2006 LEAGUE AWARDS

Most Valuable Player:  Derrek Lee, PIT

Cy Young:  Johan Santana, PIT

Rolaids Relief Man:  Mariano Rivera, PIT

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD
(Most Valuable Player nominees can be any player that had the biggest impact on the success of your season. A team may nominate up to two players.)

Jim Edmonds, Minnesota Twins - Just four at bats shy of easily winning the 2006 batting title, Jim Edmonds was a dominant force in the lineup for his team.  He batted an eye-popping .374 with 31 extra-base hits (14 HR) and 40 RBIs.  He missed five games due to injury, but when Edmonds was in the lineup, the Twins were always clicking offensively [.374 BA, 46 G, 131 AB, 35 RS, 40 RBI, 16 DO, 1 TR, 14 HR, 14 BB].

Ryan Howard, Chicago White Sox - Despite being limited to just 103 at bats, Howard still hit 13 homeruns, nearly twice as many as anyone else on the team (one every 7.9 AB).  He had 30 RBIs, which accounted for one-sixth of the team's RBIs in 2006.  In addition, Howard hit .320 with a on base percentage of .375 and an amazing slugging percentage of .777, which equals an OPS of 1.152 [.320 BA, 103 AB, 21 RS, 30 RBI, 6 DO, 1 TR, 13 HR, 9 BB, 33 K].

Derrek Lee, Pittsburgh Pirates - Derrek Lee won the Triple Crown in 2006, leading the league in batting average (.355), homeruns (19), and RBIs (43).  He was also tied for second in runs scored (39).  His impact in the middle of the Pittsburgh was without question [.355 BA, 169 AB, 39 RS, 43 RBI, 11 DO, 1 TR, 19 HR, 17 BB, 1 SB].

Felipe Lopez, Seattle Mariners - Felipe Lopez hit .318 (fourth in the league) with an on base percentage of .371 and slugging percentage of .618.  He belted 11 homeruns while playing second base and shortstop [.318 BA, 157 AB, 30 RS, 18 RBI, 10 DO, 2 TR, 11 HR, 13 BB, 34 K, 4 SB].

David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox - David Ortiz is the standout choice from the Red Sox roster.  Big Papi led his team in almost every offensive category including homeruns (13) and RBIs (42).  He also slammed 12 doubles, good for second on the team.  Ortiz had numerous clutch hits and kept the Red Sox in the playoff race until the final series.  His presence was felt by his own team as well as the opponents' [.214 BA, 176 AB, 22 RS, 42 RBI, 12 DO, 1 TR, 13 HR, 27 BB].

Albert Pujols, Kansas City Royals - Sir Albert's big bat led the Royals to their first MSPSL world series appearance in 2006.  Even though he was playing in the huge pitcher's park of Kauffman Stadium, Pujols put up dominating numbers [.337 BA, 33 RS, 32 RBI, 15 2B, 9 HR].

Manny Ramirez, Cleveland Indians - Manny Ramirez was again Cleveland’s top run producer in 2006.  Not only did Manny knock in 36 runs, fifth in the league, but he also scored 33 while posting a batting average of .280 and slamming 12 homeruns.  Mainly batting cleanup in a powerful Cleveland lineup, Ramirez knocked in key runs all season long leading the Indians to the division championship [.280 BA, 50 G, 175 AB, 33 RS, 36 RBI, 9 DO, 2 TR, 12 HR, 16 BB].

Alex Rodriguez, Minnesota Twins - After an off-year in 2005, A-Rod showed why he is still one of the best in 2006.  He amassed 60 hits and 14 long balls while playing in all but three games.  A-Rod was a true run producer as his 43 runs scored were tops in the league and his 41 RBIs put him third in that category.  A-Rod batted third all year for the top offense in the league [.299 BA, 51 G, 201 AB, 43 RS, 41 RBI, 11 DO, 14 HR, 30 BB, 1 SB].

CY YOUNG AWARD
(Cy Young nominees can be any pitcher that had the biggest impact on the success of your season. A team may nominate up to two players.)

Roger Clemens, Cleveland Indians - Winning six games and losing only one, Roger Clemens was by far the ace of a strong Indian starting rotation in 2006.  Allowing only 49 hits and 26 walks in 70 innings (9.64 WHIP) while striking out 55, Clemens finished near the top in the league in wins and ERA for the champion Cleveland Indians.  Clemens also won game one in the ALCS and two more games in the World Series, posting a 1.10 ERA in the series and earning series MVP honors [6-1, 2.83 ERA, 10 GS, 70.0 IP, 49 HA, 26 BB, 55 K].

Doug Davis, Seattle Mariners - Davis posted five wins with a 4.12 ERA in 11 games started.  He struck out 67 batters in 74 innings pitched [5-5, 4.12 ERA, 74.1 IP, 72 HA, 13 HRA, 37 BB, 67 K].

Livan Hernandez, Minnesota Twins - Livan Hernandez was the winningest pitcher in the league in 2006.  While posting a terrific 8-2 record over 12 starts, he completed three games and added a shutout.  He had a respectable ERA of 3.99 over 79 innings pitched.  He even posted seven quality starts!  Although an unlikely candidate, it's hard to argue with winning 75% of your games pitched [8-2, 3.99 ERA, 12 GS, 79.0 IP, 78 H, 24 BB, 43 K, 3 CG, 1 SO].

Jake Peavy, Kansas City Royals - Jake Peavy emerged as the surprising ace of the Royals staff.  He led his team in virtually every pitching category, as well as leading the entire league in strikeouts [5 W, 4.39 ERA, 67.2 IP, 74 K].

Johan Santana, Pittsburgh Pirates - Johan Santana had a dominant season for the Pirates, finishing with a 6-2 record and a miniscule 2.51 ERA (tops in the league).  He led his team in nearly every category [6-2, 2.51 ERA, 68.0 IP, 46 HA, 20 BB, 63 K].

John Smoltz, Minnesota Twins - John Smoltz was picked up in a trade last winter to be the ace of the Twins staff and he definitely lived up to the billing.  Winning six games, he kept his team in nearly every game he started with six quality starts in 11 games.  His 3.08 ERA was good for third in the league and he had four complete games with one shutout.  Smoltz was the real deal in 2006 [6-3, 3.08 ERA, 11 GS, 73.0 IP, 71 HA, 18 BB, 57 K, 4 CG, 1 SO].

Tim Wakefield, Chicago White Sox - Wakefield was second on the team with 73.1 innings pitched and led the starting rotation with a nice ERA of 4.17, which was over two runs less than the rest of the staff (6.20).  His WHIP was a very respectable 1.25 for a starter.  The highlight of his season came against Oakland when, on the heels of a 13-inning game, Wakefield needed to pitch deep due to a lack of rested relievers.  He came through with a 12-inning complete game while allowing just five hits [3-5, 4.17 ERA, 73.1 IP, 60 HA, 31 BB, 54 K, 1 CG].

Carlos Zambrano, Boston Red Sox - Carlos Zambrano surpassed all expectations in 2006.  He won five games for the Red Sox while striking out 61 batters in 68 innings pitched.  Zambrano made league history by pitching a no-hitter against a potent Pittsburgh lineup.  He was the workhorse of the staff [5-3, 3.50 ERA, 68.0 IP, 51 HA, 36 BB, 61 K, 1 CG, 1 SO].

ROLAIDS RELIEF MAN AWARD
(Rolaids Relief Man nominees can be any pitcher who appeared strictly in a relief role all season. Nominees are NOT limited to closers. A team may nominate up to two players.)

Aaron Heilman, Cleveland Indians - Versatile reliever Aaron Heilman pitched in middle, setup, and closer relief roles for the Cleveland Indians in 2006.  Heilman recorded four wins, lost only one, and earned a save over 36 innings for Cleveland.  Heilman also notched 41 strikeouts and posted an excellent ERA of 3.00 [4-1, 1 SV, 3.00 ERA, 19 GP, 36.0 IP, 29 HA 1 HRA, 19 BB, 40 K].

Bobby Jenks, Chicago White Sox - Jenks saved eight games in 2006, which was half of his team's win total, and finished with a respectable ERA of 3.46.  He struck out more than one hitter per inning pitched and allowed just 14 base runners in 13 total innings [0-2, 8 SV, 3.46 ERA, 13 IP, 11 HA, 3 BB, 14 K].

Scott Linebrink, Minnesota Twins - Linebrink was a key member of the Minnesota Twins pitching staff.  Appearing in 20 games this season, he surrendered just three total runs for an astounding 1.09 ERA.  Over 24.2 innings, Linebrink allowed a mere 17 base runners and one homerun all season.  Scott Linebrink was the quintessential setup man during the 2006 season [1-0, 0 SV, 1.09 ERA, 20 GP, 24.2 IP, 14 HA, 1 HRA, 3 BB, 15 K].

Joe Nathan, Seattle Mariners - Nathan finished second in the league in saves with 11, while posting a 3.80 ERA over 21 appearances [0-5, 11 SV, 3.80 ERA, 21.1 IP, 26 HA, 3 HRA, 6 BB, 28 K].

Cliff Politte, Seattle - Politte was near perfect in 2006, posting a 3-0 record with one save.  He had a terrific ERA of 1.64 with 16 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched [3-0, 1 SV, 1.64 ERA, 22.0 IP, 11 HA, 3 HRA, 3 BB, 16 K].

Juan Rincon, Pittsburgh PIrates - Rincon was the primary setup man in the Pittsburgh bullpen.  In 20 innings pitched, he allowed just 17 base runners and only one homerun [2-1, 1 SV, 1.35 ERA, 20 IP, 10 HA, 1 HRA, 7 BB, 21 K].

Mariano Rivera, Pittsburgh PIrates - This terrific veteran had yet another stellar season, leading the league with 13 saves.  In over 19 innings pitched, he allowed just 12 base runners [1-1, 13 SV, 1.84 ERA, 19.2 IP, 7 HA, 4 HRA, 5 BB, 23 K].

Scot Shields, Boston Red Sox - Scot Shields was the primary setup man in a strong bullpen, where he posted a 2.50 ERA and won three games.  Over 26 innings pitched, he struck out 30 batters.  Shields had many key outings and helped his team in nearly every win posted by Boston in 2006.  He played a huge role in his team's close wins [3-2, 0 SV, 2.50 ERA, 25 IP, 21 HA, 12 BB, 30 K].

Billy Wagner, Minnesota Twins - Billy Wagner's left arm saved his team on numerous occasions throughout the 2006 season.  Wagner did it all, appearing in long relief, in a setup role, as a lefty specialist, and as a lights out closer.  He converted six of seven save opportunities, while allowing just ten hits and four runs over 26 innings pitched.  Wagner picked up the slack for the Twins when closer Brad Lidge proved ineffective down the stretch [2-0, 6 SV, 1.38 ERA, 22 GP, 26.0 IP, 10 HA, 2 HRA, 6 BB, 26 K].

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Last modified:  Saturday, April 24, 2010