2012 Post Season Awards

Ok, geek time.  Here are my awards for the 2012 baseball regular season.  BTW, since my Cubs were eliminated in April I will adopt the A’s this year as my team to root for, simply because I would love for Billy Beane to be able to stick a huge middle finger to all the doubters.

American League

MOY : Buck Showalter, Orioles – In any other year Bob Melvin in Oakland wins this in a landslide.  However, what Buck did with that team is ridicules.  In one run games, games the manager has the most affect the O’s were an unheard of 29-9 and 16-2 in extra innings.  Sure, some of that is luck but a lot of that is Buck pulling the right strings.

ROY: Mike Trout Angels – If he isn’t a unanimous choice then there should be a investigation.  The year this guy has had is incredible.  You simply don’t see a twenty one year old hit .326 with 35 homers and steal over 50 bases.  That is what you call a freak.  This kid is going to be one of the greats as long as he stays healthy.

CY Young: Justin Verlander Tigers – Man this is a tough one.  There are two excellent choices.  Between Verlander and Price I don’t know if you can make a bad pick either way you go.  But Verlander gets is for me for a couple of reasons.  First the 2.64 ERA is outstanding. When you consider he did that throwing 238 innings that is even more amazing. Price has a little bit lower of an ERA at 2.56 and won 20 games and threw a respectable 211 innings.  My gut tells me he will win.  But, Verlander has a WAR of 7.5 to Price’s 6.4 it’s splitting hairs at this point but I give the slightest edge to the Tigers ace but man is it close.

MVP: Miguel Cabrera Tigers – This is a battle for the age’s right here.  This is new school thinking versus old school thinking.  You would think since I am a new math baseball guy that I would be all over Trout for winning the thing. In most years I would.  However, when you win the fricken triple crown I’m sorry you’re the MVP.  Yes Trout is a leadoff hitter and won’t drive in runs like Miggy and stole 50 bases and plays a gold glove defense.  I totally agree.  But again, Cabrera won the triple crown and when it mattered down the stretch he almost single handily got his team into the post season.  That means something.

National League

MOY: Davey Johnson Nationals – Who saw the Nat’s coming with the best record in the NL this year?  No one did.  He slowly and perfectly glided his team all year and handled the Strasberg thing like few others would have.  That is a young team and he guided them to the title, have to give him credit.  I guess Dusty will get some love but he will somehow mess up the Reds in the post season.  I do wish him well with his health issues however.

ROY: Wade Miley Diamondbacks – It was not a particularly strong year for NL rookies.  I guess it comes down to Miley, Bryce Harper and Todd Frazier of the Reds.  I go with Miley as he won 16 games and led his staff most of the year while compiling a ERA in the low 3’s.  That is pretty good.  Frazier came out of nowhere and had a really good year and Harper launched 22 bombs, but to me Miley had a better all around season.

CY Young: R.A. Dickey Mets – Who would have ever thought Dickey would be your Cy Young winner coming into the year.  A 37 year old knuckleballer winning the Cy Young, no way.  Coming into the year Dickey was 31-50 for his career in ten up and mostly down seasons.  Well, he must have figured it out as he went 20-6 with an ERA of 2.73.  He struck out 230 in 233 innings.  His WAR is 5.4.  His main completion would be Gio Gonzalez of the Nat’s and Kershaw in LA both of whom were awesome this year as well.  But has to go to Dickey and ridicules 2012 he put together. 

MVP: Buster Posey Giants – This is a two man race at this point basically between Posey and roid head Braun.  The pact that Posey is hitting .336 and drove in over 100 while catching over 140 games is insane.  His WAR is 7.2 which is also incredible.  Braun has had a massively good year as well with his 41 homers and 112 knocked in plus add the 30 steals.  But, Posey gets my vote as he has backstopped one of the best rotations in the game to a division title and hit in the heart of that lineup all year.  To put up his numbers behind the plate is truly a special season and who knows if Braun’s numbers are real or not.