MVPs, Cys, ROYs, and MOYs.
I'll give my awards, but with these voters, you never know.
NL MVP-Albert Pujols. Very little competition for Pujols, really. The best player in the league was on a playoff team, so none of that debate this year. And just think of the Cardinals without his career year. Wow.
AL MVP-Joe Mauer. Hard to argue with Joe Mauer, I think. You can argue he single-handedly put the Twins in the postseason. He caught an under-rated pitching staff, played good catcher's defense, and was the best hitting catcher in 2009. Many will be tempted to put in Teixeira, but in that Yankee lineup, he might not have been the most valuable Yankee.
NL Cy Young-Chris Carpenter. Before anyone tries to make the argument that Lincecum's recent problems will influence the vote, remember that voting was done before postseason play. Carpenter, however, was the most dominant pitcher. He rarely walked a batter, had the leagues best ERA. The only knock on him was missed time, but he still racked up 28 starts. The closest race, imo, but I go with Carp.
AL Cy Young-
AL MOY- Mike Scoscia. Dealing with a young, talented rookies death in 2009 had to take a toll on the Angels. The Cardinals remember how difficult it is to play on without a member of your clubhouse, even moreso when it is an avoidable tragedy. But the Angels went on to win the West, even with struggling bats like Vlad Guerrero and the loss of K-Rod.
NL MOY-Jim Tracy. TLR's job with the Cards was a good one, but he must shoulder some blame for the poor offensive showing from the first half Cards, and his decisions to play veteran OFers, who were struggling badly, prevent this from being a perfect record. I won't say anymore, because you can't praise or criticize La Russa on this board without it turning to a flame war, and that isn't what this thread is about. Torre and Manuel lead solid clubs, but Tracy turned around a sinking ship, remarkably, with the same players that Clint Hurdle had poked holes in the boat with. Tracy will win on sheer motivational ability, I think.
NL Gold Gloves
C-Yadier Molina, Cards.
Another solid year, better than his GG season of 2008, and not a ton of competition from the usual suspects.
1B-Todd Helton, Rockies.
A pretty tight race, actually. Albert will get consideration, and you can't rule out Derrek Lee, and for some reason Adrian Gonzalez, but I think the award goes to Helton, who quietly logged a productive, and HEALTHY, season.
2B-Orlando Hudson, Dodgers.
Great with the club, and the offseason's cheapest elite pickup.
3B-Pedro Feliz, Phillies.
Feliz can pick it. Fair or not, the voters will look at David Wright's hole-filled bat this year. Still, I give the award to Feliz regardless.
SS-Everth Cabrera, Padres. Loads of very weak competition, here. Brendan Ryan would be a virtual lock if he had played a full year, and Jimmy Rollins had a dropoff in batting ability. Toss-up.
OF-Shane Victorino, Phillies
-Mike Cameron, Brewers
-Nyger Morgan, Pirates/Nats.
I'll let someone else do the silver sluggers and AL GGs, because I'm drawing a blank on AL defenders and tired of typing.
