Mariano Rivera Robbed (and other awards)
The baseball off-season is in full swing and that means that its time for baseball Awards. Rookie of the years awards as well as Managers of the year and Cy Young awards have been handed out. I have my own opinions as to who I think should win each award, and for the most part I am disappointed.
ROOKIES OF THE YEAR:
The American League winner was Huston Street (closer, Oakland Athletics - 23 of 27 saves, 1.72 ERA, 72 strikeouts, 78.3 innings) with 15 first place votes and a total of 97 points. Street beat out Robinson Cano of the Yankees who got four first place votes and a total 57 points. Cano (2B, .297, 14 HR, 62 RBI, 78 runs scored) played terrific baseball down the stretch and was one of the main reasons the Yankees made the playoffs.
This award should have been given to Cano based on big at bats, games played, and mainly because his team made the playoffs. He stepped out onto the big stage to fill a hole left by a struggling Yankee second-baseman, and performed far above expectation. Yes Street had a splendid year with stats to prove, but here I think Robby Cano should have been given the edge.
The National League award was given to Ryan Howard (3B, Philadelphia Phillies, .288, 22 HR, 63 RBI) and it was well deserved on his part. Howard was followed by Willy Taveras (OF, Houston Astros, .291, 31SB, 82 runs scored) who did not have nearly the RBI or HR count that Howard tallied.
MANAGERS OF THE YEAR:
American League winner Ozzie Guillen was of course the easy selection based on performance of his team and where they ended up. However dig into the duties of the manager and you may look at this whole thing differently.
Firstly we have to take into consideration what a manger does. His responsibilities include game-time decisions of course, but also included here are team chemistry, clubhouse talks, player development, and other things not within game-time. Secondly we also have to consider player achievement. Remember managers don't go out there and hit homeruns, throw strikes or steal bases; the players do. Yes Ozzie deserves the award, he has performed all the above mentioned in a great fashion, but in my opinion it does not compare to the job that Joe Torre, or even Eric Wedge did.
My winner here is Joe Torre for being able to mend a clubhouse full of some of the biggest salaries and talents in the game and pull out a division champion season yet again. When his pitchers weren't pitching and hitters not hitting, Torre pulled them all through with his wisdom of the game and brilliance in the clubhouse and on the field.
National league manager of the year went to Bobby Cox. Yes 14 straight division titles is phenomenal. Yes the season he had with all those rookies is incredible. And finally, Yes, I think Bobby should have won this award. But if you look at vote totals, why in the world is Phil Garner so far behind?
Bobby Cox had 152 points (28 first place votes) , followed by Tony Larussa's 52 points (2), and then Phil Garner with 38 points (zero first place). Phil Garner took a team that wasn't supposed to make it anywhere to the World Series. He led the team from a 18-32 record on May 30th, to a 89-73 record at seasons end, which came with a wild-card spot for the playoffs. The Astros had a 71-41 record throughout June, July, August and September.
His team had no offense basically, and everyone knows they had great pitching (hence 3 of their starters in the top six in Cy Young voting). I'm not saying Garner should have won the award, but where is the respect for a man who did great things with his team? Not even one first place vote. How is it possible that none of the voters gave him enough credit to deserve a first place vote? I don't understand! And I certainly don't understand why Tony Larussa received first place votes. He had the best offense in the league coupled with great pitching (Cy Young winner included). Don't ask.
The remaining two first place votes went to a deserving Frank Robninson for what he did with the Washington Nationals.
CY YOUNG AWARDS:
Sometimes I think voters for this award look at total wins and place their vote. My reason for thinking this is result of Bartolo Colon (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) winning the American League Cy Young. Colon had 3.48 ERA while going 21-8 pitching 222.2 innings striking out 157 walking 43 and serving up 26 home-runs.
Great stat line right? Sure it is, but not when you put it up next to the stat lines of New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and Minnesota Twins starter Johan Santana.
Mariano Rivera went 7-4 with a 1.38 ERA. He struck out 80 batters, walked only 18 and gave up a measly 2 home runs in 78.1 innings pitched. The big to do for Rivera was his dominance in closing games. After blowing the first two saves of the season - against the Red Sox no less- Rivera converted his next 31 from April 9th until August 11th, just over four months!. In that four month stretch Mo gave up an unbelievable four earned runs only one of which was in a save situation. That means he allowed four earned runs in 50 innings! For those fifty innings from April 9th until August 11th Mo sported an 0.72 ERA that's not human my friends!!
All my first place votes would have gone to Mariano Rivera based on his dominance at his job, and is inhumane abilities.
If however you feel that the Cy young must go to a starter there was still a better choice out there than Bartolo Colon in the being of Johan Santana. Santana was far more dominant than Colon only he finished with less wins. Santana's stat line looked like this: 16-7 (five less wins, one less loss than Colon) 2.87 ERA (more than half a run better), 33 games (tied), 3 complete games (one more), 2 shutouts (two more), 231.2 innings pitched (9 more), 22 homers allowed (four less), 45 walks (two more), and 238 strikeouts (81 more).
Only big difference here is Santana's five less wins. In nearly every other category Santana had the edge in a sizeable fashion, except walks where Santana walked two more. His ERA was more than half a run better. He pitched one more complete game and two more shutouts than Colon (zero). He pitched nine more innings and surrendered four less home runs. The biggie here is Santana's 81 more strikeouts in just 9 more innings pitched. Do the math and decide for yourself. this years Cy Young winner in the American League did not deserve it. He should have been in third place!
In the National League a well deserved award was handed to Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals. I spent the past few weeks thinking that it should go to Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins because I though that for a guy to have 10 losses and sport such a low ERA (2.63) showed that he did not have great run support.
However, Willis apparently did have the run support a pitcher desires with his team scoring five or more runs in 12 of his wins and in nine of those his team backed him with six or more runs. Willis also earned some of his losses by giving up five or more runs in five of them. Carpenter's run support ran along the same lines with his team backing him with five or more runs in 16 of his 21 wins. Each were shutout once. Carpenter won backed by three or less runs four times and Willis did so seven times. Carpenter did not allow more than three earned runs in any of his wins, Willis did once. Carpenter finished the season with a 21-5 record, 2.83 ERA and 213 strikeouts against 51 walks and 18 homers allowed over 241.2 innings pitched. He also tallied up 7 complete games of which four were shutouts. Willis' had very similar stats going 22-10 with his 2.63 ERA. Willis struck out 170, walked 55, and allowed only 11 homers in 236.1 innings. His season totals included 7 complete games of which five were shutouts. The main difference is not in the stat line of these two fellows, it is in their undocumented performances.
The above mentioned "earned losses" for Willis against Carpenter's "undefeated stretch" is no comparison. The feat by Carpenter can be broken down like this: After a loss to the Boston Red Sox on June 8th his incredible run began. In each of his next 16 starts, Carpenter lasted at least seven innings and allowed no more than three earned runs, and the Cardinals won all 16 games. He totaled 17 straight starts without the Cardinals losing and 18 in a row without being charged with a defeat himself.
The close total votes, 132 for Carpenter (19 1st place votes) and 112 for Willis (11 1st place) shows how close this race was, and that it came down to dominance and achievement rather than the stat line itself.
I don't want to get into it now but I do think that Andy Pettitte should have received more than the 1 vote he received. The same can be said for Chad Cordero (1) and Roy Oswalt (2).
If it were for better run support, Roger Clemens would have been the clear-cut winner with his razor thin ERA of 1.87. Clemens team was shutout nine times when he pitched and in five of those the final score of the game was 1-0! In the nine shutouts Clemens had an ERA of 1.27 (60 points lower than his season ERA). Had his team provided the offense Roger would have had a 22-8 record to go with the out-of-this-world ERA and his 185 strikeouts. WOW!
To sum up:
ROY:
AL:
Winner: Huston Street
Robbed: Robinson Cano (maybe biased a bit here?!?)
NL:
Winner: Ryan Howard
Good Call
MOY:
AL:
Winner: Ozzie Guillen
Robbed: Joe Torre (maybe a drop biased here too!)
NL:
Winner: Bobby Cox
Robbed: Phil Garner (should have gotten more votes but not the award)
CY YOUNG:
AL:
Winner: Bartolo Colon
Robbed: Mariano Rivera - or Johan Santana (if it must be a starter)
NL:
Winner: Chris Carpenter
Good Call
Well people, there you have it...
oVeR AnD oUt!!
ROOKIES OF THE YEAR:
The American League winner was Huston Street (closer, Oakland Athletics - 23 of 27 saves, 1.72 ERA, 72 strikeouts, 78.3 innings) with 15 first place votes and a total of 97 points. Street beat out Robinson Cano of the Yankees who got four first place votes and a total 57 points. Cano (2B, .297, 14 HR, 62 RBI, 78 runs scored) played terrific baseball down the stretch and was one of the main reasons the Yankees made the playoffs.
This award should have been given to Cano based on big at bats, games played, and mainly because his team made the playoffs. He stepped out onto the big stage to fill a hole left by a struggling Yankee second-baseman, and performed far above expectation. Yes Street had a splendid year with stats to prove, but here I think Robby Cano should have been given the edge.
The National League award was given to Ryan Howard (3B, Philadelphia Phillies, .288, 22 HR, 63 RBI) and it was well deserved on his part. Howard was followed by Willy Taveras (OF, Houston Astros, .291, 31SB, 82 runs scored) who did not have nearly the RBI or HR count that Howard tallied.
MANAGERS OF THE YEAR:
American League winner Ozzie Guillen was of course the easy selection based on performance of his team and where they ended up. However dig into the duties of the manager and you may look at this whole thing differently.
Firstly we have to take into consideration what a manger does. His responsibilities include game-time decisions of course, but also included here are team chemistry, clubhouse talks, player development, and other things not within game-time. Secondly we also have to consider player achievement. Remember managers don't go out there and hit homeruns, throw strikes or steal bases; the players do. Yes Ozzie deserves the award, he has performed all the above mentioned in a great fashion, but in my opinion it does not compare to the job that Joe Torre, or even Eric Wedge did.
My winner here is Joe Torre for being able to mend a clubhouse full of some of the biggest salaries and talents in the game and pull out a division champion season yet again. When his pitchers weren't pitching and hitters not hitting, Torre pulled them all through with his wisdom of the game and brilliance in the clubhouse and on the field.
National league manager of the year went to Bobby Cox. Yes 14 straight division titles is phenomenal. Yes the season he had with all those rookies is incredible. And finally, Yes, I think Bobby should have won this award. But if you look at vote totals, why in the world is Phil Garner so far behind?
Bobby Cox had 152 points (28 first place votes) , followed by Tony Larussa's 52 points (2), and then Phil Garner with 38 points (zero first place). Phil Garner took a team that wasn't supposed to make it anywhere to the World Series. He led the team from a 18-32 record on May 30th, to a 89-73 record at seasons end, which came with a wild-card spot for the playoffs. The Astros had a 71-41 record throughout June, July, August and September.
His team had no offense basically, and everyone knows they had great pitching (hence 3 of their starters in the top six in Cy Young voting). I'm not saying Garner should have won the award, but where is the respect for a man who did great things with his team? Not even one first place vote. How is it possible that none of the voters gave him enough credit to deserve a first place vote? I don't understand! And I certainly don't understand why Tony Larussa received first place votes. He had the best offense in the league coupled with great pitching (Cy Young winner included). Don't ask.
The remaining two first place votes went to a deserving Frank Robninson for what he did with the Washington Nationals.
CY YOUNG AWARDS:
Sometimes I think voters for this award look at total wins and place their vote. My reason for thinking this is result of Bartolo Colon (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) winning the American League Cy Young. Colon had 3.48 ERA while going 21-8 pitching 222.2 innings striking out 157 walking 43 and serving up 26 home-runs.
Great stat line right? Sure it is, but not when you put it up next to the stat lines of New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and Minnesota Twins starter Johan Santana.
Mariano Rivera went 7-4 with a 1.38 ERA. He struck out 80 batters, walked only 18 and gave up a measly 2 home runs in 78.1 innings pitched. The big to do for Rivera was his dominance in closing games. After blowing the first two saves of the season - against the Red Sox no less- Rivera converted his next 31 from April 9th until August 11th, just over four months!. In that four month stretch Mo gave up an unbelievable four earned runs only one of which was in a save situation. That means he allowed four earned runs in 50 innings! For those fifty innings from April 9th until August 11th Mo sported an 0.72 ERA that's not human my friends!!
All my first place votes would have gone to Mariano Rivera based on his dominance at his job, and is inhumane abilities.
If however you feel that the Cy young must go to a starter there was still a better choice out there than Bartolo Colon in the being of Johan Santana. Santana was far more dominant than Colon only he finished with less wins. Santana's stat line looked like this: 16-7 (five less wins, one less loss than Colon) 2.87 ERA (more than half a run better), 33 games (tied), 3 complete games (one more), 2 shutouts (two more), 231.2 innings pitched (9 more), 22 homers allowed (four less), 45 walks (two more), and 238 strikeouts (81 more).
Only big difference here is Santana's five less wins. In nearly every other category Santana had the edge in a sizeable fashion, except walks where Santana walked two more. His ERA was more than half a run better. He pitched one more complete game and two more shutouts than Colon (zero). He pitched nine more innings and surrendered four less home runs. The biggie here is Santana's 81 more strikeouts in just 9 more innings pitched. Do the math and decide for yourself. this years Cy Young winner in the American League did not deserve it. He should have been in third place!
In the National League a well deserved award was handed to Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals. I spent the past few weeks thinking that it should go to Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins because I though that for a guy to have 10 losses and sport such a low ERA (2.63) showed that he did not have great run support.
However, Willis apparently did have the run support a pitcher desires with his team scoring five or more runs in 12 of his wins and in nine of those his team backed him with six or more runs. Willis also earned some of his losses by giving up five or more runs in five of them. Carpenter's run support ran along the same lines with his team backing him with five or more runs in 16 of his 21 wins. Each were shutout once. Carpenter won backed by three or less runs four times and Willis did so seven times. Carpenter did not allow more than three earned runs in any of his wins, Willis did once. Carpenter finished the season with a 21-5 record, 2.83 ERA and 213 strikeouts against 51 walks and 18 homers allowed over 241.2 innings pitched. He also tallied up 7 complete games of which four were shutouts. Willis' had very similar stats going 22-10 with his 2.63 ERA. Willis struck out 170, walked 55, and allowed only 11 homers in 236.1 innings. His season totals included 7 complete games of which five were shutouts. The main difference is not in the stat line of these two fellows, it is in their undocumented performances.
The above mentioned "earned losses" for Willis against Carpenter's "undefeated stretch" is no comparison. The feat by Carpenter can be broken down like this: After a loss to the Boston Red Sox on June 8th his incredible run began. In each of his next 16 starts, Carpenter lasted at least seven innings and allowed no more than three earned runs, and the Cardinals won all 16 games. He totaled 17 straight starts without the Cardinals losing and 18 in a row without being charged with a defeat himself.
The close total votes, 132 for Carpenter (19 1st place votes) and 112 for Willis (11 1st place) shows how close this race was, and that it came down to dominance and achievement rather than the stat line itself.
I don't want to get into it now but I do think that Andy Pettitte should have received more than the 1 vote he received. The same can be said for Chad Cordero (1) and Roy Oswalt (2).
If it were for better run support, Roger Clemens would have been the clear-cut winner with his razor thin ERA of 1.87. Clemens team was shutout nine times when he pitched and in five of those the final score of the game was 1-0! In the nine shutouts Clemens had an ERA of 1.27 (60 points lower than his season ERA). Had his team provided the offense Roger would have had a 22-8 record to go with the out-of-this-world ERA and his 185 strikeouts. WOW!
To sum up:
ROY:
AL:
Winner: Huston Street
Robbed: Robinson Cano (maybe biased a bit here?!?)
NL:
Winner: Ryan Howard
Good Call
MOY:
AL:
Winner: Ozzie Guillen
Robbed: Joe Torre (maybe a drop biased here too!)
NL:
Winner: Bobby Cox
Robbed: Phil Garner (should have gotten more votes but not the award)
CY YOUNG:
AL:
Winner: Bartolo Colon
Robbed: Mariano Rivera - or Johan Santana (if it must be a starter)
NL:
Winner: Chris Carpenter
Good Call
Well people, there you have it...
oVeR AnD oUt!!
posted by Levi M. at 7:11 PM
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