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2009 LEAGUE AWARDS
Most Valuable Player: Chipper Jones, CLE Cy Young: Johan Santana, LAA Rolaids Relief Man:
Kerry Wood, BOS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD
NAME
BAVG GM AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB
SO SB OBP SLG Armando Galarraga, New York Mets - On a team challenged with a lack of offense, Galarraga's pitching helped keep the Mets on the fringe of contention. Pitching part of the year out of the bullpen, and then moving into the starting rotation, Galarraga finished second in the league in ERA at 1.96 over 59 2/3 innings, and a WHIP of 0.94. He was particularly dominant as the Mets tried for a last ditch effort to make the playoffs, only allowing one earned run in 22 1/3 innings over his final three starts. While the Mets came up short, Galarraga was one of the few consistent performers all year long that kept the Mets hopes alive for as long as possible. Adrian Gonzalez, Oakland Athletics - Leading his team in batting average, runs scored, hits, doubles, and homeruns, Adrian Gonzalez was the clear choice for team MVP, and possibly the best player in the league. Winning two games with walkoff homeruns, he showed amazing power. He forced managers to frantically make spur of the moment decisions by losing 17 at-bats simply by forcing managers to make pitching moves. He led off innings with solo homeruns three times. He truly does deserve the MVP. Matt Holliday, Minnesota Twins - Matt Holliday was the key element of the top offensive team in the league this year. Batting third or fourth in the lineup, he set a new league record in winning the Hank Aaron award (73 points). Holliday led the league in runs (38) and walks (34), while finishing third in BA (.312), third in RBIs (30), and third in doubles (17). He was responsible for 68 runs this season while hitting just five homeruns, proving that Holliday was as clutch a hitter as they come. His most impressive statistic this season is arguably his eye-popping .443 on base percentage, which led to numerous rallies for his team. He played left field all year without an error and was a perfect 4 for 4 in stolen bases. Chipper Jones, Cleveland Indians - With the rest of the Cleveland lineup having off seasons, Chipper Jones picked up the offensive slack by winning his first league batting title. At an eye-popping .356 average, he was 43 percentage points ahead of the second place hitter. In addition to knocking in 22 runs, Chipper finished tied for 3rd in runs scored with 32 and bases on balls with 30. Jones was by far the toughest out in the Indians line up leading the team to the playoffs. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins - This young catcher always seemed to be a part of Twins rallies in 2009. He was the league's fourth-best hitter with a .311 batting average and was in the Top Ten for RBIs (25), doubles (14), and walks (24). Mauer posted a very nice .388 no base percentage. With the bases loaded, Mauer was fearless, going 3 for 7 with two doubles and ten RBIs. He was a consistent force behind the plate as well, making just two errors all season and guiding his pitching staff to a league-best 3.38 team ERA. Rumor has it he is trying to bulk up for 2010 to try and hit for more power. Nate McLouth, Seattle Mariners - Nate McLouth had an amazing 26 doubles, as well as 32 runs scored, six homers and five steals without being caught, while playing center field as well as anyone in the game. He produced a solid OBP of .344 and a very good SLG of .510. Justin Morneau, Los Angeles Angels - Justin Morneau finished in the top ten in batting average (.309), RBIs (27), runs (27), and homeruns (9). He also posted very impressive .570 slugging percentage behind 23 extra base hits. Alex Rodriguez, Boston Red Sox - Alex Rodriguez was the heart and soul of the Red Sox order. He was a near everyday player and led the team in homeruns and runs scored. The only reason His RBI production was not higher was due to a lack of runners on during the season. Rodriguez carried the team and kept the red sox in playoff contention up to the last series. Chase Utley, Kansas City Royals - Chase Utley hit .308 with a .385 on base percentage and a .489 slugging percentage. He played great defense at second base (only committing two errors) and finished in the league's leader board in runs scored (tied for 1st), batting average (6th), RBIs (11th) and doubles (6th). He hit the game winning home run in the 9th inning of game 3 of the NLCS.
CY YOUNG AWARD NAME
ERA W L PCT G GS CG SH SV
IP H R ER BB SO A.J. Burnett, Boston Red Sox - A.J. Burnett finished second in the league in both wins and strikeouts. He also posted a sub-4.00 ERA. He was by far the ace of the Boston staff and kept the Red Sox in every game he pitched. He was the true definition of a work horse. Armando Galarraga, New York Mets - On a team challenged with a lack of offense, Galarraga's pitching helped keep the Mets on the fringe of contention. Pitching part of the year out of the bullpen, and then moving into the starting rotation, Galarraga finished second in the league in ERA at 1.96 over 59 2/3 innings, and a WHIP of 0.94. He was particularly dominant as the Mets tried for a last ditch effort to make the playoffs, only allowing one earned run in 22 1/3 innings over his final three starts. While the Mets came up short, Galarraga was one of the few consistent performers all year long that kept the Mets hopes alive for as long as possible. Cliff Lee, Seattle Mariners - Cliff Lee won only 2 of 11 starts, but pitched 74.3 innings and allowed just two home runs with a solid ERA of 3.75. Seattle's staff ace continued to put his team in a position to win ball games. Jon Lester, Minnesota Twins - Jon Lester surprised many folks this year with an impressively consistent rookie campaign for Minnesota. Posting a nice 6-2 record, he allowed just 5.8 hits per 9 innings. Incredibly, nine of Lester's ten starts were Quality Starts. He gave more than two runs in an outing just three times. His season highlight came against the Mets, when Lester pitched nine shutout innings while striking out 12. His 2.86 ERA was good for sixth in the league. Tim Lincecum, Minnesota Twins - At only 24 years old, Tim Lincecum quickly established himself as the staff ace in Minnesota this season. He posted a league-best 84 strikeouts while compiling an impressive 6-2 record. His ERA (2.81) was good for fourth in the league. His team went 9-2 when Lincecum took the mound. Amazingly, he allowed just two homeruns in over 73 innings pitched. At the plate, Lincecum batted a respectable .316 (6 for 19) with two sacrifice bunts. Greg Maddux, Cleveland Indians - In his final year in the MSPSL, Greg Maddux was by far the most reliable starter in the Cleveland rotation. Making ten starts, Maddux posted a 1.13 WHIP while going 4-3 for the Indians. Besides his stellar work on the mound, Maddux was often called upon for pinch running duties and even recorded on stolen base! Ricky Nolasco, Oakland Athletics - While his record (2-6) doesn't show it, Ricky Nolasco had an amazing 2009 campaign. In 9 of his 11 starts, he left with the lead. And while his ERA may not show it, he was a truly dominant pitcher as he struck out 55 while walking just 13 over 67 innings. Nolasco gave his team a chance to win in virtually all of his starts. Had his bullpen been able to protect leads, Nolasco would posted a record of 7-2 with two no-decisions. Jake Peavy, Kansas City Royals - Jake Peavy pitched very effectively this season, winning four games with a 2.50 ERA (3rd in the league) and with a stellar 1.06 WHIP. He also had a 19.2 inning scoreless streak. He pitched seven innings in the NLCS without giving up an earned run. Johan Santana, Los Angeles Angels - 5-2 with a 1.73 ERA was the ace of the Angels staff despite being second on the team in wins (Brandon Webb got a decision in every start to go 7-3). Santana posted a WHIP ratio of 1.04. Justin Verlander, Kansas City Royals - Justin Verlander had a fantastic 6-0 record, so I think you should consider his candidacy based strictly on his win/loss record and ignore his mediocre 4.31 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.
ROLAIDS RELIEF MAN AWARD NAME
ERA W L PCT G GS CG SH SV
IP H R ER BB SO Mike Adams, Boston Red Sox - Serving as Kerry Wood's primary setup man, Mike Adams was the definition of untouchable. In 21 innings, he allowed a paltry nine hits and three walks while striking out a whipping 30. He allowed just one earned run all year. Brian Fuentes, Kansas City Royals - Brian Fuentes had a great season as an elite left-handed reliever. He went 3-2 and had three saves with a 1.29 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. Jim Johnson, Cleveland Indians - In 20 games in relief for Cleveland, Jim Johnson gave up only two earned runs for an amazing 0.84 ERA and a matching WHIP of 0.84. Johnson worked primarily in the late innings, almost always facing the opponents' toughest hitters with the game on the line. Jim Johnson was consistently up to the task. Brad Lidge, Minnesota Twins - Appearing in 23 games, Brad Lidge was the most reliable reliever for the 35-win Minnesota Twins. In 23 innings, he allowed just 26 base runners and three homeruns while posting a sparkling 1.96 ERA. He struck out 29. Lidge was a perfect 4 for 4 in save opportunities while leading his team in appearances. He allowed just 4 of his 18 inherited runners to score (22%). Opponents batted only .177 against him and he allowed just 5.5 hits per 9 innings pitched. He was a shutdown reliever in 2009, no matter what his role. Joe Nathan, Seattle Mariners - By his standards, the superstar Seattle closer had a sub-par year in many ways, but he still managed seven saves in 15 outings. He also struck out 23 in 23 innings and walked just four batters, while producing a nice 3.52 ERA. Jonathan Papelbon, Oakland Athletics - Leading the team ERA (0.89) and overall record (3-1), Jonathan Papelbon was arguably the best reliever in the league. While he only had two saves, he came through in the clutch countless times throughout the season. He inherited 14 runners and none of them scored. Giving up just three runs (one of them unearned), he had a terrific 0.76 WHIP. Papelbon is truly an all-star quality reliever. Mariano Rivera, Los Angeles Angels - Mariano Rivera led the Angels with 10 saves while posting a perfect 4-0 record. (Co-GM Hohman only recalls one blown save where the Angels came back to win in the bottom of the 9th, but there may have been more). Rivera got the save or win in 14 of his 19 total appearances. Matt Thornton, New York Mets - Added to the team to provide a left handed arm out of the bullpen, Thornton quickly developed into the most consistent pitcher in the Mets bullpen. With a WHIP of 0.86, opponents batting average of .129, and an ERA of 0.46, Thornton was nearly unhittable and with a 6-0 record was tied for second in the league in wins. He was consistent throughout the year, and was relied on to come on in tight games and shut down the opponents. Thornton only gave up one earned run all season long, and was truly the ace of the bullpen. Kerry Wood, Boston Red Sox - Kerry Wood tied for the league lead in saves with 14. He was virtually automatic, going 14 for 15 in save opportunities. His 35 strikeouts in only 22 innings only added to his dominance that he showed in the 9th inning. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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