AND THE WINNER IS....NL
Now onto the National League.
A really tough call this year because there were three deserving pitchers . The winner is Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals. He led the league in wins (19), games started, and innings pitched. His 212 strikeouts were fourth as was his 2.63 ERA.
Last year's winner, Tim Lincecum, was dominant again - 15 wins, 261 K's and 2.48 ERA. There would be no argument if he won again.
Honorable Mention goes to 2005 award winner and Wainwright teammate Chris Carpenter who came back from serious arm injuries that limited him to 5 games in 2007 and 2008. Carpenter led the league in ERA and had a sparkling 17-4 record.
MVP
This award begins and ends with first basemen. Another Cardinal is MVP.
No one is more feared as a hitter than Albert Pujols. A typical season for him is a career year for most others. This year was no exception - he walked 116 times and struck out only 64 in 700 plate appearances. His career averages are 42 HR, 129 RBI and a .334 average. This year he led the league with 47 HR's, was second with 135 RBI and third in hitting at .327. No one is more deserving than Albert Pujols.
Honorable Mention goes to Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers. He was second in HR (46), and first in RBI (141). He combined with Ryan Braun to drive in more than 33% of the team's run total.
Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins in another tough decision. Not only did he hit .321 good for fourth in the league but had a remarkable second half of the season. After the All-Star game, he tallied 113 hits, 3rd best all-time.
Honorable Mention is another Brewer, Casey McGehee. Picked up from the scrap heap in the off season, McGehee did not even become a regular until after Rickie Weeks went down in mid-May. Still he ended up hitting .301 with 16 HR and 66 RBI.
Manager of the Year
There really is no other choice than the Rockies Jim Tracy. When he took over the team on May 27th, the club was 18-28. They went 74-42 the rest of the year and went into the final series of the season against the Dodgers with a chance at winning the division.
Honorable Mention goes to another West Division team. Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants guided a hitting challenged team to an 88-74 record. The Giants rotation of Tim Lincecum. Matt Cain, Barry Zito, Jonathan Sanchez and in September, Brad Penny was as good as it gets. If they had hit better (.255 Avg, 122 HR, .699 OPS) they might still be playing.
Leave a comment