to playing every infield position and consistently re-learning once another rookie steps in. For example:

--Moved to SS when Ian Kinsler came up

--Moved to 3B when Elvis Andrus came up

--Moved to 1B/DH when Adrian Beltre (and later, Mike Napoli) were brought on

He's the Rangers' answer to Jason Kidd. Old guy that deserves some form of recognition or championship. He's done too much to not get it.

[Funky Bunky]

AL MVP: Jose Bautista

NL MVP: Matt Kemp

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander

NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw

AL Manager of Year: Joe Maddon

NL Manager of Year: Kirk Gibson

AL Rookie of the Year: Mark Trumbo

NL Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel

AL Comeback Player of the Year: Jacoby Ellsbury

NL Comeback Player of the Year: Lance Berkman

[mania]

Despite Evan Grant's fellating piece of articles every single day, Young wouldn't even be in my Top 5 of RANGERS MVPs. He does not play good defense, he has never played good defense, he is the modern embodiment of Roger Dorn and has the range of a fence post. He flails at balls out of his range, which is one step either way if I'm being generous, and hearing "Past a diving Michael Young" is a constant in any game where he happens to be in the field.

I'm glad the team didn't trade him (after throwing yet another fit in the offseason) and he's got value as a DH, but he is TURRIBULL in the field. Absolutely :censored:ing wretched.

[DCDuck]

I'm gonna make a case for Drew Storen as NL RotY. Kimbrel gets a lot of love, as he deserves, but Storen's 43 saves is nothing to sneeze at. He also had a better save conversion percentage than Kimbrel (43/48 vs. 46/54).

Simply put, the Braves gave Kimbrel more save opportunities than the Nats gave Storen, but Storen was more reliable. No, he didn't strike out a ton of batters like Kimbrel did, but he also had a lower walk rate. The times when Storen was at his worst was when he had no business being in the game to begin with (i.e. tied ball game with inherited runners - Thanks Davey!). When Storen was being used as a closer he got the job done.

[mania]

...

Storen isn't a rookie.

[DCDuck]

...

Storen isn't a rookie.

Neither is Kimbrel, technically speaking, but both are eligible for the award this season.

[mania]

No... he isn't.

The rules.

Eligibility requirements were set forth in 1971 and a rookie was formally defined as a player with less than one-hundred thirty at-bats, a pitcher with less than fifty innings pitched, or anyone with less than forty-five days on any Major League roster.

Storen threw 55 innings in 2010.

Not. eligible.

[YessSir32]

AL MVP: Justin Verlander

NL MVP: Ryan Braun

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander

NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw

AL Manager of Year: Jim Leyland

NL Manager of Year: Kirk Gibson

AL Rookie of the Year: Mark Trumbo

NL Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel

AL Comeback Player of the Year: Jacoby Ellsbury

NL Comeback Player of the Year: Lance Berkman

[mania]

Here's what my ballot would look like, assuming I had a ballot, which I do not. I'll start with AL MVP, and do the rest over the course of this week.

AL MVP:

1. Jose Bautista (You can look at the traditional counting stats, his HR totals, his insane OPS, and the sabr stats, but either way, he's definitely deserving)

2. Jacoby Ellsbury (...where the did that power come from? Ellsbury combined a traditionally great season in the field with his best average and an unexpected power surge. Would not complain if he won MVP)

3. Miguel Cabrera (getting overlooked in the Verlander talk is about what a god damned beast M-Cab has been this season. Batting average leader, a OBP of .450, another really good year power-wise.. he's going to get 100% dicked over in MVP talk because the hype is on his teammate when I think he's a better candidate)

4. Curtis Granderson (leads baseball in runs scored, 120 RBIs, 40 HRs, 25 SBs, a really great offensive year)

5. Ian Kinsler (basically.. the same discussion for Granderson, only with slightly fewer HRs, less RBIs (because he hit leadoff), more SBs, but a lot fewer strikeouts and a lot better D)

6. Dustin Pedroia (really solid, nothing stands out but everything is really, really good, defensively, offensively...)

7. Mike Napoli (was the best catcher in baseball this year despite only 432 PAs. It was always known that he absolutely destroyed lefty pitching, but this year, he did it to righties too. You add in the fact that he got great reviews on his work with the Rangers young pitching staff and he very possibly might have cost Tony Reagins his job.)

8. Justin Verlander (he was the best pitcher in the AL, I do think his MVP hype is overdone because of what AL pitchers cannot control, but still worthy of a back of the ballot vote)

9. Adrian Gonzalez (Adrian Gonzalez was really, really good in his first year back in the AL. His numbers just don't quite jump off the page like several above him, and part of me doesn't like the idea of 3 Red Sox in my Top 10, but he deserves the placing)

10. Howie Kendrick (the Angels probably don't stay competitive without Kendrick's career season)

[mania]

NL MVP:

1. Matt Kemp (Where did this season come from? Insane numbers from a traditional side, sabr side, the same arguments for Bautista can be made here... except Kemp was in some ways even better, largely due to park adjustments)

2. Ryan Braun (Braun brings his best season yet, and would be a worthwhile MVP, but in my opinion, doesn't quite measure up to what Kemp did on the field this year)

3. Justin Upton (If you wanted to know how the D-Backs made the playoffs, Upton would be a great reason to point to. Great season, a 140 WRC+, a good season in the field...)

4. Joey Votto (Not exactly a comedown off of Votto's MVP last season, as he kept up what he does so well, just putting up great numbers in the middle of the Reds lineup)

5. Troy Tulowitzki (I feel like a broken record here. The NL field seems a little more "established" than the AL crop, largely because these guys have been very consistent the last couple of years)

6. Andrew McCutchen (The only reason the Pirates contended through July. Finally paid off in his promise)

7. Roy Halladay (An absolutely great season that will be completely overlooked)

8. Albert Pujols (what a down season by Pujols. His career is clearly over)

9. Shane Victorino (Somehow the best position player on the best team in the league. Had a very underrated season. Washington is licking their lips over the day his contract expires already.)

10. Prince Fielder (A glorified DH, he put up bulbous batting stats but was also abhorrent in the field)

[mania]

AL Cy Young

1. Justin Verlander (This is actually a fairly close race, when you look beyond wins and ERA. That being said, Verlander has been excellent this season and more than deserving.)

2. CC Sabathia (He's been a lot better than what he's been given credit for. Similar to the NL, this should be more of a two horse race but it won't be. No reason for Sabathia to finish lower than second, though.)

3. Jered Weaver (You could make a case for any of the three pitchers here. Weaver's got better counting stats, and when it's this close, that's what I'll give the edge to.)

4. C.J. Wilson (There was some controversy about him or Sabathia in the all star game, but as it turned out, they probably both should have been there.)

5. Dan Haren (Haren had a great year, and many years would be higher. Really solid season for AL pitchers.)