Category: Awards

So what have you been doing since the World Series ended? Our kids are happy to have the TV back during prime time hours now that the postseason is over.

MLB has turned the post season awards into a postseason “season”. You can’t tell the awards without a schedule. If you don’t believe me check out their MLB awards page. All the awards are neatly spaced by a couple days in order of “importance” (i.e. media ranking).

Anyway, AL Gold Gloves were announced yesterday, There were the usual standbys and a surprise or two.

• C: Ivan Rodriguez, DET

• 1B: Mark Teixeira, TEX

• 2B: Mark Grudzielanek, KC

• 3B: Eric Chavez, OAK

• SS: Derek Jeter, NYY

• OF: Torii Hunter, MIN

• OF: Ichiro Suzuki, SEA

• OF: Vernon Wells, TOR

• P: Kenny Rogers, DET

Rodriguez, Teixeira, Hunter, Wells, Chavez, Suzuki and Rogers are all previous winners so they shouldn’t be a big surprise. Ok, Jeter has won it, too but there is the ongoing debate (not necessarily fostered by me) about his defense.

But Mark Grudzielanek? Other may know more than me but I’ve never put Grudzielanek and Gold Glove in the same thought. I’ve always considered him adequate, at best.

Kenny Rogers has won the GG in the last 3 years running now but I think this is a rather ironic pick, no? Kind of a slap in Detroit’s face. “See? If you had pitched THIS guy, you wouldn’t have had that throwing error.

If Ryan Howard won NL MVP, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. But it wouldn’t be the right decision.

Sometimes I wish fans could get past total homeruns because there is so much more to the game.

If you look at Pujols’ and Howard’s stats, let’s face it, they are essentially equal. Not the same but equal. Howard gets the edge on HR and RBI. Pujols has it in runs, doubles, BA, OBP, SLG. Howard also gets a nod in playing time due to Pujols’ injury.

But what you don’t hear are the clutch stats. Pujols has the big edge here.

RISP
Pujols: .397/.535/.802
Howard .256/.426/.518

Game Tied
Pujols: .305/.433/.640
Howard: .315/.466/.726 (slight edge to Howard)

Score Trailing by one
Pujols: .453/.562/.922
Howard: .325/.389/.738

On top of that, Pujols leads the league with 19 homers that account for game winning rbis. That, I think is unprecented.

On top of THAT, Pujols is a better fielder.

This is no news to Cardinals fans who will tell you all this ad nauseum.

This has no bearing on the MVP race but is interesting anyway. Pujols, who is in his 6th season and just hit his 250th homerun, is actually younger than sophomore Ryan Howard.

Possible MVP winner??

Somewhere on the MLB website (I can’t find it now) is a poll they’ve been running for while. Quite simply, who would you choose for NL MVP?

1) Albert Pujols
2) Ryan Howard
3) Carlos Beltran
4) or Other

Just curious, if you couldn’t choose options 1-3 (who knows, maybe you wouldn’t anyway), who would you choose? I’ve heard the name Jose Reyes bandied about. It would never happen but I understand the sentiment.

As for my real choice, I gotta go with Phat Albert. No knock on Howard who is having a hell of a year. Beltran too, who is leading the Mets to a fantastic season.

But I’m looking at this way: without Pujols, the St Louis Cardinals would not be where they are right now in the NL Central. The Cardinals minus Albert would have been given a run for their money by the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros. That to me makes him valuable.

Beltran is valuable, yes. But without him, what NL East team would have challenged the Mets without him?

Howard is continuing to make his case for a MVP award and maybe I should hold off before deciding since he’s on a tear right now. He’s on course to hit 62 homers right now and there’s a large fan base who believe that should be recognized as the single season HR record due to steroid suspicions.

Looking purely at stats, Pujols outperforms Howard. Pujols also has a better average, OBP, and slugging percentage. Howard of course edges Pujols in homers and rbis but the tables are turned in the runs category.

One stat I heard brought up the other day. Ryan Howard 156 strikeouts, Pujols 40. That sounds trivial but I don’t think it is.

That all said, if things stay the course, I’m sticking with Pujols for my choice.

The College Baseball Hall of Fame, headquartered in Lubbock, TX, inducted ten into their inaugural class on Tuesday.

Among the more recognizable:

• Dave Winfield (Minnesota)
• Robin Ventura (Oklahoma St, set NCAA record 58 game hitting streak)
• Will Clark (Mississippi St)
• Bob Horner (Arizona St)
• Brooks Kieschnik (Texas)

Also inducted was Rod Dedeaux who managed USC to 11 College WS titles. In addition, coaches Skip Bertman (LSU), Cliff Gustafson (Texas), Ron Fraser (Miami) and Bobby Winkles (Arizona St).

The Hall hopes to have a permanent facility by 2008.