Major League Baseball Awards

[Linedrive]

The Major League Baseball regular season is nearly over, and soon the post-season will be underway. Who wins your votes for the regular season Awards…?

AL MVP
Alex Rodriguez, Tex (.303-56-138)
Alfonso Soriano, NYY (.308-39-100) also has 41 steals
Jason Giambi, NYY (.307-38-114)
Miguel Tejada, Oak (.303-31-122)

NL MVP
Sammy Sosa, Chi (.294-48-104)
Barry Bonds, SF (.370-44-105)
Shawn Green, LA (.284-42-111)

AL CY YOUNG
Barry Zito, Oak (22-5 2.74 176 K)
Derek Lowe, Bos (21-7 2.46 122 K)
Pedro Martinez, Bos (19-4 2.24 233 K)

NL CY YOUNG
Randy Johnson, Arz (23-5 2.40 326 K)
Curt Schilling, Arz (23-6 3.02 303 K)
Roy Oswalt, Hou (19-7 2.92 196 K)

If you don't follow baseball, you should.

 

[Linedrive]

My picks:

AL MVP Alfonso Soriano
NL MVP Barry Bonds
AL Cy Young Derek Lowe
NL Cy Young Randy Johnson

 

[teddybear4play]

I'm of the opinion that the Most Valuable Player is not necessarily the player who performed the best, but the one who was the most valuable to his team. So I would vote for Tejada or Torii Hunter as the MVP of the AL. In the NL, since I'm a crazy fool and the team has played well, I would posthumously award the honor to Darryl Kile.

Lowe and Schilling for the Cy Youngs. No question.

TB4p

 

[Lasher]

Picking Sosa or Rodriquez for MVP of their respective leagues is complete bullshit. Their teams could finish 30 games out just as easily without them as they are doing with. MVP means most VALUABLE player. McGwire didn't win MVP the year he hit 70 home runs because his team finished 20 games back - Sosa won cause the Cubs made the playoffs that year and would've been not much more than a AAA team without him.

Tejada and Bonds should be the MVPs. Tejada because he stepped up and made everyone forget that this is basically the same team Giambi carried into the playoffs last year, and Bonds because he plays in a different league than everyone else.

Lowe deserves the AL Cy Young but it'll go to Pedro.

NL Cy Young will be a tie between Schilling and Johnson.

 

[Guest]

The Major League Baseball regular season is nearly over, and soon the post-season will be underway. Who wins your votes for the regular season Awards…?

AL MVP
Alex Rodriguez, Tex (.303-56-138)
Alfonso Soriano, NYY (.308-39-100) also has 41 steals
Jason Giambi, NYY (.307-38-114)
Miguel Tejada, Oak (.303-31-122)

NL MVP
Sammy Sosa, Chi (.294-48-104)
Barry Bonds, SF (.370-44-105)
Shawn Green, LA (.284-42-111)

AL CY YOUNG
Barry Zito, Oak (22-5 2.74 176 K)
Derek Lowe, Bos (21-7 2.46 122 K)
Pedro Martinez, Bos (19-4 2.24 233 K)

NL CY YOUNG
Randy Johnson, Arz (23-5 2.40 326 K)
Curt Schilling, Arz (23-6 3.02 303 K)
Roy Oswalt, Hou (19-7 2.92 196 K)

If you don't follow baseball, you should.

AL MVP: Tejada
NL MVP: Bonds
AL CY YOUNG: Zito
NL CY YOUNG: Johnson and Schilling (can players share awards?)

 

[DeityMun]

In the NL, since I'm a crazy fool and the team has played well, I would posthumously award the honor to Darryl Kile.

I don't know that I'd go that far.. he should get an honorary Cy Young or something like that.. it would be great to see him get a posthumous award like that, though. He meant so much to the Cards, it's just amazing that they've been able to make it this far. It was pretty emotional to watch them on the local stations with his jersey when they won the division the other night.

That said, I think Pujols should get the NL MVP. First player in history to hit at least .300, with 30 HRs, over 100 RBIs, and over 100 Runs scored in his first two years.

In the AL, it should either be Tejada of the A's or Garrett Anderson of the Angels. Both players have been so huge to both teams.

 

[WaxNWane]

AL MVP: Tejada (though ARod is the best player in the AL)
NL MVP: Bonds
AL Cy Young: Zito
NL Cy Young: Schilling

 

[Backyard sweaty]

Awards

AL MVP: ARod
NL MVP: Bonds
AL CY: Zito
NL CY: Schilling

 

[DeityMun]

Re: Awards

AL MVP: ARod

I think the only reason he shouldn't win it is because he's not all that valuable. Take him out of the lineup.. they're still gonna lose.

 

[Backyard sweaty]

Re: Re: Awards

I think the only reason he shouldn't win it is because he's not all that valuable. Take him out of the lineup.. they're still gonna lose.

The reason I give it to him is primarily because he is without question the best the AL has to offer and the name of the award is AL MVP not Texas Rangers MVP and he is the best the AL has to offer. As for team W-L records where would Texas be without him, they could quite easily set the all time record for losses. Does the team draw fans to the park despite a shitty product, yes. Why, ARod and without the $ from the fan there is no Tex. Rangers. So do I believe the ARod selection is debatable, absolutely. If you put the A's pitching staff on Texas so I would really have a hard time buying Tejada carrying the A's.

 

[DeityMun]

I don't disagree that he's a great player, but he's not currently valuable. Great, yes... but he's contributing to a losing cause. He really has no impact, except on his own stats. The MVP should never go to two things:

1. A pitcher. They have the Cy Young.

2. A player on a losing team. You can be the best player to ever pick up a bat, but if you're not contributing to a winning cause, you're not valuable.

 

[Backyard sweaty]

I don't disagree that he's a great player, but he's not currently valuable. Great, yes... but he's contributing to a losing cause. He really has no impact, except on his own stats. The MVP should never go to two things:

1. A pitcher. They have the Cy Young.

2. A player on a losing team. You can be the best player to ever pick up a bat, but if you're not contributing to a winning cause, you're not valuable.

I guess this is gonna be one of those debates, lol. Not only do I believe it can and should go to players that so far exceed the "norm" in their league regardless of the team they are on but I also believe that if you are the best....you are the best, regardless of the position you play. However, this year I don't believe a pitcher exceeds the "norm" by a far enough margin to get both. Now had Schilling won 30 and lost 3 than I would have given him both of them in the NL.

 

[DeityMun]

I guess this is gonna be one of those debates, lol. Not only do I believe it can and should go to players that so far exceed the "norm" in their league regardless of the team they are on but I also believe that if you are the best....you are the best, regardless of the position you play. However, this year I don't believe a pitcher exceeds the "norm" by a far enough margin to get both. Now had Schilling won 30 and lost 3 than I would have given him both of them in the NL.

Well.. I say pitchers for two reasons.

1. Again.. they have the Cy Young.

2. They only play, what, every 5 or 6 days? They could win every game they play, but if those everyday players aren't there winning those other 5 or 6 games, they're not going to get anywhere during the season.

And, again, this isn't the Most Above Normal Player Award.. it's Most Valuable Player. Take ARod out of the AL, and the only thing that changes is the overall stats of the AL change. Texas probably doesn't move down in the standings.. and really, what does it matter if they do?

 

[Linedrive]

Thanks for the responses. I agree that a player on a shitty team should not win the MVP, but it has happened. Andre Dawson won it with the last place Cubs in 1989 (I think), when he belted 49 homeruns.

Whether pitchers should be eligible for MVP is a good debate. They do have their own award, and one might question whether a player going out there every 5 ot 6 days can be the MVP. On the other hand, Johnson and Schilling just about carry the D-backs, and will likely get some votes.

The only thing I don't like about it, is they wait for damn ever to announce the winners, after the season is over. Wish they did it sooner, but oh well.

 

[teddybear4play]

Thanks for the responses. I agree that a player on a shitty team should not win the MVP, but it has happened. Andre Dawson won it with the last place Cubs in 1989 (I think), when he belted 49 homeruns.

1987, actually (In '89, they won the NL East, but lost to the Giants in the NLCS). Dawson hit .287-49-137, back when that was an amazing offensive performance.

But he was also aided by the fact that there really were no other glaring candidates, especially on winning teams. Probably the next best offensive season posted that year was by Dale Murphy, for the fifth-place Braves.

It shouldn't even be an issue: unless one player has a season head and shoulders above everyone else (e.g. Bonds last year), the award should be given to the person most valuable to his team. Hence the name of the award.

Whether pitchers should be eligible for MVP is a good debate. They do have their own award, and one might question whether a player going out there every 5 ot 6 days can be the MVP. On the other hand, Johnson and Schilling just about carry the D-backs, and will likely get some votes.

I think there have been years recently where, if they didn't utterly collapse in the second half of the season, one could make a strong case that Pedro Martinez was more valuable to the Red Sox than any other player was to his team.

Now, how about this: should closers be eligible for the MVP? They work more than once every five days, and their task specifically is to protect a lead, where a starter's role is merely to throw six or seven good innings and give their team a fighting chance. I would argue that in 1989, Dennis Eckersley was as valuable to Oakland as anyone on that or any other team. (Robin Yount won that year for the fourth-place Brewers.)

The only thing I don't like about it, is they wait for damn ever to announce the winners, after the season is over. Wish they did it sooner, but oh well.

Very true. It's a regular-season award, they ought to announce it after the end of the regular season. But the task is long and arduous, and probably next to impossible to complete in the short time between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs. Plus, giving the awards away before the playoffs might give teams psychological advantages or disadvantages.

TB4p

 

[Meltzer]

mvp tejada or soriano. i'm die-hard A's fan so the yankees suck but soriano is kicking ass. 40/40, 300 avg. 50+ doubles, 100+ rbi's, damn thats on hello f a season.
cy young-zito. no red sox player can win anything- ever.
mvp-bonds, i hate this dude but he deserves, the guy ses one hittable pitch a night and he hits a homerun. what can i say?
cy young- schilling or johnson. cant go wrong with either guys. schilling has never one one so id give it to him even though randy is the most dominant pitcher since nolan ryan.

 

[Meltzer]

damn i cant type.

 

[Lasher]

1987, actually (In '89, they won the NL East, but lost to the Giants in the NLCS). Dawson hit .287-49-137, back when that was an amazing offensive performance.TB4p

The numbers weren't that amazing for that year. That was the the warm up for the juiced ball era that we live in now. That's the same season that McGwire also hit 49 home runs as a rookie.

Jack Clark probably would've been MVP that season but ended up only playing 131 games cause he was, well, Jack Clark. Dale Murphy, Tony Gwynn, Tim Raines and *gulp* Juan Samuel also had great years that year, but not enough to overcome just how crappy there teams were.

My vote would've gone to Will Clark.

Dawson won because along with his pretty good numbers, he was also a great guy and could just never put together the kind of seasons he was capable off due to bad knees and hard turf in Montreal. He won this one mostly as a lifetime achievement award, but it's still bullshit.

A good player on a bad team is just not the League's Most Valuable Player.