AL MVP
1) Alex Rodriguez
2) Jorge Posada
3) Ichiro
A-Rod’s the obvious choice here. I know I might catch some flak for leaving Magglio off my list, but it was about position here. Magglio had a great year with the bat, but he’s not a complete player like the three I listed.
NL MVP
1) David Wright
2) Matt Holliday
3) Chipper Jones
This is the toughest of all the races and there’s really no right choice here. I’m not someone who believes that MVPs must come from playoff teams — or even winning teams, for that matter. Is it David Wright’s fault that the Mets are watching the playoffs on TV? No. For me, Wright was the choice because he does it all. On top of hitting .325/.416/.546, he played solid defense at a premium position, and stole 34 bases.
AL ROY
1) Dustin Pedroia
2) Daisuke Matsuzaka
3) Joakim Soria
In March, people were ready to hand this award over to Alex Gordon. Between him, Daisuke coming over and Delmon Young, there was just no one was giving Pedroia a chance to win this award, but, as they say, that’s why they play the games! Now, Gordon would kill for the .317/.380/.442 line Pedroia put up. Funny how things work out….
NL ROY
1) Ryan Braun
2) Troy Tulowitzki
3) Hunter Pence
Some people are arguing that Tulo should get it because he played a full year and because his defense is so much better than Braun’s. While I understand that defense is important, Bruan was a beast, hitting .324/.370/.634. When you look at his stats, the fact that he only played 113 games compared to Tulo’s 155 should be points in Braun’s favor, not Tulowitzki’s!
AL Cy Young
1) C.C. Sabathia
2) Josh Beckett
3) Johan Santana
Beckett will probably win this award, but I think Sabathia had a better year. 241 innings and only 37 walks! That’s 41 more innings than Beckett and 3 fewer walks..
NL Cy Young
1) Jake Peavy
2) Brandon Webb
3) John Smoltz
Aside from the AL MVP, I thought this was the easiest choice. Even though the Pads missed the postseason, Peavy was the best pitcher in the National League. I pegged Smoltz to win this award in March, and he had an awesome season, but it wasn’t quite as good as Peavy or Webb, and the Braves fell out of contention earlier than the Padres or D-Backs, which shouldn’t matter – but it does for some voters.