| 2011 MLB Awards: My Predictions |
| By Sally Haase September 26, 2011 The end of the Major League Baseball season is upon us, the division winners are all set. Congratulations to the Yankees, Tigers, Rangers, Phillies, Brewers, and Diamondbacks. The wild card winners are still waiting to be crowned but as of Monday, the Braves and Red Sox are leading the wild card standings. Now comes the time for the awards of the baseball season. Here is who I think could take away the awards. American League Rookie of the Year: Ivan Nova, New York Yankees. The Yankees did not have the strong starting rotation that they have had in previous years. A.J. Burnett’s self destruction was painful to watch. CC was dominant as usual and Nova was a rock in his rookie season playing under the watchful eye of the New York media. His record is 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA which is a little high but when you pitch for a run scoring team like the Yankees the higher ERA can still equal wins. Manager of the Year: Manny Acta, Cleveland Indians. OK, raise your hand if you thought the Indians were going to be contenders this season. That’s what I thought. The Acta led Indians put up a great charge this season competing with the Tigers for first place all season. And Acta led the tribe through injuries to Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner and they look to hold on to a second place finish in the AL central. MVP: Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees. This has to be the toughest category to predict. There are plenty of worth contenders, Justin Verlander, Robinson Cano, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, and Jose Bautista. With many possibilities from the same teams, it is possible that the Yankees and Red Sox could split the vote and Verlander or Bautista could emerge victorious. But I’m going with Granderson who has been the driving force in the Yankees offense, smacking 41 home runs and driving in 119 RBI and don’t forget about the human highlight reel in center field. CY Young: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers, Duh! The man is unreal, two near no-hitters this season and one no-hitter. Could end the season as a 25 game winner. No more explanation necessary. National League Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves. Kimbrel is a rookie closer on a playoff contenting team and he has not shown any cracks in the armor. Currently Kimbrel has 46 saves and an ERA of 2.00; better than most veteran closers in the league. Manager of the Year: Kirk Gibson, Arizona Diamondbacks. Much like the situation with Acta, most people did not expect the Diamondbacks to compete let alone win the division. But Gibson has turned the team around; he has done a great job with his young talent. MVP: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers. Matt Kemp had a great season; Albert Pujols still managed to hit over 30 home runs in an injury plagued season, Joey Votto put up good numbers, but not like last season. Braun is the man; he is the unsung hero of the Brewers who has put up some of the best numbers in the league. He can hit for average at .333, power (33 home runs) and he drives in runs at 110 RBI. CY Young: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies. My only repeat winner from last season. Halladay has some strong competition from the Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw and his own teammates (Hi Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels) but I think Halladay will pull off the repeat. He is the definition of a work horse, the numbers are always there (220 strikeouts this season, 19-6 record) but it is his work ethic that stands out. If manager Charlie Manuel asked Halladay to just go give him six strong innings, Halladay would give him nine shutout innings. And let’s not forget that Halladay pitched a no- hitter in the playoffs last season, hopefully that is counted with this year’s numbers. |
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