2014 BBA awards ballot part 2 -- American League

Here are my Baseball Bloggers Alliance awards picks:

Goose Gossage Award - Reliever of the Year (American League) 
1. Greg Holland, Kansas City Royals
2. Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles
3. Dellin Betances, New York Yankees

Walter Johnson Award - Pitcher of the Year (American League)
1. Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians
2. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
3. Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox
4. David Price, Tampa Bay Rays/Detroit Tigers
5. Phil Hughes, Minnesota Twins

Stan Musial Award - MVP (American League)
1. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians
3. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
4. Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners
5. VIctor Martinez, Detroit Tigers
6. Nelson Cruz, Baltimore Orioles

7. Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox

8. Josh Donaldson, Oakland Athletics

9. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

10. Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals

2014 BBA awards ballot part 1 - American League

Squawker Jon and I are members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance and we get the opportunity to vote on the group's end-of-season awards. Today, I am casting my ballot for the top rookie and top manager in the American League.

Willie Mays Award - Top Rookie (American League)
1. Jose Abreu -- Chicago White Sox (a player Brian Cashman should have gone after)
2. Masahiro Tanaka -- New York Yankees (may have been No. 1 if he hadn't gotten hurt)
3. Dellin Betances -- New York Yankees (one of the few things to look forward to in Yankeeland)

2014 Connie Mack Award - Top Manager (American League)
1. Buck Showalter -- Baltimore Orioles (Was always great at strategy; now is a great motivator of people. Was able to change with the times and relate to younger generation. Orioles are now team to beat in AL East. Yikes!
2. Ned Yost -- Kansas City Royals (Not a perfect manager, but got Royals to first postseason since I was in high school!)
3. Lloyd McClendon -- Seattle Mariners (Thanks to McClendon and Robinson Cano, the Mariners are relevant for the first time in over a decade.)

My All-Star Picks -- Or, Why I Voted for Four Yankees, Two Mets, and Zero Red Sox

So, I did my 25 All-Star votes online last night, just before the deadline. Here's who I voted for:

American League:

1B - Teixeira, Mark

2B - Cano, Robinson
SS - Cabrera, Asdrubal
3B - Rodriguez, Alex
C - Avila, Alex
DH - Young, Michael and Hafner, Travis (I voted some votes for each)
OF - Bautista, Jose
OF - Cruz, Nelson
OF - Granderson, Curtis

I got some grief on Facebook last night from Boston fans for choosing Mark Teixeira over Adrian Gonzalez. Sorry, I am not going to vote for Red Sox. Yes, I am biased that way. Same with David Ortiz -- he will not get my vote. I will root for the Sox as part of the All-Star Game that night, but that's as far as it goes!

Note that I voted for Alex Avila over Russell Martin for catcher. As much as I like Russell -- he's one of my favorite players this year, and I dig that one of his middle names is "Coltrane"! -- this was an easy choice, as Avila beats him in almost every category.

And no, I did not vote for Derek Jeter. Sorry, there is no justification for picking him for the All-Star team this year. After 2010 was the worst season of his career, he is having an even worse 2011. The flip play, and Mr. November, and the rings, and the dive into the stands should have nothing to do with making an All-Star ballot pick for this year.

National League:

1B - Fielder, Prince
2B - Weeks, Rickie
SS - Reyes, Jose
3B - Ramirez, Aramis
C - McCann, Brian
OF - Beltran, Carlos
OF - Braun, Ryan
OF - Kemp, Matt

On the other hand, Reyes highly deserves an All-Star starting slot. I gave Carlos Beltran my vote, too, something even Met fan Squawker Jon did not do!

I could have voted for Lance Berkman, but I didn't. It ticks me off that he didn't get into shape until it was time for a new contract. No wonder some people in Houston are peeved.

And please note that this is the first All-Star Game since 2007 that I did not vote for Yadier Molina for catcher. Four years of giving Squawker Jon the what-for on that was enough!

Who did you vote for in the All-Star Game? Tell us about it!

My Hall of Fame picks -- and why I voted for Mark McGwire but not Rafael Palmeiro

Squawker Jon and I, as part of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, made our own Hall of Fame votes last week for the organization. And the BBA membership as as a whole picked Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven, the same results as the Baseball Writers of America's official vote.

Anyhow, here are my picks, in alphabetical order:

Roberto Alomar
Jeff Bagwell
Bert Blyleven
Barry Larkin
Edgar Martinez
Mark McGwire
Jack Morris
Alan Trammell

There was a whole to-do in the news recently about whether the BBWAA will elect players connected to, or suspected of, using steroids. I had no problem voting for admitted steroid user Mark McGwire or suspected juicer Jeff Bagwell, but I drew the line at Rafael Palmeiro. Telling Congress you never used steroids, complete with all that finger-wagging, and then testing positive will do that for you. Plus, this is an inexact science, but while McGwire and Bagwell were considered among the greatest players of their era, Palmeiro never really was.

My own opinion is that I won't rule somebody out just for using steroids, unless it's the only reason for their success. I can't see the point of a future Hall of Fame without an A-Rod, or a Barry Bonds, or a Manny Ramirez -- they were all superstar players before they ever touched anything. Unlike, say, a future catcher drafted in the 62nd round as a favor to his godfather (sorry, Squawker Jon!) At the same time, I can understand why some BBWAA writers feel differently.

But here's the thing. There was such a media firestorm recently over the idea of BBWAA voters not voting for Jeff Bagwell because they suspected him of being chemically enhanced. I think an even bigger issue is going to be when it is revealed that voters picked at least one person for the Hall who did steroids. According to Jose Canseco, who has never been wrong on this, it already has happened. And it could happen again in the future. Then what happens?

What do you think? Tell us about it!

Celebrating the Baseball Bloggers Alliance

December 10 is Baseball Bloggers Alliance day, and Subway Squawkers is pleased to be part of this rapidly growing group. The BBA was started in 2009 by Cardinals blogger Daniel Shoptaw and has since grown to around 240 blogs from all around the country. The Mets have the biggest chapter, with 19 blogs (take that, Squawker Lisa!). There are 12 Yankee blogs. (Subway Squawkers is counted in both lists.)

The BBA gives out its own set of postseason awards, and has secured naming rights from several living legends for some of them. The Willie Mays Award goes to the top rookie in each league. The Stan Musial Award goes to the most valuable player in each league. The Goose Gossage Award goes to the top relievers. Other awards are named after Walter Johnson (starting pitcher) and Connie Mack (manager). Each league's awards are voted on by blogs in that league. Lisa cast Subway Squawkers' AL votes while I took care of the NL votes.

Squawker Lisa and I appeared on the BBA's podcast on December 7, which was hosted by Steve Keane of The Eddie Kranepool Society. We had a great time talking with Steve. We also enjoyed our appearance on the BBA podcast of November 10 with Matt Seybold of The Sporting Hippeaux.

If you want to know more about the BBA, check out this interview with founder Shoptaw.

If you are a baseball blogger interested in joining the BBA, send an email to founder@baseballbloggersalliance.com. It's free to join, with the main requirements being that you have an active blog and participate in the awards voting. For more membership details, check out the BBA Constitution.

How my Baseball Bloggers Alliance NL awards picks stacked up

So far, two of my three choices for NL awards have come through, and the third one lost by only one vote.

For best NL starting pitcher, I had Roy Oswalt higher and Tim Hudson lower. Oswalt's 13-13 record, despite his other strong stats, apparently didn't go over as well as Felix Hernandez' 13-12.

Jon's vote
1. Roy Halladay, Phillies
2. Adam Wainwright, Cardinals
3. Roy Oswalt, Astros/Phillies
4. Josh Johnson, Marlins
5. Ubaldo Jiminez, Rockies

Baseball Bloggers Alliance Walter Johnson Award
Roy Halladay, Philadelphia (19) 133
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis 66
Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado 52
Josh Johnson, Florida 43
Tim Hudson, Atlanta 16
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco 7

Cy Young (Baseball Writers Association of America)
Roy Halladay 224.0
Adam Wainwright 122.0
Ubaldo Jimenez 90.0
Tim Hudson 39.0
Josh Johnson 24.0
Roy Oswalt 14.0

For Manager of the Year, I went for Dusty Baker, while the BBA and BBWAA both choice Bud Black. But it was a very close vote, with Black winning the BBA vote by two and the BBWAA vote by just one. I picked Baker over Black because Baker won his division while Black's Padres fell short.

While San Diego did exceed expectations this year after a 75-win 2009, so did Cincinnati. The Reds won 78 games in 2009. Take note, 79-win Mets!

Jon's vote:
1. Dusty Baker, Reds
2. Bud Black, Padres
3. Bobby Cox, Braves

BBA Connie Mack Award
Bud Black, San Diego (9) 53
Dusty Baker, Cincinnati (7) 51
Bobby Cox, Atlanta (2) 33
Bruce Bochy, San Francisco (3) 29
Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia (1) 27

BBWAA NL Manager of the Year
Bud Black, 104.0
Dusty Baker, 103.0
Bruce Bochy, 30.0
Bobby Cox, 28.0
Charlie Manuel, 20.0

The rookie vote was supposed to be a battle between Buster Posey and Jason Heyward, but everyone ended up picking the same top three.

That is, except for the NL New York BBA chapter, which picked Ike Davis third. Sorry Ike, I couldn't put you ahead of Garcia, who was one of the better pitchers in the league much of the year, but I'm glad to see you finished in the top five in the BBA and top seven in the BBWAA vote.

Jon's vote
1. Buster Posey
2. Jason Heyward
3. Jaime Garcia

BBA Willie Mays Award
Buster Posey, San Francisco (15) 103
Jason Heyward, Atlanta (10) 86
Jaime Garcia, St. Louis 20
Starlin Castro, Chicago 7
Ike Davis, New York 7
Gaby Sanchez, Florida (1) 6

BBWAA Rookie of the Year
Buster Posey 129.0
Jason Heyward, 107.0
Jaime Garcia 24.0
Gaby Sanchez 18.0
Starlin Castro 3.0
Neil Walker, 3.0
Ike Davis, 2.0

My BBA awards picks for AL Cy Young, or why I didn't give a first place vote to King Felix (or CC)

There's a whole to-do over the fact that New York Post writer George King voted AL Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez fifth on his ballot, and put CC Sabathia first. Now, I didn't vote King Felix fifth, but he did not get a first-place vote from me in my Baseball Bloggers Alliance ballot for the Walter Johnson Award (equivalent to the AL Cy Young Award). Here was my ballot -- we voted for five picks:

1, David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
2. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
3. C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees
4. Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox
5. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

Here's why I voted the way I did -- unlike Hernandez, Price actually pitched in pressure-packed, meaningful games in a pennant race, facing tougher competition in the most competitive division in baseball. That should count for something. After all, if we judge the MVP race by such standards, the same should go for the pitchers. (Yes, yes, I know that people will say that it's because of the names of the respective BBWAA awards -- Cy Young Award vs. Most Valuable Player. Well, Cy Young is known for having the most wins in baseball history, but wins are discounted more and more in these awards, despite the name!)

Hernandez got his recognition in the second-place vote for his great season. And as much I love CC, I couldn't bring himself to give him a first or second place vote, especially since Price outdueled him several times.

Tampa Bay Rays beat writer Tony Fabrizio had the same top three as me, and explained himself in a recent piece:

I thought he had the best combination of wins, winning percentage, ERA and a wide variety of other measurables when also factoring in the significance of his contributions.

Anyhow, my fellow Yankee cohorts in our local BBA chapter voted this way in the race:

1st place: CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
2nd place: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
3rd place: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
4th place: Cliff Lee, Texas Rangers
5th place: Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance as a whole voted like this for our AL Pitcher of the Year:


Felix Hernandez, Seattle (18) 137
CC Sabathia, New York (3) 62
David Price, Tampa Bay (1) 57
Cliff Lee, Seattle/Texas 41
Jered Weaver, Los Angeles 22
Jon Lester, Boston 18
Clay Buchholz, Boston 14
Francisco Liriano, Minnesota 13
Trevor Cahill, Oakland 5
Justin Verlander, Detroit 5


And here's how the BBWAA made their choice for the AL Cy Young winner:

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners    
David Price, Tampa Bay Rays    
CC Sabathia, New York Yankees    
Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox            
Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim        
Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox            
Cliff Lee, Seattle Mariners/Texas Rangers            
Rafael Soriano, Tampa Bay Rays                
Trevor Cahill, Oakland Athletics                
Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals                
Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins                    
Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers    

What do you think? Tell us about it!

My awards picks for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance for AL Rookie of the Year

I voted on behalf of Subway Squawkers in the Baseball Bloggers Alliance's Willie Mays Award (equivalent to Rookie of the Year) for the American League. Here were my picks:

1. Neftali Perez, Texas Rangers
2. Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers
3. Wade Davis, Tampa Bay Rays

The Yankees chapter of the BBA voted like this:

1st Place: Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
2nd Place: Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers
3rd Place: Danny Valencia, Minnesota Twins

The BBA as a whole chose these candidates:

1. Neftali Feliz, Texas (18) 102
2. Austin Jackson, Detroit (6) 78
3. Danny Valencia, Minnesota 16
4. Brian Matusz, Baltimore (1) 12
5. Brennan Boesch, Detroit 11
6. Wade Davis, Tampa Bay 3
7. John Jaso, Tampa Bay 3

So, how do these votes stack up with who the Baseball Writers Association chose for AL Rookie of the Year? Here's who they chose. The top three picks were identical, and the other four were the same names the BBA picked, albeit in a different order:

1. Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
2. Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers
3. Danny Valencia, Minnesota Twins
4. Wade Davis, Tampa Bay Rays
5. John Jaso, Tampa Bay Rays
6. Brennan Boesch, Detroit Tigers
7. Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles

What do you think? Tell us about it!

My awards picks for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance for AL Manager of the Year

Subway Squawkers is part of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, and for the second year, we voted our own version of end-of season awards. Here were my picks for the BBA's Connie Mack Award (Manager of the Year) for the American League, and how my picks stacked up against the rest of the BBA, as well as the Baseball Writers Association of America's official awards:

My choices:
1. Ron Washington, Texas Rangers
2. Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins
3. Terry Francona, Boston Red Sox

I thought Washington did a great job with a team that was beset by bankruptcy and a team sale. Not only that, but given Washington's revelation that he failed a drug test, it could have been easy for him to lose control of the team. But he didn't. Thus, he deserved to win the award.

As for my other two choices, Gardenhire guided an injury-ridden team to the playoffs, and Francona kept his own injury-ridden team in the hunt until September.

My votes were identical to the New York Yankees Baseball Bloggers Alliance Chapter'schoices:

1st Place: Ron Washington, Texas Rangers – 26 points
2nd Place: Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins – 24 points
3rd Place: Terry Francona, Boston Red Sox – 20 points

Please note that even a Yankee-based chapter had enough respect for what Terry Francona did with Boston to pick him third.

As a whole, the BBA voted the following choices for our Connie Mack Award:

1. Ron Washington, Texas (10) 74
2. Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota (7) 67
3. Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay (4) 35
4. Terry Francona, Boston (3) 20
5. Cito Gaston, Toronto 9
6. Buck Showalter, Baltimore 9
7. Joe Girardi, New York 2

However, the Baseball Writers Association of America saw things a little differently, making the following picks:

1. Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins
2. Ron Washington, Texas Rangers
3. Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays

Terry Francona finished fourth in the BBA voting, with Cito Gaston of the Toronto Blue Jays fifth, and Joe Girardi sixth.

What would be your choices? Tell us about it!

My AL Manager of the Year picks

Squawker Jon and I are members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. As part of our responsibilities with the group, we will be voting on regular-season award winners. Here's my ballot for the Connie Mack Award (AL Manager of the Year Award). I made my choices in my mind at the end of the season, and playoff performances have nothing to do with my picks:

1. Ron Washington, Texas Rangers: Washington's spring started out with his admission that he had tested positive for cocaine in an MLB drug test. The team went through a chaotic bankruptcy and sale. And Josh Hamilton was hurt for the last month of the season. Through all that trauma, Washington defied the experts, and led his team to its first AL West  title in a decade.

2. Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins: Gardenhire got his team yet another AL Central title, despite the loss of closer Joe Nathan for the season, and star Justin Morneau for most of the second half of the year. Oh, and superstar Joe Mauer only hit one homer in Target Field all year. No matter.

3. Terry Francona, Boston Red Sox: GM Theo Epstein basically dashed playoff hopes this winter, calling this a "bridge year." And then half the team got injured -- or so it seemed.  Yet Francona kept the Red Sox in the race until September. He deserves credit for that.


What do you think?  Tell us about it.

The Squawkers vote for our All-Star Game picks

Squawker Jon and I are part of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. This year, the BBA is making All-Star Game ballot picks, so we did picks for them to be included with the group.

I voted for the American League; Jon did the National League. So no, I won't get to do my annual Yadier Molina All-Star ballot vote that I do just to tick off Squawker Jon!

Jon and I both looked at the numbers and picked the best candidates, regardless of team affiliation - there are only two Yankees and two Mets on our ballots. And yes, I even voted for a Red Sox player!

Without further ado, here are our picks:

Lisa's American League All-Star Ballot

Catcher: Victor Martinez
First: Miguel Cabrera
Second: Robinson Cano
Third: Evan Longoria
Shortstop: Derek Jeter
Outfield: Josh Hamilton, Ichiro Suzuki, Carl Crawford
DH: Vladimir Guerrero
Starting Pitcher: David Price

Jon's National League All-Star Ballot

Catcher: Miguel Olivo
First: Adrian Gonzalez
Second: Brandon Phillips
Third: David Wright
Short: Jose Reyes
Outfield: Andre Ethier, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart
Starting Pitcher: Ubaldo Jimenez


What do you think? Tell us about it!

It's time for our 2010 baseball season predictions

Squawker Jon and I are members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, and we were asked to vote on their Official BBA 2010 Predictions poll, to prognosticate what would happen this season.

The big news about these awards is that there is an award for best reliever named after Rich (Goose) Goosage. Very cool!

The BBA will release the results of this preseason poll soon, but in the  meantime, here's a look at what we predicted for the season. I did the AL predictions, Jon did the NL predictions, and we both agreed on the World Series winners' pick. Which is to say, I pointed out that I would be right, and Jon shook his head and gave a sad look, the way most Mets fans do when they think about the Yankees.

But Red Sox fans will be happy - and Yankee fans will be shocked - when they see one of my awards picks. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Anyhow, here's our ballot:

Official BBA 2010 Predictions


Regular Season

AL East Standings

New York 
Boston
Tampa Bay
Baltimore
Toronto

AL Central Standings
Detroit
Minnesota
Chicago
Kansas City
Cleveland

AL West Standings

Los Angeles of Anaheim
Seattle
Texas
Oakland

NL East Standings

Philadelphia
Atlanta
New York
Florida
Washington

NL Central Standings

St. Louis
Chicago 
Milwaukee
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Houston

NL West Standings

Colorado
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Arizona
San Diego

Postseason

AL Champ: New York Yankees

NL Champ: Colorado Rockies

WS Champ: New York Yankees

Awards (due to trademark/copyright reasons, the titles for most of these are different than the ones the BBWAA uses)

Top AL Rookie: Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers

Top NL Rookie: Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves

Top AL Manager: Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers

Top NL Manager: Bobby Cox, Atlanta Braves

Top AL Starter: CC Sabathia, New York Yankees

Top NL Starter: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies

Top AL Reliever (Goose Gossage Award - AL): Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox

Top NL Reliever: (Goose Gossage Award - AL): Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees

NL MVP: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies

What do you think? Tell us about it!

The battle over Jay-Z, and an interview with a Squawker

A few quick links here, as I work on my World Series predictions. I wrote a piece for The Faster Times about how Jay-Z is the most popular musician in both the Yankees and the Phillies dugouts. And the rapper, who will be performing before Game 2, even made his World Series prediction. Take a look.

And fellow Baseball Bloggers Alliance member Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley interviewed me on my thoughts about the series. Check it out.

Lisa's Baseball Bloggers Alliance AL Rookie of the Year picks

I  did a Baseball Bloggers Alliance ballot for the AL  Rookie of the Year. Here are my picks:

1. Andrew Bailey, Relief Pitcher, Oakland Athletics: This rookie closer is something else - 26 saves, 6-3 record, a 1.84 ERA, and 91 strikeouts. Too bad he plays for Oakland and has a generic name - he should be as famous as Joba.


2. Rick Porcello, Starting Pitcher, Detroit Tigers: He got off to a rough start, with a 1-3,  6.23 ERA, but Porcello quickly improved, and he ended up with a 14-9 record, with a 3.96 ERA. Helped the Tigers in their playoff run.

3. Elvis Andrus, Shortstop, Texas Rangers: Elvis is everywhere - on the field with his great defense. His hitting  -.267 BA, 6 HR,  40 RBI - is good as well.


What do you think? Leave us a comment!

Baseball Blogger Alliance Ballot for NL Rookie of the Year

As a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, I got a vote in some of their NL awards. Here's my ballot for Rookie of the Year. These awards are for the regular season only, not the playoffs.

1. Tommy Hanson, Braves

It was a tight race between Hanson and Philadelphia's J.A. Happ for the top spot. In 21 starts, Hanson went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA. In 23 starts, Happ went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA. Both pitchers finished in the top ten in ERA. And both compiled these stats for contending teams in a pennant race.

But in other stats, Hanson's advantage is clear. Hanson outdoes Happ in WHIP: 1.18 to 1.23, K/BB: 2.52-2.13 and K/9: 8.18-6.45.

Bad news for the Mets: Hanson projects to be a future ace for the division rival Braves.

2. J.A. Happ, Phillies

Happ's home games were at Citizens Bank Park, which could have affected his stats. Happ had a big home/road split: 4.18 with a 1.44 WHIP at home and 1.99 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP on the road.

But according to baseballreference.com, Happ's ERA+, which is adjusted to the player's ballpark, was 146, not much different than Hanson's 144.

Happ also might have been lucky on the road, where he had a BABIP of .238, compared to .315 at home.

Overall, Happ's rookie year was certainly comparable to Hanson's, but fangraphs.com computes a sizable difference in WAR (wins above replacement). Hanson's WAR is 2.6, which converts to a dollar value of $11.7, while Happ's WAR is 1.8 which converts to $8.0.

3. Chris Coghlan, Marlins

Coghlan led the National League in batting after the All-Star break with a .372 average. He also led the NL in hits after the break with 113. Overall, Coghlan hit .321, good for eighth in the league.

Honorable Mention

Casey McGehee, Brewers

McGehee led all MLB rookies with 66 RBI to go along with 16 homers and a .301 BA.

Garrett Jones, Pirates

Jones led all MLB rookies with 21 homers in only 314 AB. He hit .293 with a 9.38 OPS.

Baseball Blogger Alliance ballot for NL Manager of the Year

As a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, I got a vote in their NL awards. Here's my ballot for Manager of the Year. These awards are for the regular season only, not the playoffs.

1. Jim Tracy, Rockies

Tracy took over a team that was 18-28 and with largely the same players went 74-42 the rest of the way. Colorado remained in the race for the NL West title until the next-to-last day of the regular season and ended up winning the wild card.

2. Tony LaRussa, Cardinals

The Cardinals greatly exceeded most preseason projections to win the NL Central by 7 1/2 games.

3. Fredi Gonzalez, Marlins

Gonzalez won 87 games with a team that had a $35M payroll. The 70-win Mets spent more than that for players on the DL and still ended up paying their healthy players more than 2 1/2 times as much as what Florida paid their whole team.

My Baseball Bloggers Alliance ballot for AL Manager of the Year

As a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, I got a "vote" in their AL awards. Here's my ballot for Manager of the Year. Keep in mind that I'm looking at regular season only; not the playoffs.

1. Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins: Early last month, the Twins, a team with only two stars - batting title winner Joe Mauer and 2006 MVP Justin Morneau, lost half that firepower, as Morneau got injured. The Twins looked dead, as they trailed the Tigers by as much as seven games. But the Twins heated up, and  made it a pennant race in the AL Central. Then, after a great September, Minnesota tailed off, and were three games back with four games to play. They seemed dead, yet Gardenhire didn't let them give up. Somehow, the Twins stayed in the race, tied the Tigers, and then won the AL Central in one of the most exciting one-game playoffs ever. Gardenhire deserves a ton of credit for guiding his team to this miracle. He even helped make Carl Pavano a big-game pitcher (Pavano pitched - and won - the regular season finale.) No other manager could have gotten the Twins to the playoffs.

2. Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: The manager did a good job guiding his team to the AL West with a depleted team - they lost closer Francisco Rodriguez , first baseman Mark Teixeira, and outfielder Garret Anderson to free agency. They were decimated by a number of injuries this year, including ones to Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero. Worst of all, the team had to contend with the tragic death of pitcher Nick Adenhart. They could easily have given up. But remembering Adenhart became a rallying cry for the Angels, as the team battled on. Scioscia kept the team focused on tomorrow, despite having to face so much adversity, as they held off  the  Texas Rangers.

3. Joe Girardi, New York Yankees: Some might say that no one with a $200 million payroll should be considered for Manager of the Year. But Girardi deserves credit for reinventing the Yankees. After a shaky 2008, the guy with the military-style haircut let these players' freak flags fly, instead of making them follow the so-called "Yankee Way." And he managed the bullpen in such a way as to arguably make it the best one in baseball. He also was willing to change and grow in the job. This team could easily have gone off the rails and been the same old mercenary Yankees, but Girardi made them into a band of brothers. Given the enormous pressure Girardi faced - his head would have been on the chopping block if the Yanks hadn't won - he needs to be recognized  for the great job he did.


What do you think? Tell us about it!

An interview with a Squawker: Some predictions for the playoffs

Squawker Jon and I recently got involved with the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, a group of fellow baseball bloggers. BBA organizer C70 at the Bat is a huge fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. And, as part of his Playing Pepper series, he interviewed several bloggers for each playoff team about their hopes for the postseason.

For the Yankees, he talked with LenNy's Yankees and myself about what we thought about the Bombers. Check out the interview. And check out C70's and LenNy's blogs as well. Thanks, C70, for giving me the opportunity to squawk about the Yanks!