2004 MLB Awards Show - Part I
Special early-week edition. It’s time for the awards show!
(Cue the intro music, list of performers scheduled to appear, and random crowd shots of celebrities…)
Ok, seriously folks. Since every year the Baseball Writers of America see fit to screw up the year-end baseball awards (Angel Berroa as the ’03 AL ROY – yeah, that seemed about right), I’ve decided to launch my awards show as a sort of pre-emptive strike. Yes, I realize it’s Tuesday. You’ll still get a football column on Thursday or Friday – I know your week wouldn’t be complete without my gambling expertise.
(Someone tell Billy Crystal he’s supposed to be on stage. And he’s supposed to be funny. Well, nevermind that last part – it ain’t gonna happen.)
First up, The Award for Best Pitcher in the American League (AL Cy Young). And the nominees are:
Pedro Martinez: 16-9, 3.90 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 227 K’s and 61 BB’s in 217 IP, .238 BAA
Yeah, those numbers aren’t a misprint. This ain’t your father’s Pedro boys and girls. Hell, this ain’t even my Pedro. Over the last three starts, he gave up 18 runs, which more or less doomed him to finish fourth or fifth in this vote.
Joe Nathan: 1-2 (44 Saves), 1.62 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 89 K’s and 23BB’s in 72.1 IP, .187 BAA
Nathan is probably second runner-up to another Twins’ pitcher for team MVP, but those numbers are pretty staggering for a guy that the Giants let go in the off-season because they thought he didn’t have the stuff to close. Think they might be questioning that decision right now?
Mariano Rivera: 4-2 (53 Saves), 1.94 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 66K’s and 20BB’s in 75.2 IP, .225 BAA
Anyone care to guess who those two loses are to? Yep, he’s only lost two games all year, both to Boston. Aside from that, he’s been dominant as ever, all while throwing the third most innings in his career, most since ’01. If not for Manny, Sheff and Vladi, ‘ol #42 would be getting some serious MVP pub.
Johan Santana: 20-6, 2.61 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 265 K’s and 54 BB’s in 228 IP, .192 BAA
This guy, this guy right here? Yeah, this is the guy. Santana has been absolutely dominant, so much so that it was almost as though the Red Sox and Yankees almost tried tanking the end of the season so neither team would have to face him twice in the first round. When two teams with offenses as dominant as Boston and New York don’t want to face a pitcher, well I think that says all you need to know.
Curt Schilling: 21-6, 3.26 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 203 K’s and 35BB’s in 226.2 IP, .239 BAA
Nearly as dominant as Santana, Schilling benefited a bit from having Boston’s offense to back him up if he had a bad day. I actually didn’t realize he’d slipped to #3 in the AL in K’s behind Johan and Pedro, but his numbers still are pretty damned amazing. What’s more, he galvanized a team behind him and stepped up with the ravenous media and fans in Boston. Nonetheless, he’s no Johan Santana, version 2004.
Winner: Santana. Then Schill, ‘ol #42, Petey and Joe-bo. Also receiving votes: K-Rod, Col-“ossal”-on, Mulder, The Gambler, and the Rocket (wait, he’s in the NL now. Oops.)
(No Billy, please don’t do another musical number… Oh God, someone please stop him…)
Next, we have The Award for Best Pitcher in the National League (NL Cy Young).
William Clemens: 18-4, 2.98 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 218 K’s and 79 BB’s in 214.1 IP, .217 BAA
What, you didn’t know Roger is his middle name? Or that he retired, then un-retired, then cemented his legacy as possibly the best pitcher ever… at the age of 42? Seriously, everyone (myself included) thought that Rocket coming out of retirement to pitch for the hometown team with his buddy Andy Pettite (remember him?) would be a nice story, and that if Roger stayed healthy he might win 10-13 games, strike out 150 batters and retire after the Astros lost in the first round of the postseason. Well, the last part might still happen, but everything else, well let’s just say we were ALL a little bit off.
Randy Johnson: 16-14, 2.60 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 290 K’s and 44 BB’s in 245.2 IP, .197 BAA
Are you freakin’ kidding me? Read that stat line again, but ignore the wins and losses. Age before beauty, isn’t that what they say? Well, Randy’s only 41, and he’s still throwing junk so nasty it could have been in a landfill for the past six months rather than bottled up inside his 6’10” 231-pound frame. A perfect game at age 40? Sure, why not? Just barely falling short of his 7th 300-strikeout season? Eh, close enough. The guy’s a machine – it’s just too bad he couldn’t score a few runs for his team too.
Carl Pavano: 18-8, 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 139 K’s and 49 BB’s in 222.1 IP, .253 BAA
OK, so maybe you didn’t hear about the season Pavano was putting together when the games still mattered. But to put it in perspective – this was the main guy that the Red Sox traded for Pedro Martinez way back in the day. Now we’re seeing why. Some people will say that this year was a by-product of his impending free agency. I prefer to see it for what it is – a career year for a great young pitcher (28) who deserves everything he gets this winter.
Jason Schmidt: 18-7, 3.20 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 251 K’s and 77 BB’s in 225 IP, .202 BAA
Until the last month of the season, this was the only guy on the Giants entire pitching staff that could throw with consistency, and he was injured to start the year. A huge reason why the Astros are the Wild Card and the Giants aren’t is the fact that Schmidt had absolutely no help from the rest of his staff, and San Fran will be watching from home because of it.
Ben Sheets: 12-14, 2.70 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 264 K’s and 32 BB’s in 237 IP, .226 BAA
Just imagine if he played for a halfway decent team… It’s almost unfair to watch this young man’s talents waste away in baseball purgatory. Maybe now that the Brewers have been sold, the new owners will actually try to field a competitive team, rather than trotting out the drivel that has graced the field at Miller Park for lo these past three years. If the Brewers don’t sign him long term, I’d be stunned if he weren’t wearing Yankee pinstripes the next day. The best part? He’s only 26.
Winner: Yikes. Toss-up between Clemens and Johnson, but I’m taking Randy on the numbers alone. Then Rocket, Sheets, Schmidt and Pavano. And I’d seriously consider moving some of the other guys in the debate (Oswalt, Jake Peavy, Eric Gagne and Carlos Zambrano) up into the top five. After 1, 2, and 3, it’s a crapshoot in my mind.
(Can we get a crowd shot of the fans in the balcony drooling at the celebrities sitting just a few feet beneath them? Perfect, Thanks.)
Now, the best player in the American League is…. (AL MVP):
Vladimir Guerrero: .337 BA, .989 OPS, 39 HR, 126 RBI, 124 R, 15 SB
There’s a reason the Angels are in the playoffs, and his name is Vlad Guerrero. Those stats up there don’t count his defensive abilities too – you just DON’T run on Vlad. Period. There was a lot of speculation as to how he would handle the move to the AL, to a team that actually had fans, to the pressures of being The Man. I’d say he did OK.
David Ortiz: .301 BA, .983 OPS, 41 HR, 139 RBI, 94 R, 0 SB (but we can hope…)
Oh, if only he could play defense too! Somehow, he actually ended up with more triples than Vlad (3-2), although I’m sure that’s probably a result of a friendly official scorer rather than a reflection of Big Papi’s blazing speed on the base path. He’s a clubhouse leader, a guy that simply never stops smiling, and a legit MVP candidate. But he won’t win – won’t even be in the top 3.
Manny Ramirez: .308 BA, 1.009 OPS, 43 HR, 130 RBI, 108 R, 2 SB (?!?!)
As you can tell, there should only be two players on the Red Sox with crooked numbers in the stolen bases column, and their names aren’t Papi and Manny. But seriously, Manny stepped up his game to a new level this year, finally realizing that people in Boston will love you a lot more if you actually speak to them, whether it’s directly or through the media. And although he won’t win a Gold Glove (I think the “cut-off” play cost him any chance), his defense improved dramatically over years past.
Gary Sheffield: .290 BA, .927 OPS, 36 HR, 121 RBI, 117 R, 5 SB
Even with the contributions from Rivera, Jeter, and the rest of the $190-Million machine, Gary Sheffield is the reason that the Yankees are in the playoffs. He played hurt, he kept his mouth shut, and he dominated American League pitching. Before the season, everyone in the Yankee organization wanted to get Vlad. Everyone, that is, except for the only one that mattered. George wanted Sheff, George got Sheff, and the rest is history. Let’s hope today’s confession that he unknowingly took steroids doesn’t earn him a suspension. Wait, what am I saying. This is MLB – they don’t penalize players for taking drugs!
Michael Young: .313 BA, .836 OPS, 22 HR, 99 RBI, 114 R, 12 SB
A few of you might be surprised to see this name up here. Especially over other such candidates as Rivera, Schilling, Santana, Ichiro, or Tejada. But Michael Young’s contributions to the Rangers this season go farther than just his personal numbers. When Texas moved A-Rod, Young volunteered to move from second to short so that Alfonso Soriano could play his accustomed position. Young stepped up and set a new team record for hits in a season, finishing 9th in the AL in batting at .313 but second in hits with 216. He led his team defensively too, and helped them stay in the race until the final week. He gets consideration, and if not for Vlad or Manny, he’d get my fictional vote.
Winner: Vladi Daddy, followed oh-so-closely by the Man-child, Iron Sheff, Mikey Mouse and Papi. And yeah, I’ll even give Rivera some credit, although I believe that unless it’s an unprecedented circumstance (like a 30-0 season leading a team to the division title or something), pitchers have an award, and they should not be in the MVP debate.
(Oooooh, all this after-party talk is getting me interested. And making me thirsty. Can I get a beer over here?)
Now we come to the part of our show when we remember all those who have passed on during the last season.
The Seattle Mariners.
Barry Bonds’ virility and child-creating ability.
The New York Mets.
Nomar’s Boston Legacy (officially missing since July 1st, in the 12th inning when a bloodied Derek Jeter emerged from the stands with ball-in-glove. No, I’m not bitter.)
The Philadelphia Phillies.
Any mention, ever again, of George Sisler.
The Arizona Diamondbacks.
Steve Bartman, who was left 2 tickets at the will call booth of Wrigley Field by Carl Pavano during Florida’s last trip to Chi-Town. Oooooh, low blow.
Chicago (Team C and Team W).
Ken Griffey Jr’s hamstring, calf, toe, back, arm, fingernail, eyelid…
The Florida Marlins.
Any sex-appeal Mike Piazza ever had, after his appearance on “The Apprentice”
The Colorado Rockies.
And in a sad, “we’re never going to see you again” sort of way… Youppi!
We’ll miss you all.
Now on to the best player in the National League (NL MVP).
Adrian Beltre: .334 BA, 1.017 OPS, 48 HR, 121 RBI, 104 R, 7 SB
Those sure are impressive numbers for a guy who had career averages of .274, 25 HR, 86 RBI, and a .795 OPS. Is it a free agency thing? Who knows. Maybe he’s this year’s Bret Boone. Or maybe he really did figure out what was wrong with his swing and fixed it along the way. Whatever the reason, he put up huge numbers, and they are awful good.
Barry Bonds: .362 BA, 1.422 OPS, 45 HR, 101 RBI, 129 R, 6 SB
Just name the award after him already! No one else is going to win this thing until one of two things happens: 1) Barry Retires. 2) The writers get sick of writing his name down. #2 actually seems more plausible at this point, since Barry has already won six MVPs, including three straight. 1st in BA, 2nd in runs, 1st in OBP (.609, c’mon!), 1st in OPS, 4th in HR, 1st in BB (232 is disgusting), and 1st in SLG. He had an ungodly (or maybe godly) 1.600 OPS at home this year, in a PITCHER’S PARK! And he still plays a decent left field, although nowhere near his 8-time gold glove level.
Jim Edmonds: .301 BA, 1.061 OPS, 42 HR, 111 RBI, 102 R, 8 SB
Albert Pujols: .331 BA, 1.072 OPS, 46 HR, 123 RBI, 133 R, 5 SB
Scott Rolen: .314 BA, 1.007 OPS, 34 HR, 124 RBI, 109 R, 4SB
Yes, I lumped The Cardinals’ contingent together. If it was up to me, and Barry weren’t involved, Pujols would be my MVP, no doubt. Hell, he WOULD have been the MVP the last three years running if Bonds hadn’t been playing on a different planet (or maybe if Bonds HAD been playing on a different planet…). Anyway, I don’t think there’s enough difference between the Cardinals’ trio to set them apart from each other, let alone vault them over Bonds. Each of them could be removed from that lineup, and while the team would suffer, they’d survive. Without Bonds, the Giants probably don’t even sniff third place in the West.
Winner: Like there’s any doubt. Bonds in a landslide, followed by Pujols, Beltre, Edmonds and Rolen. Other names can enter the debate as well, such as J.D. Drew, Moises Alou, Mike Lowell or Jeff Kent. But it’s Barry’s league, and everyone else is just taking up space.
So we’ve come to the end of the meaningful awards for 2004. Oh sure, there’s still the Manager of the Year awards and the ever fun Rookie of the Year’s (which no one EVER gets right), but we’ll save those for the after party (i.e. I need an intro for my Thursday/Friday column).
Thanks for staying up late with us folks! Good Night!
posted by Big D @ 12:00 AM
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