My Picks for 2007 MLB Awards
I decided to make this a different post in an effort to keep post length somewhat under control.
NL MVP: A tough race here, very competitive. None of the guys blow you away, but it is better than last year's NL Cy Young, where none of the candidates really seemed to deserve the award. Matt Holliday, Jimmy Rollins, Prince Fielder, and David Wright are the names tossed around the most, with some mentions of Albert Pujols and Chipper Jones, and few mentions of anyone beyond that (a few Bonds mentions, but as he wasn't 2001-2004 amazing, and the Giants were, let's say, lackluster, it was more of a courtesy mention indicating he wasn't having a bad year than and serious consideration for naming him MVP; he'll probably pick up a couple down-ballot votes). I think the award will probably go to Rollins, with Holliday finishing second (though it could go the other way). Chipper Jones put up some surprisingly great numbers this year, and if he'd played in more than 134 games, he'd have my hypothetical vote. Instead, I think I'll go with David Wright; he put up good numbers in a pitcher's park, played good defense at one of the tougher positions, and ran the bases pretty well.
NL Cy Young: Unlike last year, someone does deserve it. Jake Peavy won the pitching triple crown, which makes him the easy choice. There's a case to be made for Brandon Webb, and maybe a few others, but the voters will obviously choose Peavy (possibly unanimously), and even the best argument a Webb fan could reasonably make would make the pitchers out to be about equal, rather than giving Webb some kind of upper hand. So, I'm going with Peavy.
NL Rookie of the Year: A two-man race between Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki. Braun was certainly a force with the bat, but was horrible with the glove at third base, repeatedly making errors. Tulowitzki wasn't exactly a slouch with the bat, and led all rookies with enough plate appearances to qualify in slugging and OPS (though this was aided by playing in Denver, and see my note in the previous post on Bonds winning the on-base title and Braun (I think) the slugging). Tulowitzki's biggest value, though, is his defense at short, where he should have won the gold glove (but, really, how often do gold gloves go to who they're supposed to?). I think his stellar defense at that tough position will carry the day, plus the fact that he played the whole season.
AL MVP: It's Alex Rodriguez. I hate to admit it, but it is. I stand by my repeated statements that his season has been overrated, but he's still the MVP.
AL Cy Young: An interesting race where Beckett and Sabathia get most of the attention, but Carmona and Lackey can each make a case, and Bedard, Haren, and Santana might all have had a shot if their win totals were greater. I think wins are overrated, but I'm not a voter. I say Sabathia eeks this one out, owing in large part to the extra 40 innings he pitched compared to Beckett.
AL Rookie of the Year: Three Red Sox players were in the running for this award, but the Japanese imports suffered a downturn in August. Guthrie and Bannister turned in good rookie years on the mound, and Willits had a good season as well, but the ROY will probably go to former Sun Devil Dustin Pedroia. As far as whether he deserves it goes, well, that depends on how much weight you put on position players compared to pitchers. I think I'd give the edge to Guthrie (with Bannister close behind), but those who actually have votes tend more towards hitters. If Daisuke Matsuzaka had performed better, he would have overcome that prejudice, as he was the hype candidate, but, well, he didn't.
NL MVP: A tough race here, very competitive. None of the guys blow you away, but it is better than last year's NL Cy Young, where none of the candidates really seemed to deserve the award. Matt Holliday, Jimmy Rollins, Prince Fielder, and David Wright are the names tossed around the most, with some mentions of Albert Pujols and Chipper Jones, and few mentions of anyone beyond that (a few Bonds mentions, but as he wasn't 2001-2004 amazing, and the Giants were, let's say, lackluster, it was more of a courtesy mention indicating he wasn't having a bad year than and serious consideration for naming him MVP; he'll probably pick up a couple down-ballot votes). I think the award will probably go to Rollins, with Holliday finishing second (though it could go the other way). Chipper Jones put up some surprisingly great numbers this year, and if he'd played in more than 134 games, he'd have my hypothetical vote. Instead, I think I'll go with David Wright; he put up good numbers in a pitcher's park, played good defense at one of the tougher positions, and ran the bases pretty well.
NL Cy Young: Unlike last year, someone does deserve it. Jake Peavy won the pitching triple crown, which makes him the easy choice. There's a case to be made for Brandon Webb, and maybe a few others, but the voters will obviously choose Peavy (possibly unanimously), and even the best argument a Webb fan could reasonably make would make the pitchers out to be about equal, rather than giving Webb some kind of upper hand. So, I'm going with Peavy.
NL Rookie of the Year: A two-man race between Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki. Braun was certainly a force with the bat, but was horrible with the glove at third base, repeatedly making errors. Tulowitzki wasn't exactly a slouch with the bat, and led all rookies with enough plate appearances to qualify in slugging and OPS (though this was aided by playing in Denver, and see my note in the previous post on Bonds winning the on-base title and Braun (I think) the slugging). Tulowitzki's biggest value, though, is his defense at short, where he should have won the gold glove (but, really, how often do gold gloves go to who they're supposed to?). I think his stellar defense at that tough position will carry the day, plus the fact that he played the whole season.
AL MVP: It's Alex Rodriguez. I hate to admit it, but it is. I stand by my repeated statements that his season has been overrated, but he's still the MVP.
AL Cy Young: An interesting race where Beckett and Sabathia get most of the attention, but Carmona and Lackey can each make a case, and Bedard, Haren, and Santana might all have had a shot if their win totals were greater. I think wins are overrated, but I'm not a voter. I say Sabathia eeks this one out, owing in large part to the extra 40 innings he pitched compared to Beckett.
AL Rookie of the Year: Three Red Sox players were in the running for this award, but the Japanese imports suffered a downturn in August. Guthrie and Bannister turned in good rookie years on the mound, and Willits had a good season as well, but the ROY will probably go to former Sun Devil Dustin Pedroia. As far as whether he deserves it goes, well, that depends on how much weight you put on position players compared to pitchers. I think I'd give the edge to Guthrie (with Bannister close behind), but those who actually have votes tend more towards hitters. If Daisuke Matsuzaka had performed better, he would have overcome that prejudice, as he was the hype candidate, but, well, he didn't.
Labels: baseball
posted by DC | 3:55 PM
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