Daily Baseball Update: End of Season Special

The 2012 Major League Baseball regular season has come to a close. We have seen many players and teams both overachieve and underperform. Below, I give out my awards for AL and NL MVPs, Cy Youngs, Rookies of the Year, Relievers of the Year and Managers of the Year.

AL MVP

Miguel Cabrera (Tigers): 44 HR, 139 RBI, .330 AVG, 4 SB. Born 4/18/1983 in Maracay, Venezuela (age 29).

As much as I dislike Cabrera due to his 2011 DUI, resisting arrest charge, and consistent violence-due-to-alcohol problems, he by far deserves this award. His incredible on-field contributions can't be ignored.  In winning the majors' first triple crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, he led the Tigers to a late comeback for the AL Central Championship. He did not miss a game until Aug. 26 and played in every game for the rest of the season, and he rewarded them. His 6.9 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) finished third in the AL, behind only Los Angeles' Mike Trout and New York's Robinson Cano. After a strong first half (18 HR, 71 RBI, .324 AVG), Cabrera turned on the jets in the second half, hitting 26 home runs, 68 RBI, and batting .337 in just 75 games. If he had kept up the second half pace over the whole season, he would have ended up with 56 home runs and 146 RBI.  His production was especially appreciated as he hit five home runs, 12 RBI, and batted .361 (26 hits in 72 at bats) in 18 games against the rival White Sox, whom the Tigers edged by just three games in the Central.  

Honorable Mentions: Mike Trout (Angels): 30 HR, 83 RBI, .326 AVG, 49 SB. Adrian Beltre (Rangers): 36 HR, 103 RBI, .321 AVG, 1 SB.

NL MVP

Ryan Braun (Brewers): 41 HR, 112 RBI, .319 AVG, 30 SB. Born 11/17/1983 in Mission Hills, CA (age 28).

Though Braun's Brewers missed out on the postseason by five games, there is no doubt that Milwaukee would not have finished anywhere close to the 83-79 record they ended up with without Braun. He led the NL in home runs, runs scored (108), and OPS (.987), finished second in RBI, hits (191), and slugging percentage (.595), third in average and WAR (6.8), and fourth in on-base percentage (.391). He terrorized left-handed pitching, hitting 17 home runs, knocking in 41, and batting .363 in just 146 at bats. That would translate to 69 home runs and 168 RBI over a full season. He was incredibly consistent throughout the season, never batting below .294 or hitting less than five home runs in any month (except a three game October, where he hit .273 without a home run). He proved himself not-guilty for Performance-Enhanching Drug use by putting up numbers that were just as good, or better than, any year in the past.

Honorable Mentions: Buster Posey (Giants): 24 HR, 103 RBI, .336 AVG, 1 SB. Andrew McCutchen (Pirates): 31 HR, 96 RBI, .327 AVG, 20 SB.

AL Cy Young

David Price (Rays): 20-5, 2.56 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 205 K's in 211 innings. Born 8/26/1985 in Nashville, TN (age 27).

The American League leader in ERA and wins had a career year. After a rough (by his standards) 2011, Price bounced back to have an even better year than his incredible 2010 (19-6, 2.72 ERA). Leading the Rays' close but unsuccessful charge at the Wild Card, Price turned things up a notch in the second half. Over 14 starts, he went 9-1 with a 2.27 ERA while striking out more than a batter per inning. My choices for AL MVP and Rookie of the Year, Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout, combined to go 0-5 with a strikeout off Price. His two best games of the season came on April 24, when he tossed a five-hit shutout of the Angels, and on Aug. 5, when he limited the Orioles to just two hits over eight shutout innings.  

Honorable Mentions: Justin Verlander (Tigers): 17-8, 2.64 ERA, 1.06 WHIP. Fernando Rodney (Rays): 2-2, 0.60 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 48 saves.

NL Cy Young

R.A. Dickey (Mets): 20-6, 2.73 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 230 K's in 233 innings. Born 10/29/1974 in Nashville, TN (age 37).

Like Price, Dickey was born in Nashville. The similarities end there. Rather than being a top prospect who shot through the minors like Price, Dickey took a long road to success. Over a 14-year minor league career, he is 79-71 with a 4.25 ERA. Until he joined the Mets in 2010, he found little to no success in the majors. He was 22-28 with a 5.43 ERA in his pre-New York career, and has since gone 39-28 with a 2.95 ERA with the Mets. The secret to his success has been the knuckleball. It enabled him to break out in 2010, then completely take everything to another level this year. From May 27 to June 18, Dickey was absolutely un-hittable.  He went 5-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 52 K's, tossing 41.2 shutout innings and giving up just 16 hits and five walks. That translates to a 0.50 WHIP. And to top off that miraculous stretch, he tossed back-to-back one-hit shutouts. The Reds' Drew Stubbs can tell you how hard he is to hit. He struck out in all five of his at bats against Dickey. The Padres' Everth Cabrera struck out in all four of his at bats. All Star Andrew McCutchen went 0-6 with three strikeouts.  

Honorable Mentions: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers): 14-9, 2.53 ERA, 1.02 WHIP. Johnny Cueto (Reds): 19-9, 2.78 ERA, 1.17 WHIP.

AL Rookie of the Year

Mike Trout (Angels): 30 HR, 83 RBI, .326 AVG, 49 SB. Born 8/7/1991 in Vineland, NJ (age 21).

I don't think that there is any doubt on who will win this award. Trout led all major league rookies in runs (129), hits (182), home runs, RBI, walks (67), stolen bases, average, on-base percentage (.399), slugging percentage (.564), and OPS (.963), all despite missing the first month of the season. In fact, the only major categories that he didn't lead in were doubles (5th with 27) and triples (2nd with 8). Even while missing almost all of April, he led the majors in runs scored by a wide margin, with his 129 finishing twenty ahead of second place Miguel Cabrera's 109. On top of his offense, his incredible defense will probably be enough to net him a Gold Glove. Trout had his best month in July. It seemed like every day, he was either getting a walk-off hit, hitting a home run, or robbing a home run. Over 25 games, he hit 10 home runs, knocked in 23, and batted .392 with nine stolen bases. And for the duration of that month, he was just 20 years old.

Honorable Mentions: Yoenis Cespedes (A's): 23 HR, 82 RBI, .292 AVG, 16 SB. Jarrod Parker (A's): 13-8, 3.47 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 140 K's in 181.1 innings. 

NL Rookie of the Year

Bryce Harper (Nationals): 22 HR, 59 RBI, .270 AVG, 18 SB. Born 10/16/1992 in Las Vegas, NV (age 19). This race was very close between Harper, Norichika Aoki, and Wade Miley, but Harper ultimately comes away with it. His 22 home runs finished just two shy of the single-season teenager record, held by Tony Conigliaro at 24. He picked up NL Rookie of the Month in May and September, and was an All Star in July. His nine triples led all rookies, including Mr. Trout. His hustle regularly stretched doubles into triples and one-base errors into two-base errors. Batting second in the Washington lineup, he was an absolute catalyst. He caught fire in September, hitting seven home runs and batting .330 over 28 games.  

Honorable Mentions: Wade Miley (Diamondbacks): 16-11, 3.33 ERA, 1.18 WHIP. Norichika Aoki (Brewers): 10 HR, 50 RBI, .288 AVG, 30 SB.

AL Reliever of the Year

Fernando Rodney (Rays): 2-2, 0.60 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 76 K's in 74.2 innings, 48/50 in save opps. Born 3/18/1977 in Samana, DR (age 35).

Fernando Rodney was absolutely un-hittable this year. His ERA sat at a minuscule 0.60 for the season as he gave up just five earned runs in 74.2 innings. His ERA was just 13 percent of last year's 4.50, and just 21 percent of his former career high of 2.86. Not only does it smash his career bests, but it is the lowest ERA ever, EVER, for a pitcher with at least 50 innings. Dennis Eckersley had a 0.61 ERA in 1990, but Rodney beat him out. He had two spans of 22 consecutive shutout innings. In fact, from June 16 through the end of the season, he tossed 45 innings and gave up just one earned run, accounting for a 0.20 ERA over the better part of a season. His 48 saves also finished second in the majors to Jim Johnson.

Honorable Mentions: Jim Johnson (Orioles): 2-1, 2.49 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 51/54 in save opps. Ryan Cook (A's): 6-2, 2.09 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 14/21 in save opps.

NL Reliever of the Year

Craig Kimbrel (Braves): 3-1, 1.01 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 116 K's in 62.2 innings, 42/45 in save opps. Born 5/28/1988 in Huntsville, AL (age 24).

Craig Kimbrel continues to dominate opposing hitters. This year, his 0.65 WHIP was actually lower than Fernando Rodney's. His 116 K's in 62.2 innings gave him 16.66 strikeouts per nine innings pitched (K/9IP). It is the highest single season rate of all time (min 60 innings pitched). His 1.01 ERA led the NL (min 50 innings pitched) and was the second lowest in the majors, behind only Fernando Rodney. He ended the season with 13.2 scoreless innings, dropping his ERA from 1.29 to 1.01. Perhaps his best stretch of the season was from May 8 to June 27, where he gave up just three hits and two walks over 17 scoreless innings, striking out 28 batters, dropping his ERA from 3.27 to 1.29, his WHIP from 1.55 to 0.79, and his opponent's batting average from .220 to .125. He was 14/14 in save opportunities.  

Honorable Mentions: Aroldis Chapman (Reds): 5-5, 1.51 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 38/43 in save opps. Huston Street (Padres): 2-1, 1.85 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 23/24 in save opps.

AL Manager of the Year

Buck Showalter (Orioles): Improve from 69-93, .426 WPCT in 2011 to 93-69, .574 WPCT in 2012. Finish 2nd in AL East.

Buck Showalter literally reversed the Orioles' record from last year, turning a team that nobody thought would come close to competing into one that had the third best record in the AL. The Orioles, who are set to play the Yankees in the ALDS, barely outscored their opponents on the season, scoring 712 runs as compared to 705 runs allowed. They were able to do this by going 29-9 in one-run games, by far the best record in baseball. The Giants were 30-20 and had the second best record. They were also 16-2 in extra inning games, topping even the Marlins (12-5) for the best extra-inning record. This is in part due to the team of Jim Johnson and Pedro Strop at the back end of the bullpen, but mainly because of Showalter's exceptional managerial skills. Look for Baltimore to yet again outperform expectations in the playoffs.

Honorable Mentions: Bob Melvin (A's): 94-68, .580 WPCT, 1st in AL West. Ron Washington (Rangers): 93-69, .574 WPCT, 2nd in AL West.

NL Manager of the Year

Davey Johnson (Nationals): Improve from 80-81, .497 WPCT in 2011 to 98-64, .605 WPCT in 2012. Finish 1st in NL East.

Upon becoming manager of the Nationals, Davey Johnson completely fired up the franchise. While they were already beginning to turn in the right direction, the Nationals took off this year with the best record and best road record (48-33) in baseball. The Nationals were incredibly consistent, finishing with a winning record in every single month. Ian Desmond credited Johnson with his breakout season, and the Nats sure needed that. His experience should lead the Nationals far into the playoffs.

Honorable Mentions: Dusty Baker (Reds): 97-65, .599 WPCT, 1st in NL Central. Fredi Gonzalez (Braves): 94-68, .580 WPCT, 2nd in NL East.

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Teams followed in this update: Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies

If your team is not included, please leave a comment.

HR: home runs. RBI: runs batted in. AVG: batting average. SB: stolen bases. ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched. K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage

Zack Silverman