MLB Post-Season Awards

Prior to the season I had a lot of things to say about how I thought the season would go, some were very spot on (Orioles being a power house and the Red Sox sinking) and some were very far from the truth (Yankees taking the Series) but that is baseball, a very strange character who can flip its attitude and emotions in one twist of fate… or an ankle.

Manager of the Year

Buck Showalter (Baltimore Orioles) This team winning hinged completely on the pitching core holding it together.  It was apparent this team would score a lot of runs with Andrew Jones, Nelson Cruz, Chris Davis, and Manny Machado in the middle of a strong line up, but could the pitching staff hold the opposition to fewer runs.  Not only did they, but they did it 96-times, just two fewer wins than the best in all the major leagues and they did it in a traditionally difficult division where they were the one time whipping team.  Showalter’s management of his starters and bullpen was near perfect and wheter this is the beginning of something grand or a one time fluke the 2014 season belongs to the Baltimore Orioles.

Clint Hurdle (Pittsburg Pirates) The Pirates started the season 10-16 through April and 26-30 through May and were even still around .500 at the All Star Break; it was beginning to look like the haters were right that the Bucs just got lucky in 2013.  Then the second half started and the Pirates fought like their was no tomorrow and finished the season 14-games over .500 and nearly taking the Central Division.  It would be easy to argue that this is a good team and they should have won all along, but they weren’t and for a manager in this day in age, with prima donna players and big wallet players, to motivate winners where there had only been losers is a task whether the team was 90-73 last year or 65-97.

Honorable mentions:

• Don Mattingly – He could win this award just for keeping Yasiel Puig out of trouble.
• Ron Roenicki-What could have been.

• Joe Girardi-A team that had so many injuries, a retiring superstar circus and a suspended distraction, 84-wins is pretty respectable.  They were one losing streak from the playoffs.
• Mike Scioscia-Good option, but I wonder if this team could win just as many games without him, but then they go and have terrible seasons with all their talent.

Rookie of the Year

Jose Abreu (Chicago White Sox) While I disagree that players like Abreu and Masahiro Tanaka should be able to win an award for rookies when they have played at a professional level, until that changes and they make a first year international player award the rules dictate it is the best first year player and Abreu was without question that player.  Not only does he win the AL R.O.Y but he should also be in conversations for AL MVP with his .317/36/107 a line respectable for the best player in the game some years.

Jacob DeGrom (New York Mets) The AL might be a clear-cut winner, but the NL, not so much. While DeGrom may be the winner, his own teammate could steal the trophy on award night, or even a guy that was so good at stealing down the stretch.  To hold a pitching line of 9-6 with a 2.44era and 144Ks in 140 innings in the “other” New York you have to really tip your hat to the composure of the Mullet Man.

Honorable Mentions:

• Billy Hamilton-Had Billy started the year half as good as he finished it he would have won no question.
• Joe Panick-Might be the best player in this bunch when their careers are done and finished, but having only 73 games as a rookie makes it very difficult to select.

• Dellin Betances-Showcasing his arm on the Leagues biggest mound and never showing a sign of weakness. 135Ks in 90 innings.  Will most certainly take over closing duties for a long time in the Bronx.
• Masahiro Tanaka-One of the best starting pitchers in baseball rookie or veteran, his only downfall was losing 60 games to injury.

Reliever of the Year

Dellin Betances (New York Yankees) This kid played great not just for a 24-year old, but all relievers considered and managed an All Star nod along the way.  When you consider it was his first year and he threw 90 innings and struck out 135 you don’t just forget it is only his first season.  Nearly unhittable with a .149 opponents BA, only allowing more than 1 run in a game once and never giving up more than 2 hits in a game for the entire season.  Those are numbers you may confuse with Mariano Rivera, not a kid from Washington Heights.

Jonathan Papplebon (Philadelphia Phillies) If Pap was still in  2007 Boston the media may be ranking his performance with the best ever, but when you play on a team that hasn’t won a playoff game since you arrived, you sort of get forgotten.  I won’t forget you, Jon.

Honorable Mentions:

• Drew Storen-Really provided stability from starter-to-closer transition and a fill in spot closer.  His microscopic ERA will attract suitors for the 27-year old as a closer.
• Craig Kimbrel-Much Like Pap, a great performance on a very bad team.  But the Braves will rebound once the pitching staff comes back from their Tommy John Retreat.

• Greg Holland-Does he really deserve the award?  Possibly, but I have to go with who surprised me the most and where credit is due.  A lot of closers get undue credit for their stats, a save really means, “Horray you didn’t lose the game.”  Not to take away from their jobb, but to go in with a 2 or 3 run lead and your job is to let up less runs, I really have a hard time supporting the accolade sometimes.
• Zach Britton-Filled in nicely after management almost blew the season spot with the Johnson/Balfour debacle.

Pitcher of the Year

Corey Kluber (Cleveland Indians) Probably the biggest moment in his career will be looked upon as the year he upset Felix Hernandez.  7.3 WAR, 269Ks and a 2.44 ERA is about the only way you beat the Cy Young Favorite.

Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers) If you watched any baseball this season you don’t need any reasons that Kershaw wins the best pitcher in baseball.  The only pitcher that can unseat Kersh was injured to early to make a mark.  But if Jose Fernandez recovers fully he will be the player that one day takes the driver’s seat as the best.  Until then Kersh is the only vote.

• Johnny Cueto- How does one have an ERA just north of 2 and strike our 142 batters and not win the Cy Young?  He pitches in the same division as Kershaw.  Proving a year filled with injuries was nothing more than a year Cueto asserted his dominance across the season taking down batters one after another.
• Madison Bumgarner-The Giant are back in the post season because of their youngest superstar ace.
• Jordan Zimmermann-Fitting that Zimmermann finished the season with a no hitter,  Fourth fiddle to some very big names in baseball, Zimm might be their best.
• Jake Arrieta-Unfortunate for Arrieta he is stuck in Chicago… for now.

• Felix Hernandez- It is unfortunate that sometimes an amazing pitcher has to come in second, but this year The King was the prince.
• Chris Sale-Another name that could have upset the balance, his only red mark on his resume is the amount of starts he was able to accumulate due to injury.
• Garrett Richards-Much like Sale injury derailed his quest, only difference is that Richards was injured on the other end of the season.
• Phil Hughes-If this is Hughes improving his name will climb with each year.

Most Valuable Player

Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels) – He was once considered the next big thing and compared to Miguel Cabrera as the best all-around player.  He is now the standard by which players are compared.

Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh Pirates)-The unequivocal leader of the Pirates and far and way their best player.  He led them to the NLCS last year and this year he will do it again, both the NLCS and the MVP.  Hopefully the NLCS will have a more positive outcome for the man they call Clutch.  People may argue that Kershaw deserves the award, I find it hard to award a player that only appears in 20% of a team’s games as their most valuable player.

Honorable Mention:

• Clayton Kershaw
• Giancarlo Stanton
• Johnny Cueto
• Adrian Gonzalez
• Carlos Gomez
• Devin Mesoraco
• Jayson Werth
• Paul Goldschmidt
• Denard Span

• Victor Martinez
• Jose Abreu
• Jose Altuve
• Jose Reyes
• Nelson Cruz
• Felix Hernandez
• Jon Lester
• Garrett Richards
• Robinson Cano

Late Edition Fantasy Notes for 3/31/14

Mike Trout took his first pitch deep for a 2-run shot in the opener.  collecting 2 hits on the evening.

Felix Hernandez struck out 11 after allowing his only runs in the first to Trout.

If you were lucky (or unlucky) to have Justin Smoak at first you collected a bunch of stats.  2 hits, 3 RBI, a walk and a leprechaun.

Not a whole lot was happening in Oakland until shiny new closer Jim Johnson blew a 9th -inning 0-0 tie to collect the loss (there is a stat you want).  Why was he out there in the 9th in a tie? Maybe they wanted to hold the tie and hope for a run, I think they dealt their hand to early.

Another first baseman that probably wasn’t too high on draft cards was Brandon Belt who 3-5 with a HR and 3 RBI.

Jose Fernandez looked stunning in the early evening ESPN-game striking out 9 over 6-innings and only allowing a Carlos Gonzalez HR.  He recovered well and with a smile to shut the next two batters down.

Arizona was hit city with the D-Backs collecting 16 and the Giants adding 12 more hits to the box score.  Mark Trumbo, Miguel Montero  and Chris Owings had 3 hits for Arizona.

Madison Bumgarner owners can exhale, the 4 run fourth inning was all unearned, with only 3 Ks this start was pretty much a mulligan.

Buster Posey hit a dinger in the 9th to win it.

Adam Wainwright pitched 7 shutout innings and 9 strikeouts to outduel Cueto in a 1-9 win in Cinci.

Welcome Back Notes for 3/31/14

Opening Day, few things are so important in sports.  Huge hype for the first of 162 games of an incredibly long 6-month season.  Immense pressure for starting pitchers that rivals late September playoff run only to be immediately followed by a game that means next to nothing in the big picture of a .60th of a percent of the season.  But that is the beauty of baseball, the season is made up of tiny almost insignificant numbers that mean very little alone, similar to one hit, one strikeout or one blown call but when to compound them day after day, month after month they make or break a team.

Today, saw the first use of instant replay by the Cubs that was upheld and the first overturned call by the Brewers.

Grady SIzemore went 2 for 4 with a home run the Red Sox in his first game in 2 years.  Always a great player with the Cleveland Indians it is nice to see him play at this level after being plagued by numerous injuries.

Johnny Cueto spent all last year up and down with injury problems, today pitched brilliantly striking out 8 against the NL-Champ Cards.

And speaking of birds:

• Nelson Cruz of the Orioles hit a homerun
• Kolten Wong of the Cards went 1-3
• Jose Reyes left the Jays game with injury

Billy Hamilton started the season 0-4 with 4 strikeouts in a still close 1-0 game in the 9th.

MVP Andrew McCutchen was mortal at only 1-3 in a 10th inning nail-biter.

Stephen Strasburg was knocked around (6 ER) but Anthony Rendon and Adam LaRoche saved his hide.  With Rendon hitting a 10th inning 3-run shot.

The Phillies and Rangers pitchers missed the bus and the hitters hit off the tee for the game scoring 24 combined runs.  Ryan Sanberg and Jimmy Rollins have no problems right now after a grand slam… but that greatly overshadowed a 1-6 night, ouch.  Only one player did not safely get on base, Mitch Moreland, who felt left out and might have faked an injury in the 9th out of shame.

Jose Abreu is hitting .500 with a double after his first pro game with the ChiSox.  You have to root for this kid, he comes to America and chooses to play for one of the worst records in baseball.  That is love of the game.  (I hope this club contends because of this kid some day.)

And another Sox was not too shabby, Chris Sale went 7 innings striking out 8.

Still to play tonight are Mike Trout and Jose Fernandez two of baseballs best players and both players were in diapers when Derek Jeter won his first World Series.

I never thought I would utter these words:  Off to watch the Marlins and Rockies.

SEASON PREVIEW: AL West

Will the Angels production finally catch up to their spending and take a division that they have been under performing in since their Super Slugger Spending Spree began with the signing of Albert Pujols for the 2012 season?  Or will Oakland continue to over play (yes that is correct) their budget and steal the title out from under the two deep pockets of the AL West?

Los Angeles Angels – Each off-season the Angels front office has chased the biggest bat they could buy in 2012 they added Albert Pujols (who has produced far from his STL numbers) and the following season they added Josh Hamilton (who also fell short of his Texas numbers), this season they could not find the best bat (he went to rival Seattle) so they grabbed two bats in David Freese and Raul Ibanez.  Freese’s bat is not all that dangerous lately, but when you consider how far down the lineup he will hit a lifetime .286 hitter in the 7 or 8 spot is pretty competitive, his real strength will be the defense he provides alongside Eric Aybar.

Don’t find concern that the first mention of Mike Trout is this far down, his play is so consistent and far beyond his years there is not reason to say much about him other than, superb.  Arguably the best all around player in baseball and he is still only 22 years old, wait until he hits his prime.

How confident should it make your team feel to have a 17 game winner as their second starter?  A typical first defense is that C.J. Wilson has never pitched to 17 wins before and probably won’t do it again.  Well his previous three seasons were 16, 15 and 13, while 17 may be the highest it is certainly not far from the norm in his earlier years as a starter.  He is 33 and may have pitched his best season, even in decline to get two more 15 win seasons is good production.

Jered Weaver is going to be expected to rebound from an off-year and some injury and return to his ace form.  Even if he can’t win 18 or 20 games again, two pitchers at the top of the rotation winning plus 15 games is a sure way to win the AL West.

Mike Trout is young, but Hamilton and Pujols are not getting any younger and their numbers may be indicating a decline.  The biggest problem for the Angels is winning now.  If the Halos don’t win this year and the Big Two become heavy contracts with declining production it will be impossible for the team to move them for pieces that they can use to entice Trout to stay once his contract is eligible for free agency.  Already a superstar at 22 he will want to win and when he hits free agency at 26, four seasons including 2014, will the Angels have tools that will encourage the center fielder to sign with his ball club.

Oakland A’s – How the A’s keep finding a way to win is beyond comprehension.  Once the secrets of Moneyball we spilled first in a bestselling book and then in a movie you would think more teams would take the sabermetrics approach that Billy Beane perfected into a winning ball club on a cellar dwellers budget.  While many teams have used those tactics to better analyse a top talent and what he can offer in win value the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodger, Angels and company still chose to sign top outfield options and not Josh Reddick.  Though it was surprising to see Oakland deal Jamile Weeks for Jim Johnson, it was even more surprising that the Orioles made the move, maybe they were just as stunned and traded in a moment of confusion.  Or Baltimore sees a value in Weeks that is worth giving up a 50 save guy, in any case closers are highly over rated and I don’t think Johnson will actually add wins, as his job is to come in when they are winning and not lose.

As usual the A’s rotation is strong and the offense is a mish mash of guys who will patchwork together just enough runs for the team to win enough games/ to be in the hunt.  This year the Angels may have the right blend of talent to win the West and Oakland will be to far back in the Wild Card to make their annual one and done playoff series.

Yoenis Cespedes became a household name after the hitting clinic he put on during the Home Run Derby in 2013, his bat in another in a long line of Cuban reliability.  If Cespedes played on a team with players that could consistently get on base in front of him and a strong hitter to protect him in the line up than he would be as popular outside of Oakland as he is in the shadow of the old Colosseum.

Texas Rangers – Trading Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder will prove to be a giant mistake for the Rangers in the coming seasons with Fielder likely to be unable to keep playing the field due to weight issues, Adrian Beltre aging and needing that experience in the infield.  It’s understandable that star in the making Jurickson Profar is dying to move into his natural position, but current star Kinsler offered security and a compromise should have been reached to move someone around to the corner.

Hitting and offense will not be the Rangers problem, it will be stopping the other team from out scoring the heavy offense that recent additions Alex Rios and Shin Soo Choo will lend to make Texas one of the top 10 scoring teams in baseball.

Beyond Yu Darvish the Rangers don’t have a pitcher that could do better than 5 starter on most squads.  Following Darvish the 4 other starters amassed a paltry 21 wins among themselves in 2013.  Winning will not come easily for this team if the offense even struggles in the smallest of ways.

Houston Astros – The Astros may struggle to approach .500% this year but they are moving in the right direction and their farm is so packed with talent that is just beginning to blossom that in a few years this may be the new bottomless pit of talent that Tampa Bay has become in the East.

The offense will need a few years to really mature and get use to winning, but Jose Altuve and Jason Castro’s talent will be great veteran leadership for guys only a few years younger.

The addition of Nolan Ryan as an adviser to the club can only benefit the young guns in the Astros staff who may pitch harder just knowing one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history is watching and maybe willing to give them a few tips in their hungry learning years.

Jarred Cosart is pitching near the bottom of the rotation but by this time next year this will be his spot after what will be a huge season for the 23-year old right hander.  Look for a season similar to any ace in the AL West from Cosart with at minimum 15 wins and 170 strikeouts with a sub-3.00 ERA and a very strong K/BB ratio.

Seattle Mariners – Many people thought when Jay-z announce he would not only become an agent, but also signed Robinson Cano as his first client that New York would see a hometown deal and Cano would stay in NYC and Jay-Z would be undersold trying to please his city and the team he publicly has supported over the years.

Jay-Z may have used this player and situation to send a message about how serious he intends to be and that he will walk a client right out of his own city and forget what logo he wears on his hat.  I question that regardless of what the Yankees offered Cano if Jay-Z would have found a matching deal else where to send a message to players and teams that he will play hardball with the biggest clubs.

Jay-Z’s quest for respect came at a huge cost for Cano, he went from a major market, the likelihood to captain the Bombers, a yearly contender to win, fans who worshiped him and media that respected him for a team that has a beautiful skyline and a sure-thing to never make the World Series before his playing days conclude.  Expect Cano to be trying to find baseball media that will listen (because all the media is falling the football club) and beg for a way out by 2015.

Note: He is already complaining he needs another bat [HERE].  This isn’t New York, Robinson, the Mariners can’t just go out and buy what you want… even if you do need it.

Adding one of 2014’s biggest free agents won’t fix Seattle’s problems.  Instead of losing 2-6 in a game they now will contend and lose 4-6.  But as much offense as they added you also have to remember they lost Raul Ibenez.   At 41 you have to agree age was a factor and he really didn’t have much left in the tank, but you still have to consider that is 29 HR and 65 RBIs that they lost, so the addition of Cano to the offense is not really as significant as a number without replacing Ibanez’s production.  Seattle is a great city and has amazing fans, but the ownership is just not bringing in the players it needs to compete with the core of the American League that they deserve.

Seattle has three of the best young pitchers in the league with Felix Hernandez the king of the hill at only 27 years old.   Complimenting Hernandez the Mariners rotation features Hisashi Iwakuma, who may actually prove to be a better pitcher after his breakout last year in 2013, but until Iwakuma constantly out performs The King the ace of the club will belong to the big Venezuelan.  A little healthy competition between teammates could turn into a three-way race if Taijuan Walker is every bit as good as the scouts believe and as effective as Walker pitched in September during his late call up.

While Seattle may feature three absolutely striking ace contenders, the problem lies in the rest of the staff.  The two games and relief innings that these players can’t pitch is not dominating enough to keep the game within reach of a pitiful offense and a distancing race in the standing.