|
Albert Pujols, St.Louis. Has been in the Top
five in all three Triple Crown categories in the last
two seasons and entered the weekend second in average,
fourth in home runs and second in RBIs. That's an MVP
performance when it's being done on the league's best
team. Pujols is the best hitter never to win the MVP.
Others in
the top five: Derrek Lee,
Andruw Jones, Carlos Lee and
Jose Guillen.
AL MVP
David Ortiz, Boston. No one ever has won an MVP
award with more than 65 games in the DH slot, but Ortiz
(.313 average, 21 HRs, 73 RBI) has been the most
productive hitter in the league. That's a good thing
when you're paid to hit. He and Manny Ramirez protect
each other better than any other combination in the
majors, moving between the third and fourth spot
according to the opposing pitcher. Hitting has Boston
positioned to make the playoffs despite poor pitching,
and Ortiz has been a tick better than Ramirez.
Others in the top five: Brian Roberts,
Alex Rodriguez, Ramirez
and Miguel Tejada.
NL Cy
Young Award
Roger Clemens, Houston. No statistic in
baseball better reflects performance than earned-run
average, and it's hard to miss Clemens' 1.48 mark. He
has had to work for his seven victories, with the
downsized Astros' lineup averaging only 4.0 runs behind
him. The 1-2 combination of Clemens and Roy Oswalt has
been the NL's equivalent of the White Sox's Mark Buehrle-Jon
Garland, pitching Houston into contention without
disabled slugger Jeff Bagwell.
The other two on the ballot: Dontrelle Willis
and Oswalt (with Chris Carpenter and
Chad Cordero receiving consideration).
AL Cy
Young Award
Roy Halladay, Toronto. As
great as Buehrle and Garland have been, Halladay has
been better. His 2.41 ERA leads the league and he has
managed to win 12 games despite being near the bottom of
the AL in run support with an average of 3.8.
The other
two on the ballot: Buehrle and
Garland (with Bartolo Colon and Dustin
Hermanson receiving consideration).
NL Rookie
of the Year
Clint Barmes, Colorado. There
was no question about this before the Rockies shortstop
broke his collarbone in a fall down the stairs. He was
hitting .329 in 54 games and had led the league in
hitting for a long stretch. But if he misses three
months, as expected, someone will take the award away
from him by season's end, possibly even one of his
teammates, left-hander Jeff Francis, outfielder Brad
Hawpe or third baseman Garrett Atkins.
The other two on the ballot: Lance Niekro
and Francis (with Willy Taveras, Yhency
Brazoban and Hawpe receiving consideration).
AL Rookie
of the Year
Tadahito Iguchi, White Sox. A seasoned pro who
learned to play the game the right way in Japan, Iguchi
has been a prototypical No. 2 hitter. He and Scott
Podsednik have been the most consistent part of a
streaky lineup and he has done his part in the field for
the pitching staff that has made the Sox baseball's
biggest surprise. It will be an international incident
if he's not recognized.
The other two on the ballot: Russ Adams
and Jesse Crain (with Nick Swisher,
Jeremy Reed, Robinson Cano, Gustavo Chacin, Chris Young
and Huston Street receiving consideration).
NL
Manager of the Year
Frank Robinson, Washington. Major League
Baseball's handling of this franchise was a disgrace in
its last three seasons in Montreal, but Robinson was an
inspired choice as its manager. He sets high standards
for his players, who are meeting them. His experience
should prove invaluable during the steamy days of August
and a tension-filled September, when the Nationals will
try to maintain their position as a playoff team. They
could be one of the best stories ever.
The other two on the ballot: Tony La Russa
and Bobby Cox.
AL
Manager of the Year
Ozzie Guillen, White Sox. This guy's a quick
learner. He saw the shortcomings in his team a year ago
and preached drastic change to general manager Ken
Williams, who listened. But he also runs a game
extremely well for someone with so little experience at
the end of the dugout. His handling of the bullpen has
been superb. Witness the Sox's 22-8 record in one-run
games.
The other two on the ballot: Terry Francona
and Eric Wedge.
July 11, 2005 |
 |
