The MLB Comeback Player of the Year Awards have already been won by Francisco Liriano and Tim Hudson.
We already had a lengthy discussion a few weeks back about Rookie of the Year. Well, some of the regular-season awards have been announced so I figured it was a good time to bring this back up again.
The Sporting News gives out its awards based on voting by baseball players, coaches, and managers. It is the "peer" award as opposed to the official MLB awards that are given out following voting by journalists. I am not sure which should be considered more legit.
Anyway, as for the hotly contested Rookie of the Year award, Jason Heyward of the Braves won it in the NL while Austin Jackson of the tigers was the AL winner. Among the other winners--
Player of the Year -Josh Hamilton
AL Pitcher of the Year - Felix
NL Pitcher of the Year - Doc Haaliday
AL Manager- Ron Gardenhire
NL Manager - Bud Black
AL Comeback Player- Vlad
NL comeback Player - Tim Hudson
--Jason " as we get more official awards, we can compile them here" Evans
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
The MLB Comeback Player of the Year Awards have already been won by Francisco Liriano and Tim Hudson.
I have to say that as a Yankee fan and a Derek Jeter admirer, I think it's ridiculous that he keeps winning gold gloves for his defense at short.
But at the same time, it's always a delight to see the outrage that the annual GG vote creates among the Yankee haters -- especially ex-Red Sox executive Rob Neyer. It's telling that he "doesn't get" Mark Texeira at first, even though Bill James -- the guru of the modern sabremeticians -- rates Tex as the best defensive first baseman in baseball.
But beyond the Yankee love and Yankee hate, I think the vote -- by the managers, remember, not the media -- offers an interesting window on our baseball knowledge.
Jeter does not make errors -- he usually has the best fielding percentage among AL shortstops (and did again this year). He also turns double players at an exceptional rate for shortstops (he's been first or second in expected DPs for the last few years).
Against that, his range factors are among the lowest in baseball. He doesn't get to as many balls as the average major league shortstop -- but the balls he gets to, he handles correctly.
It's pretty obvious that the managers value his dependabilitly over the range of his competitors. Are they right?
I honestly don't know. I've seen the modern fielding stats and I know there are some serious sabremeticians (including Neyer) who have raised questions about the value and accuracy of such metrics as RZR, +/- and the even more complicated stuff (OOZ and the like).
I believe I'm open to new stats -- I believe the superior value of OBP and OPS have been amply confirmed as directly related to runs scored. I'm not sure any of the new defensive stats have that kind of confirmation.
To get back to Jeter, I agree that some Yankee fans deify the guy and can't understand his defensive limitations. But there are an equal number -- even more -- Yankee haters who demonize the guy and don't understand his defensive strengths.
He's NOT a great defensive shortstop. But he's not as bad as the haters would have you believe. Until we understand the proper relationship between range (where he's bad), double-play rate (where he's excellent) and fielding percentage (where he is the best) we can't say exactly where Jeter rates on the defensive scale.
I think the gold glove vote shows that the majority of AL managers value what he does in the field ... that doesn't mean they are right, but it should give us pause before we dismiss their collective opinion.
I guess the other thing is that Jeter keeps winning the award because there isn't a really clear alternative. Okay, I do think Rameriz and Andrus are probably better defensively, but it's not like either of those guys is another Ozzie Smith.
Maybe. It could also mean that the AL managers spend about as much time thinking about the Gold Gloves as college coaches put into the weekly coaches polls.
What would another player have to do to establish himself as a clear alternative? Ramirez and Andrus easily pass the eye test (yeah, I know).I guess the other thing is that Jeter keeps winning the award because there isn't a really clear alternative. Okay, I do think Rameriz and Andrus are probably better defensively, but it's not like either of those guys is another Ozzie Smith.
Maybe it's those Broadway tickets Jeter sends out every Christmas.
Well, they could be simply too superb to overlook, like Ozzie Smith, or more recently, Omar Vizquel. I agree with you that Ramirez and Andrus would be both more deserving choices, but neither of them is wondrous defenders like those guys were. Absent that, they could become as famous as Derek Jeter.
Demented and sad, but social, right?
Buster Posey just won ROY over Jason Heyward.
Rangers closer Neftali Feliz won it in the AL.
--Jason "news just in!!" Evans
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Maybe this has been discussed previously in other threads, but does anyone have a bit of a "who cares now" kind of feeling about baseball's awards, especially those other than MVP and Cy, given how they're announced long after the season is over? I just feel like I've moved on from baseball for this year, great as it was. It's mid-football season, basketball has started, and I just can't get worked up about baseball awards when it's been over for several weeks already. I know basketball announces its awards during the playoffs, when fan excitement is at its highest, and I think football does too. Seems like another thing that baseball (read: Bud Selig) does or doesn't do that seem like such obvious missed opportunities to make moves to stimulate fan interest. Or is it just me?
Halladay takes the NL CYA, unanimously. Adam Wainwright is a near-unanimous choice for 2nd place, and Ubaldo Jimenez finished 3rd.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...s_mlb&c_id=mlb
Demented and sad, but social, right?
It appears a number of you have gotten your wish. King Felix is the AL Cy Young winner.
I'm a Yankee fan who thinks King Felix deserved it.
I'm not bothered by his low win total. When you look at his ERA and his innings pitched, it's obvious that his win total is a function of Seattle's lack of offensive firepower.
Just be you. You is enough. - K, 4/5/10, 0:13.8 to play, 60-59 Duke.
You're all jealous hypocrites. - Titus on Laettner
You see those guys? Animals. They're animals. - SIU Coach Chris Lowery, on Duke
I'm going with Votto for the NL award. But then I moved to Cincinnati and became a Reds season ticket holder this year.