Results tagged ‘ American League ’
Kevin Gausman Makes MLB Debut
Though highly thought of by many around the baseball world, being ranked as the number 35 overall prospect, I was fairly shocked when it was announced that the Orioles had called up Kevin Gausman to make his Major League debut on Thursday night, versus the Toronto Blue Jays.
I had been keeping track of Gausman, and seeing that he had gone 2-4 with a 3.11 ERA in eight games pitched at Double-A Bowie, despite the need for a pitcher on the big league club, I didn’t think Gausman was ready.
After watching Gausman pitch on Thursday night, however, I’m very happy to state that I was wrong.
While the box score doesn’t show it, Gausman was impressive. Maybe not overly impressive, but impressive nonetheless. Gausman allowed four runs in five innings pitched, but they didn’t come until the fourth and fifth innings–a pair of runs in each.
He matched his punch outs to innings pitched, striking out five, and even though he got the loss, Gausman gained his first innings of big league experience of what looks to be a promising career.
At just 22 years old, Gausman’s road to the majors was a very short one, as he was the fourth overall pick, out of LSU, in the 2012 MLB draft. With only 61.1 professional innings under his belt, you still have to question whether or not he’ll be able to perform consistently at the big league level, or if the Orioles rushed him to the majors, but if Thursday is a sign of more things to come, I’d say the Orioles have a future ace on their hands.
My Thoughts On More Replay In Major League Baseball
There’s been more talk lately about expanding instant replay in baseball than there ever has been in the history of the game. This coming due to advancing technology, and with that technology comes concerns that more needs to be done to get the calls right every time. (Something that truly can’t be done.)
But the topic of increasing what’s reviewable and what isn’t is controversial among many. Some feel that things need to be left just the way they are, sighting the human error element that’s always been part of the game, however, others are saying that as long as you have the technology, you should use it.
I stand somewhere in between.
I love the idea of getting every call right, but at the same time, I don’t see how that would be possible, and I somewhat enjoy the human element to the game. If you lose that, it’s not the same game anymore. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they don’t. That’s the way it works. But I understand wanting to get the call right more often than not.
The main complaint that comes from those who oppose further replay is that it would lengthen games, which have historically increased in length over the past few decades. If you begin reviewing everything, a game which already takes roughly three hours to complete, could begin taking closer to four, depending on the events of any given day.
The only thing I see as being “unreviewable” is balls and strikes. While there’s no denying that umpires blow a few calls of the strike zone every game, there’s also no denying that reviewing every single close strike call isn’t a realistic option. There’s absolutely no need to do so, nor is there the time to do so. Other than that, everything is discussable for possible replay, in my mind.
But while everything other than balls and strikes is worthy of replay discussion, not every close play needs to be reviewed. Some things will have to be left off the list of reviewable plays or it’ll turn into a big joke of reviewing every single close call. I would hate to see that happen. But this is where it gets complicated: What should be reviewable and what shouldn’t? And why choose some things and not others?
My thoughts, looking at all of the possible controversial plays that can take place in a game, are that the major plays worth reviewing are the ones in which runs are scored; be it a questionable home run, trapped/caught ball in the outfield in which a run does or doesn’t score, fan interference that would’ve scored a run, and close plays at the plate. If it could be argued one way or another, it should be reviewed. As far as everything else, it doesn’t involve a run scoring, and I feel the umpires do a decent job of those type of plays for the most part.
So, to sum everything up as best I can, I’m for more replay in baseball, to an extent. You’ll never be able to get every single call right, but if you can increase the chance that the outcome of the game doesn’t turn out differently than it should have because of a blown call, by reviewing certain run scoring plays, why not make an attempt to try?
What do you think: Should there be more replay in baseball?
How Much Better Can the New York Yankees Get?
When I made the bold prediction a couple months ago that the New York Yankees would have a great season despite all of the injuries to their lineup, going as far as to say they’ll make the playoffs, I didn’t have many people behind me, agreeing with my opinion. And that’s fine, I’m used to it. But now I get the pleasure of early-season bragging rights, as the Yankees have hung in there, sitting atop the American League East.
Though there’s still a lot of the season left, I think things will only go up from here.
Let me point out that while I predicted a playoff run, I was going more on a wild card spot, rather than a division title, getting them in. I never saw them above second or third place throughout the season. But now, with them sitting in first place, combined with Curtis Granderson expected to return any day, I could see the Yankees extending their lead even further; especially once Mark Teixeira returns next month.
What it’s come down to for the Yankees is the stepping up of every single player in the lineup. Not just the key fixtures, in Robinson Cano, Ichiro Suzuki and even Brett Gardner, but the newcomers in Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay and Travis Hafner. Everyone up and down the lineup has been doing a great job of not worrying about who they’re missing and just going out and playing great baseball–going 16-0 when they score first, so far this season.
The Yankees are certainly being helped out by the other teams in the division, which have been playing fairly poorly as of late–the Red Sox are 4-8 this month–but that’s not to take anything away from them. They’ve been surprisingly good for a surprising long period of time.
But just how good can the Yankees become?
If you ask me, the first month of the season is a sign of things to come. Once the Yankees get back their big bats in Granderson and Teixeira, they’ll get even better, which may seem impossible with the way they’re currently playing. If their pitching rotation can keep on the same pace, though it could always be better, I can fully see the Yankees making the playoffs, as I originally predicted.
R.A. Dickey and David Price On Pace for Rare Feat
Normally when you’re talking about a couple of former Cy Young award winners having a rare season, it’s a good thing, but in this case, it’s just the opposite. Both R.A. Dickey and David Price, who won the Cy Young last year, are off to poor starts this season, putting them with in line to join elite company.
Just five times since 1967, when the Cy Young award began to be given out to a pitcher in each league, have two first-time winners in the same season gone on to have poor seasons the next year–the award originated in 1956, but was given out to just one pitcher each season until 1967.
The select group of players who won their first Cy Young awards only to go on to have poor next seasons include: Jim Lonborg and Mike McCormick, in 1967; Hall of Famers, Steve Carlton and Gaylord Perry, in 1972; John Denny and LaMarr Hoyt, in 1983; Willie Hernandez and Rick Sutcliffe, in 1984; as well as Bob Welsh and Doug Drabek, in 1990.
While it’s looking like Price and Dickey may join them, it’s still far too early to count them out just yet. They’ve proven to be too good of pitchers. But it’s something worth looking at, nonetheless.
R.A. Dickey became the first knuckleballer to win the Cy Young award, last year, when he went 20-6, with a 2.73 ERA, however, so far this season he’s experiencing far less success, going 2-5, with a 5.06 ERA, through his first eight games pitched. The one thing that’s most noticeable for Dickey this season is that his knuckleball doesn’t have the late, drastic movement it had last year. Unless he finds a way to get back on track, I don’t see Dickey having a very good season, as the knuckleball doesn’t leave much room for error.
David Price became the first Rays pitcher to win the Cy Young award, in 2012, going 20-5, with a 2.56 ERA, but he’s been struggling this year, having gone 1-3, with a 4.78 ERA, over his first eight games of the season. Price had a decent start his last time out, but his command just doesn’t seem to be there this season, for one reason or another. I could see Price having a better overall season than Dickey, however, if he doesn’t figure things out, Price is likely to still have a disappointing 2013.
Whether or not R.A. Dickey and David Price can turn things around is something that only time will tell. If the first month of the season is any indication, it’s not looking all that promising, but these kind of things are unpredictable; part of what makes baseball such a great sport.
Latest MLB Leaders (March 31st-April 30th)
With the first full month of the 2013 MLB season in the books, I thought I’d take the first day of the new month to recap the season thus far. It’s been exciting, as well as disappointing, depending on how you look at it, and who you’re rooting for.
Instead of talking about the events that have taken place so far this year, I decided to make a list of different categories and beside them name the player(s) that lead that particular category. I did the same thing last year, and it was so well-received that I wanted to do it again this season. I’m planning on posting an entry like this on the first day of each month. (That would make 5 more of these if you’re keeping score at home.)
The following lists are categorized into hitting and pitching, but NOT AL or NL:
MLB LEADERS (AL and NL)- HITTING
Most Games Played-Five tied for most. (28)
Most At-Bats-Jay Bruce, Manny Machado and Martin Prado. (115)
Most Hits-Four tied for most. (37)
Highest Average-Carlos Santana (.389)
Highest OBP-Shin-Soo Choo (.477)
Highest SLG-Justin Upton (.734)
Most Runs-Austin Jackson (25)
Most Doubles-Mike Napoli (13)
Most Triples-Four tied for most. (3)
Most Home Runs-Justin Upton (12)
Most RBI’s-Miguel Cabrera and Chris Davis. (28)
Most Base On Balls-Joey Votto (26)
Most Strikeouts-Chris Carter (46)
Most Stolen Bases-Jacoby Ellsbury (11)
Most Caught Stealing-Gerardo Parra and Eric Young. (4)
Most Intentional Base On Balls-Albert Pujols and Ryan Braun. (6)
Most Hit By Pitch-Shin-Soo Choo (10)
Most Sacrifice Flies-Miguel Montero (4)
Most Total Bases-Justin Upton (69)
Most Extra Base Hits-Mike Napoli (18)
Most Grounded Into Double Plays-Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Kendrys Morales. (7)
Most Ground Outs-Ben Revere (55)
Most Number Of Pitches Faced-Joey Votto (542)
Most Plate Appearances-Joey Votto (132)
MLB LEADERS (AL and NL)- PITCHING
Most Wins-Clay Buchholz, Yu Darvish and Matt Moore. (5)
Most Losses-Philip Humber (6)
Best ERA-Jake Westbrook (0.98)
Most Games Started-48 tied for most.
Most Games Pitched-Brad Ziegler (17)
Most Saves-Four tied for most. (10)
Most Innings Pitched-Adam Wainwright (44.1)
Most Hits Allowed-Joe Blanton (47)
Most Runs Allowed-Edwin Jackson (28)
Most Earned Runs Allowed-Matt Cain and Philip Humber. (25)
Most Home Runs Allowed-Brett Myers and Marco Estrada. (10)
Most Strikeouts-Yu Darvish (58)
Most Walks-James McDonald (20)
Most Complete Games-Jordan Zimmermann (2)
Most Shutouts-Eight tied for most. (1)
Best Opponent Avg.-Matt Moore (.121)
Most Games Finished-Sergio Romo (13)
Most Double Plays Achieved-Lucas Harrell (10)
Most Wild Pitches-Jeff Samardzija (6)
Most Balks-Alfredo Aceves and Shawn Camp. (2)
Most Stolen Bases Allowed-Edinson Volquez (9)
Most Pickoffs-Julio Teheran, Clayton Kershaw and John Lannan. (2)
Most Batters Faced-C.C. Sabathia (177)
Most Pitches Thrown-Justin Verlander (649)
American League Predictions for 2013
Last year was the first time I ever made actual predictions as to how the MLB standings would look at the end of the regular season. To say I did poorly would be an understatement, but this is a new year, and with it comes a new shot at getting the predictions right. So I’m up for the challenge once again.
Unlike 2012, when I posted both my American League and National League predictions in the same blog entry, this year I’m doing separate posts for each league. As the title states, I’m giving my 2013 American League standings predictions today, starting with the AL East:
EAST
1. Rays
2. Yankees
3. Orioles
4. Blue Jays
5. Red Sox
With the Yankees’ season uncertain, I see this as the year the Rays need to make their move. With the lineup they have, the Rays have the ability to win their division, but it’s going to come down to if their starting pitching begins and ends with David Price, or if their potential superstar pitchers in Matt Moore and Jeremy Hellickson can get things going. That’s the deciding factor, for me.
Although the Yankees’ season is up in the air, I still have them finishing second in the AL East. Why? Because they’re the Yankees; a team that seems to be able to always find a way to win. But it’s going to come down to Derek Jeter, in my opinion. If he misses a large chunk of the season, at any point, it could send my predictions way off course. Right now, I’m not too worried about him missing the first few games; but that could change.
The Orioles surprised everyone last season with the way they were able to put things together, however, I still think it’ll be 2014 before they stand a good chance of winning the division. Their phenom prospects are still far from ready, with top prospect Dylan Bundy beginning the season in AA Bowie, and I just don’t see everything clicking together in their favor this season.
I’m hesitant to place the Blue Jays all the way down in fourth, with so many people seeing them finishing near the top, but it’s the way I foresee their season panning out. Even with the offseason additions of R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, etc., I don’t see the Jays putting together a season much over .500. You just can’t buy chemistry, and with so many new faces, I don’t see them gelling from the start of the season.
What can I say about the Red Sox? They were once major competitors in the division, but after a couple of horrible seasons, by their standards, I don’t see this year being any better. They didn’t do much to improve their team in the offseason, and it’s going to show once the season starts up. I’m looking down the road, when their key prospects such as Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts arrive, before I can see them getting things going in the right direction again.
CENTRAL
1. Tigers
2. Indians
3. White Sox
4. Royals
5. Twins
There’s truly no reason the Tigers shouldn’t run away with things in the AL Central division. With one of the best lineups in all of baseball, including sluggers Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, along with newcomer Victor Martinez, their lineup should be there. The only question mark is their pitching. Justin Verlander is going to dominate–that’s a given–but the remainder of the rotation is a bit uncertain. But all in all, I think they’ll be just fine.
Coming in second, I have the Indians, as they did a great job of signing guys in the offseason to fill key spots they were missing last year, and I feel it’s bound to pay off in the coming season. The only concern would be their starting pitching. Without a true Ace, you don’t know who to look to for to carry the team throughout the season. It’s definitely something worth watching, however, they should be able to have enough decent pitching to make things very interesting in the division.
It was really a toss up between me placing the Indians or White Sox in third place (with the other in second) but I decided to have the Sox finishing third in the division. The Sox have a future Cy Young winner, in Chris Sale, but with the remainder of the pitching, as well as the lineup, a question mark, I can’t see them winning too many games over .500 in the 2013 season. They still have too many holes to fill.
I’m still questioning the Royals’ decision to trade away their phenom prospect, Wil Myers, along with a few other prospects, to the Rays, in exchange for a couple of middle of the rotation starting pitchers, on most teams, in James Shields and Wade Davis, but it is what it is. I see the move doing more harm than good. The Royals certainly needed starting pitching, but to trade away your top prospect is a poor choice, in my opinion, which is why I have them finishing next to last in the division.
The Twins are a team that have the potential to be very good a year or two down the road, but for right now, I see them having to endure another last place season, in their division. They just don’t have enough top notch guys, both in their pitching rotation and lineup, to make any sort of a run this season, as far as I can see.
WEST
1. Angels
2. Athletics
3. Rangers
4. Mariners
5. Astros
For the Angels, the AL West division is theirs to lose. With the addition of Josh Hamilton in the offseason, along with their already potent lineup of Albert Pujols and Mike Trout, there is no reason the Angels shouldn’t dominate the division. Although they lost Zack Greinke to the Dodgers, their rotation is still really good, and it should all combine to be enough to lead them to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
The Athletics were one of the big surprises of last season, but I don’t feel it was a fluke. They’ve put together a really great team out in Oakland, and with the majority of the other teams in the division (with the exception of the Angels) still trying to figure things out in the coming season, the Athletics stand a good shot of making the playoffs for the second straight year.
With the loss of Josh Hamilton during the offseason, I don’t see the Rangers doing much of anything this year. While they have a few big bats in their lineup that can change the outcome of a game with one swing, I don’t see their rotation as being strong enough to overcome the uphill climb they face. It’ll be interesting to watch unfold, but I don’t like their chances in 2013.
The Mariners are one of the most interesting teams to keep track of. While I don’t see them having all that impressive of an upcoming season, with all of the talent they have knocking on the door of the big leagues, I feel they’ll be major contenders as early as next season. They don’t have all of the necessary pieces, just yet, to put together a playoff run, but starting in 2014, keep a lookout for the Mariners to do big things in the AL West division.
Last season was flat out ugly for the Astros, as they finished in dead last, with a league leading 107 losses. Being that they’re making the transition from the National League to the American League this year, I don’t see things being any better for them; but when you lose over 100 games in a season, it can’t really get all that much worse.
Leave a comment below with whether or not you agree with my predictions.
Click HERE to be taken to my National League predictions for 2013.
2013 Final MLB Standings Predictions
We’re quickly approaching Opening Day, and so starts the predictions of where each team will finish in the coming year. Most of the time there’s always a team or two that comes along and completely throws off your predictions, but that’s what makes it fun. I’m going to be doing a seperate blog post on my predictions for how I feel each team will fare this season, in the next week or two, but for now I want to hear what you all think.
Cast your vote below for which team you feel is most likely to win each division in 2013:
The 2013 MLB regular season has begun, and the polls are now closed. Thanks for voting.
Cabrera and Posey Win Most Valuable Player Award
I was extremely surprised with this year’s MVP voting. Not just with the winners of the award from the American League and National League, but also with the blowout fashion in which they won. I don’t feel it should’ve been such a major difference between first and second place in each league, but it is what it is.
In the end, it was Miguel Cabrera taking home the MVP award for the American League, with Buster Posey receiving the MVP award for the National Leauge; as voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).
This was both Miguel Cabrera’s and Buster Posey’s first Most Valuable Player award.
AMERICAN LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: MIGUEL CABRERA
Original Pick: Mike Trout
Pick after finalists were revealed: Mike Trout
Thoughts On Miguel Cabrera Winning
I can’t believe how much of a landslide the vote for American League Most Valuable Player was. Although I was pulling for Mike Trout, I pretty 
much expected Miguel Cabrera to win. But to receive 22 of the 28 first place votes is absolutely ridiculous. Even if you think Cabrera was the more valuable player, you can’t honestly tell me that he was THAT much more valuable than Trout. It’s just not true.
So really, I’m not as upset about Miguel Cabrera winning the MVP award as much as I’m upset at how much of a blowout it was. In total, Cabrera beat out Trout by 81 points.
Truly incredible for an award that was supposedly going to be close.
The main reason Cabrera won the MVP award is the fact that he won the Triple Crown–posting a .330 average with 44 homeruns and 139 RBI’s.
While it’s amazing that he was able to accomplish something that hasn’t been done since 1967, I find it necessary to point out that Trout was able to accomplish things no player in the history of baseball has EVER been able to do. Besides, when it comes down to it, just because you posted better stats doesn’t mean you were the more valuable player to your team–which is what the award is all about.
So, while the Triple Crown is an amazing accomplishment for Cabrera, it’s not something you should base your vote on, in my opinion. Especially when Trout was able to one up Cabrera as far as historical occurences go.
Moving on to the second key aspect of Cabrera’s MVP win, I feel the voters’ pushed Trout out of the picture for the sole reason that he and his Angels didn’t make it to the playoffs, while Cabrera and the Tigers made it all the way to the World Series. I truly don’t understand why you would even consider using that as a reason for picking the most valuable player.
If you look at the facts, Cabrera’s Tigers actually had a worse record than the Angels. The reason they made it to the playoffs, while the Angels fell short, is because they played in an easier division. Should Trout be penalized because he played in the difficult AL West, and wasn’t able lead his team to the playoffs? Absolutely not. Making it to the playoffs takes a team effort; Trout could only do so much.
He was still extremely valuable to his team, even though it didn’t result in a playoff run.
So, while Miguel Cabrera received the award, and will go down in the record books as the 2012 AL MVP, when I look back on this season decades from now I’ll always find myself thinking about what should’ve been.
The BBWAA’s vote had Mike Trout finishing second, with Adrian Beltre coming in third.
NATIONAL LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: BUSTER POSEY
Original Pick: Ryan Braun
Pick after finalists were revealed: Ryan Braun
Thoughts On Buster Posey Winning
While I don’t feel as strongly about the National League portion of the MVP award as I do about the American League side, I still think Ryan Braun should’ve won the award; but at the same time, I’m not upset that Buster Posey won.
What it comes down to for me is what the voters’ (once again) decided to base their decision on. I feel like just as with the AL award, the National League MVP didn’t go to the “most valuable” player, but rather the player that was on the more successful team.
Just because Braun’s Brewers didn’t make the playoffs, he was pretty much pushed aside by the voters’ who historically love to see players from playoff teams win the award. (Since 1995, only 6 MVP winners have come from teams that didn’t make the post season.)
So I feel Braun wasn’t given a fair chance in that regard.
The only real complaint I have with the National League MVP award is the fact that Posey beat out Braun by an astounding 137 points. I don’t feel the voting results truly show how close it really was statistically between Braun and Posey. Yet another example of how much stock the BBWAA takes in whether or not a player’s team made the playoffs.
I’m really getting tired of it.
The BBWAA’s vote had Ryan Braun finishing second, with Andrew McCutchen coming in third.
David Price and R.A. Dickey Win Cy Young Award
The 2012 Cy Young award candidates were some of the closest ranked in the history of the award. None more so than the American League portion of the award, where it came down to a mere 4-point difference between first and second place. It was truly THAT close.
While it was too close to call going in to Wednesday night’s Cy Young award announcement, in the end, it was David Price taking home the award for the American League, while R.A. Dickey received the award for the National League; as voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).
This is both David Price’s and R.A. Dickey’s first career Cy Young award.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CY YOUNG: DAVID PRICE
Original Pick: Jered Weaver
Pick after finalists were revealed: Jered Weaver
Thoughts On David Price Winning
My original pick for the American League Cy Young award was Jered Weaver, and it remained the same after the finalists were revealed last week. With that said, I’m thrilled that David Price won the award.
As stated in a previous blog post, while I was still rooting for Weaver to win, I wouldn’t have been upset with any of the three candidates winning 
the award. They were all so close statistically that it was hard to pick a winner, because no one candidate really stood above the rest.
The voters seemed to agree, as David Price pulled out the win by a mere 4 points–the closest AL Cy Young vote since 1969.
David Price becomes the first pitcher in Rays’ franchise history to win the Cy Young award, and is certainly deserving of the honor.
Going 20-5 with 205 strikeouts in 211 innings pitched, to go along with a 2.56 ERA, Price had the best year of his career thus far, and is quickly making a case as one of the most dominant pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.
And if this year is any indication, Price (age 27) could be in the running for Cy Young for many years to come.
The BBWAA’s vote had Justin Verlander finishing second, with Jered Weaver coming in third.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CY YOUNG: R.A. DICKEY
Original Pick: Clayton Kershaw
Pick after finalists were revealed: Clayton Kershaw
Thoughts On R.A. Dickey Winning
I had Clayton Kershaw winning the award, but as with the American League portion, I would’ve been happy with any of the three candidates winning; so I’m happy for R.A. Dickey. He was extremely deserving, and it couldn’t have happened to a better guy.
R.A. Dickey was a completely different pitcher this season and really shocked a lot of the baseball world with the type of numbers he was able to post.
Going 20-6 with 230 strikeouts in 233.2 innings pitched, to go along with a 2.73 ERA, Dickey had the best year of his career, in 2012.
Unlike with the AL Cy Young–which had a 4-point difference between the 1st and 2nd place winners–the National League Cy Young voting wasn’t even close, as Dickey beat out Clayton Kershaw by a staggering 113 points; pulling in 27 of the 32 first place votes–finishing no lower than second on every voters’ ballot.
Dickey becomes the Mets’ first 20-game winner since 1990, and the first knuckleball pitcher to EVER win the award. Not bad for a 37-year old pitcher who was considered a bust by many just a few years ago. What a difference a few seasons can make.
The BBWAA’s vote had Clayton Kershaw finishing second, with Gio Gonzalez coming in third.
My Vote for National League Rookie of the Year
This is the fourth and final blog post in a series of blogs that I’ve been publishing since Tuesday; all of which have focused on who I feel should win the three major awards of Most Valuable Player (MVP), Cy Young and Rookie of the Year (ROY). (If you haven’t read my posts on who I think should win the AL MVP, NL MVP, AL Cy Young and NL Cy Young, go ahead and check those out now.)
Despite the title, this post isn’t limited to who I feel most deserves the National League Rookie of the Year, as it also includes my pick for the American League portion. I didn’t include AL ROY in the title for two reasons: a) it would’ve make the title too long, and b) there’s really nothing to discuss when it comes to who most deserves the award. It’s Mike Trout, hands down.
The fact that Trout lead all American League rookies in every conceivable category is mind boggling, but what’s really incredible is that Trout was able to produce numbers that no other rookie in the history of the game has been able to. Which is why there’s no debate when it comes to this particular award. The 2012 American League Rookie of the Year will go to Mike Trout.
Moving on to the National League Rookie of the Year; where there’s a bit of a debate as to who should win.
Some say it should be Bryce Harper who wins the award, while others make the case for Todd Frazier. What’s my opinion on who should win? I’m glad you asked. Here are my thoughts on who most deserves the award, starting with Todd Frazier:
Todd Frazier came in as a replacement for the injured Joey Votto, and really impressed me with what he was able to do. Posting a .273 batting average, with 19 home runs and 67 RBI’s, Frazier was able to help out the Cincinnati Reds in a big way during what would have otherwise been a precarious situation without their superstar Votto.
While I’m not calling Frazier a superstar by any means, he was just what the Reds needed to stay alive without Votto. By putting up great stats–and subsequently helping out his team– Frazier definitely deserves to be considered for National League Rookie of the Year.
Now, moving on to Bryce Harper, who’s only been in the big leagues for 5 months, but has been in the media’s eye for what seems like forever. Coming up at the mere age of 19, Harper was on everyone’s Rookie of the Year radar since his first at-bat on April 28th; and the stats Harper was able to produce since, only add to his case.
Hitting for a .270 average, with 22 home runs and 59 RBI’s, Harper put up stats that are almost unheard of for someone of his age. Finishing just 2 home runs shy of the record for most home runs by a teenager–24 being the current record, held by Tony Conigliaro–Harper certainly turned many a head during this his rookie season.
One thing I feel keeps tracing back down to Harper is his age–being one of the main reasons people look at Harper with a twinkle in their eyes that’s not there with Frazier. But I don’t feel age should be a factor when voting for ROY. If Harper was, say, a 21 year old rookie, would people be putting him on such a high pedestal? Probably not.
But that doesn’t change the fact that Harper sent the jaws of onlookers (teamates and fans alike) sailing to the ground everytime he did something impressive during the season–which seemed to be every other night. Which is why he’s got a great chance at winning the National League Rookie of the Year.
Both Harper and Frazier are two great candidates, but neither is my pick for NL ROY. (Bet you didn’t see that coming.) No, I’m going with a guy that flew completely under the radar, and yet, put up better stats than both Harper and Frazier. That player being Wilin Rosario.
Some of you might be thinking to yourselfs, “Wilin who?!”; and that wouldn’t be entirely your fault. Rosario hasn’t received the media attention that Todd Frazier and hyped up phenom Bryce Harper have received–partly due to the fact that both Harper and Frazier played on winning teams, while Rosario did not. (Rosario was stuck on a Colorado Rockies team that finished the year last in their division, with a record of 64-98.)
Now, before you go calling me crazy for saying that Rosario deserves the ROY more than any other player in the league, take a second to look at the stats of Rosario and you’ll see what an incredible rookie season he was able to string together:
The one thing that really jumps out at me is the fact that Wilin Rosario was able to smack 6 more home runs than Bryce Harper–as well as 12 more RBI’s–in 137 fewer at-bats. And taking a look at Todd Frazier, it’s more of the same; as Rosario blasted 9 more home runs and 4 more RBI’s in 28 fewer at-bats. Yet all the media can seem to talk about is Harper; with the occasional mention of Frazier. How about giving Wilin Rosario some air time? He deserves to be mentioned in the conversation.
Wilin Rosario led all National League rookies in home runs, RBI’s and slugging percentage, and nevertheless probably won’t receive the votes needed to win the award. But that doesn’t change the way I feel about Rosario’s incredible season.
Which is why Wilin Rosario is my pick for the 2012 National League Rookie of the Year.
Do you agree or disagree with me?
As always, feel free to leave a comment below.
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As stated, this was the final awards related blog entry I plan to post until the winners are announced next month. Here’s a quick recap of my pick for each award:
American League M.V.P.: Mike Trout
National League M.V.P.: Ryan Braun
American League Cy Young: Jered Weaver
National League Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw
American League Rookie of the Year: Mike Trout
National League Rookie of the Year: Wilin Rosario
Even if you don’t agree with any of my picks, I appreciate you taking the time to read what I had to say over the past week. Whether you’re a frequent reader, or just happened to stumble across this post through a Google search, I appreciate you all the same.
Thank you.
Matt Huddleston
