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| Written by Greg Connolly - Argonaut | ||||||
| Monday, 29 September 2008 | ||||||
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The 2008 regular season is over. We’ve seen two great ballparks close, had the most 20-game winners since 2005 and watched the Mets collapse again — it’s been a busy year for Major League Baseball. One of my favorite times of the season is when the last game is played and awards are handed out. So, in the spirit of welcoming that, here are my award winners for the 2008 season: American League Cy Young — Unlike the National League Cy Young, this one is pretty obvious to me. This guy has won two more games than anyone else, has given up just 63 earned runs in 223.1 innings and walked only 34 batters. He’s none other than Cleveland’s Cliff Lee. The amazing thing about this guy is he has been this dominant while playing for a team with an anemic offense. There hasn’t been a single full season starter in the AL that even comes close to showing this sort of dominance besides Roy Halladay and Daisuke Matsuzaka, but Halladay has 11 losses, and Matsuzaka has only pitched 163.2 innings. Also, congratulations to Halladay, Matsuzaka, Mike Mussina and Francisco Rodriguez. National League Cy Young — I spent a long time thinking about who I think deserves the NL Cy Young, and I keep coming back to Johan Santana. Without his arm, the Mets would be much further removed from contention than they are right now. On Saturday, they needed him to go out and help keep them in the running, so Santana goes out and pitches a three hit shutout on three days rest. He’s got the lowest earned run average amongst regular starters in the NL while throwing the most innings out of any regular starter. He’s also eclipsed 200 strikeouts. While he only has 16 wins, the New York bullpen has blown six saves for him, which means if the bullpen did their job, he would have at least 20 wins. Also, congratulations to Brandon Webb, Tim Lincecum, CC Sabathia and Brad Lidge. American League MVP — I went with Justin Morneau for this one. He’s driven in 129 runs for Minnesota, where the only other proven major league bat in the lineup is Joe Mauer. He’s blasted 23 home runs and has only nine more strikeouts than he does walks. Morneau hasn’t taken a single day off this season, and without him, the Twins would be heading home to watch October play out from the comfort of their living rooms. Also, congratulations to Carlos Quentin, Dustin Pedroia, Miguel Cabrera and Josh Hamilton. National League MVP — I’ve got to go with Albert Pujols. This guy is batting .356, he’s smoked 37 balls out of the park and has driven in 115 runs. He has a whopping 103 walks next to just 54 strikeouts and has scored 100 runs for the Cardinals. His offensive production is unrivaled by anyone in the National League. Without his bat, the Cardinals would have stopped being such threat a long time ago. After all, they didn’t fall out of contention for the NL Wild Card until last week. Also, congratulations to Johan Santana, Ryan Howard, David Wright, Chipper Jones and Matt Holliday. All in all, this was another great season. It’s been exciting to watch the Tampa Bay Rays climb out of the AL East cellar and go on to win the division. I don’t think too many could say they predicted the Brewers to win the National League Wildcard either. That just goes to show anything can happen in 162 game season, and it’s great to be along for the ride.  Add as favorites (12) | Views: 228
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