Awards: Who should win?
Originally Published: November 15, 2005
ESPN.com
Use the dropdown box below to read the arguments for each of the major end-of-the-season awards (except for NL and AL Manager of the Year).
 The Atlanta Braves clinched their 14th consecutive division title despite facing more adversity than just about any other team. So how did they thrive? Because Andruw Jones put the Braves on his shoulders and carried them. When the Braves were at their most desperate, Jones delivered the most. He led the NL in home runs (51), RBI (128) and game-winning RBI. Get this: He has only 26 more hits than RBI. His hits counted. Oh, by the way, he won his eighth consecutive Gold Glove for his outstanding play in center field. The Braves were 35-26 in 61 games without Chipper Jones. Andruw played in all 61 and hit .309 with 24 home runs and 57 RBI. Those numbers also came when Tim Hudson, Mike Hampton and John Thomson were injured and unable to pitch. From June 6 to July 17 without four key cogs of their team, the Braves went 22-15 because Jones hit .311 with 15 homers and 37 RBI. Albert Pujols had a great season, and he is one of my all-time favorite players, but no player meant more to his team's success in the NL than Jones. If Pujols didn't play for the Cards this season, they still would have had a shot at the division title, but without Jones the Braves had no chance whatsoever.-- Steve Phillips |
 I know the argument for Andruw Jones as MVP is that, when the Braves were crumbling around him, he became a human tow truck, dragging them into first place. But did anyone outside of St. Louis notice that the Cardinals weren't exactly the coverboys for Health Magazine? Did anyone notice Scott Rolen, Larry Walker, Reggie Sanders and Yadier Molina were missing in action for weeks, for months? Did anyone notice that this team spent nearly 10 percent of this season with Molina, Mark Grudzielanek, So Taguchi, John Gall, John Rodriguez or John Mabry hitting in that cleanup hole behind Pujols? Did anyone notice that Pujols was the metronome in an offense that otherwise never found that 2004 rhythm? Did anyone notice that outside of home runs, Pujols blew away Jones in every major statistical category except RBI? And did anyone notice that RBI gap might have had something to do with the fact that Jones got 44 more at-bats with runners in scoring position than Pujols (yep, 44) -- and it's a good thing, since Pujols hit .329 with men in scoring position, compared to Jones' (yikes) .207. I know that teams like the Cardinals rarely produce MVPs. But they produced one this year -- a fellow named Albert Pujols.
-- Jayson Stark |
Third-party candidate: Derrek Lee Too bad he plays for the Cubs. If not, we'd be talking about Lee as the hands-down MVP, even with Pujols and Jones in the mix. All Lee did was lead the majors in OPS (1.080) and batting average (.335). His slugging percentage was 52 points better than the next guy ... in the majors. And Lee, not Pujols, won the NL's Gold Glove at first base. He may have to settle for third in the NL MVP voting this year, but Lee would be a lock for Player of the Year, if such an award existed.-- ESPN staff |
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 Voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America aren't permitted to consider postseason performance when they fill out their award ballots. That's why votes are requested to be in before the first game of the playoffs. But it's not like Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series didn't happen. David Ortiz's 12th-inning homer off Paul Quantrill, coming at 1:22 a.m. at Fenway Park, paved the way for Games 5, 6 and 7, which allowed the Boston Red Sox to reverse the curse. It also put Ortiz's flair for dramatics on center stage. That homer has nothing to do with the 2005 season, of course, but it is moments like that one that give Ortiz the slightest of edges over Alex Rodriguez in the MVP race. It's true Ortiz has played only 10 games in the field. He's a specialist, all right, but his specialty is winning games (first in the AL with 148 RBI; hitting .352 with men in scoring position and .346 with 11 homers and 33 RBI in 78 at-bats in late-inning pressure situations). In the case of the DH, hate the rule, not the man.-- Phil Rogers |
 The question is, where would each club be without its guy? A-Rod plays third base (very, very well, in fact), an absolutely critical defensive position where the Yankees' next best option is Felix Escalona. Meanwhile, Big Papi works the Boston Herald crossword puzzle while his mates man the field, and if he goes down, the Red Sox most likely replace him at DH with a guy named Manny Ramirez. We should figure the "value" in Most Valuable Player relative to a player's absence at his position, and by that measure just about every thing A-Rod has done as an offensive powerhouse is considerably more valuable than anything, no matter how dramatic, Papi has done as a slugger. Rodriguez has been good for an equal number of home runs as Ortiz while posting a higher batting average, a slightly better slugging percentage and a much higher on-base percentage -- tidbits that come before we even mention that he's playing in a tougher hitter's park than Ortiz and -- oh, by the way -- has hit more home runs in that hallowed park than any right-handed hitter ever, including Gary Sheffield and Mr. Joe DiMaggio.-- Eric Neel |
Third-party candidate: Travis Hafner If not for the two weeks he missed in July with a concussion, Hafner likely wouldn't be relegated to Ross Perot status in the MVP race. Because Hafner is a DH, it's better to compare him to Ortiz. Hafner had a slightly better OPS (1.003 to 1.001 for Ortiz) because of his superior on-base percentage (.408 to .397 for Ortiz). Everyone lauds Ortiz's ability in big situations, but Hafner was even better with runners in scoring position (1.071 OPS to 1.042 for Ortiz). If you still aren't convinced that Hafner is legit, give him this -- Pronk is a much better nickname than Big Papi or A-Rod.-- ESPN.com staff |
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 As important as relievers are to baseball today, one must start Cy Young Award conversations with starters. The American League crop is not that strong -- among the top 10 pitchers in ERA, only two have more than 16 wins: Jon Garland and Bartolo Colon. Of those two, Colon's 20-8, 3.51 record becomes slightly more impressive than Garland's 17-10, 3.52 when you consider pennant-race performance (Garland is 4-6, 3.72 since the All-Star break, Colon 9-3, 3.64) for their division-leading clubs. Now for the big question: How does Colon stack up against the best reliever, Mariano Rivera? Well, as much as we admire Rivera's performance -- a 1.40 ERA and 43 saves, many of them in season-sustaining wins like Sept. 28's 2-1 decision over Baltimore -- his performance over 77 innings, no matter how late or important, simply doesn't overwhelm Colon's 218. Call it bias against relievers, but unless there is no viable starting candidate or unless the closer has a completely otherworldly year like Dennis Eckersley, starters get the benefit of our doubt.-- ESPN.com staff |
 When I think of Bartolo Colon's 2005 season, I think of LaMarr Hoyt, circa 1983. Sure, Colon will be the AL's only 20-game winner, but was he really the best pitcher? Could the Angels have survived without him? And the Twins didn't sniff the playoffs even with Johan Santana. Now ask yourself, where would the Yankees be without Mariano Rivera? While Colon is 19th in the majors with a 3.51 ERA, which would be the highest for a Cy Young winner since Hoyt, Rivera has been dominant. His 1.40 ERA is the lowest among closers. No closer has more wins. Batters have hit only .176 off Rivera, and his strikeout rate is his best since 1996. This might be Rivera's best season! The Yankees couldn't have been in playoff contention without him, and that's what a Cy Young winner is. With a tattered, unreliable rotation and sketchy middle relief, Rivera's blown only two saves since the first week of April. His road ERA is an amazing 0.27. That's one run in 33 innings and 13 hits allowed. All year! Rivera has been indispensable. He deserves his first Cy Young award.-- Eric Karabell |
Third-party candidate: Johan Santana If you thought Randy Johnson was the NL Cy Young last year -- as I did -- you should be lobbying for Johan Santana as the AL Cy Young this year. So I will. Cy Youngs should go to the guy who has pitched the best. Period. Well, Santana leads the league in strikeouts, quality starts, opponent average, WHIP and a thousand other measures of who has pitched best. Bartolo Colon is barely within 100 points of him in OPS allowed. Relievers (yeah, even Mariano) don't have to worry about run support. But that's the only reason Santana won't win this award -- because his team didn't score enough for him to win 18 or 20. So ignore that win column and give Cy Santana his props.-- Jayson Stark |
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 In the end, one can make a Cy Young argument for four National League pitchers: Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Chris Carpenter and Dontrelle Willis. Here is mine for Carpenter. The Cardinals put together the best season in the NL, and it wasn't because they clobbered people the way they did in 2004; with Scott Rolen, Larry Walker, Jim Edmonds and Reggie Sanders hurt, they became a team that had to win close, tough games. For 5½ months, every fifth day, Carpenter gave them a brilliant performance. He gave them quality starts in 29 of his first 31 outings until St. Louis essentially cleaned out the NL Central division. His last three starts have not been quality, but they were warmups for the playoffs he missed last season. Carpenter is 21-5. He leads the top pitchers in innings pitched. His quality start percentage (82.0) still leads the league, albeit barely over Clemens and Pettitte at 81 percent. In my mind, in a season in which any of those pitchers deserve the award, Carpenter is in this mind's eye the Most Valuable Pitcher.
-- Peter Gammons |
 What makes me pick Dontrelle Willis over Chris Carpenter for the premier pitching award? His bat, of course. It sounds goofy, but look at their numbers. Carpenter is 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA and 241 2/3 innings. Willis is 22-10 with a 2.59 ERA and 229 1/3 innings. Carpenter has three more quality starts, Willis has one more shutout. They both have seven complete games. You can crunch those numbers however you want but the bottom line is the two are about as indistinguishable as the Olsen twins. When candidates are that close, you have to look elsewhere. And I look to their batting, where they are as different as the Quaid brothers. Carpenter has five hits in 77 at-bats. Willis is such a good hitter that he batted seventh last week, becoming the first starting pitcher to do so in more than 30 years. He also plays for a team that needs any extra offense it can get -- the Marlins scored about 90 fewer runs than St. Louis this year. Look at it this way: If you have two pitchers roughly equal statistically, who would you choose to start a must-win game? I'll go with the guy who could drive in the winning run -- or at least not force me to pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning.-- Jim Caple |
Third-party candidate: Roger Clemens So what if the Rocket only has 12 wins? Check out these numbers -- first in the majors in ERA (1.89), first among starters in opponents' batting average (.197) and OPS (.543) and tied for second in quality start percentage (81 percent). But the number that will haunt him the most is nine -- as in the nine times the Astros were shut out during a Clemens start, and five of those were 1-0 outcomes. We'd feel a lot worse if he didn't already have seven Cy Youngs.-- ESPN.com staff | |
 He may have gotten a late start, but Tampa Bay's Jonny Gomes has made the most of his time in the big leagues and made enough of an impact to earn the American League Rookie of the Year. Gomes leads all American League rookies in homers (21), triples (six), slugging percentage (.547), on-base percentage (.380) and OPS (.927) while ranking second in batting average (.288). He's scored 61 runs and knocked in 52 others -- all in just 97 games. Gomes wasn't promoted by the Devil Rays until mid-June. Few of the other rookie candidates can match the combination of average and production that Gomes has shown. Oakland's Nick Swisher has power but not the average. The Yankees' Robinson Cano has hovered just below .300 for much of the season but hasn't produced extra-base hits the way Gomes has. Toss in seven assists in the outfield -- again with limited playing time -- and Gomes' case is a compelling one.
-- Sean McAdam |
 Huston Street didn't have the luxury of a learning curve. When Octavio Dotel suffered a season-ending elbow injury in May, Oakland manager Ken Macha handed Street the ball and anointed him the team's closer. Four months and plenty of clutch performances later, Street has 22 saves and an 0.98 WHIP and is regarded by some as a junior version of his idol, Dennis Eckersley. Start with the kid's penchant for strike-throwing and his utter fearlessness and give him bonus points for durability. Street's 77 1/3 innings are the sixth-highest total among American League relievers, and he's logged more than an inning in seven of his 22 saves. You want reliable? Try shutout streaks of 14, 11 2/3, 11 and 11 2/3 innings. Sure, Dan Johnson, Nick Swisher and Joe Blanton all contributed to Oakland's unexpected AL West title push, but the unassuming-looking Street saved the Athletics' 'pen. All roads lead to him as the league's top rookie.-- Jerry Crasnick |
Third-party candidate: Tadahito Iguchi How have the White Sox been so much better this year? One reason is the steady play of Iguchi. The latest Japanese import has quietly produced solid numbers (.278, 14 HRs, 68 RBI, 15 steals) from the No. 2 spot in Chicago's order. One thing to note: His performance has not wavered since Opening Day -- he hit .280 with a .748 OPS in the first half and is hitting .276 with an .806 OPS in the second half. As a model of consistency, Iguchi deserves a mention in the Rookie of the Year discussion.-- ESPN staff |
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 I'm all for rewarding playing time, but no NL rookie who played close to a full season was good enough for Rookie of the Year. Willy Taveras' candidacy is based on a vacuous .290 batting average; Garrett Atkins' stat line of .287-13-88 is drunk on Coors; and only two freshman pitchers even made more than 21 starts (Brad Halsey and Jeff Francis). So we have to consider half-season players, and that means Howard and Jeff Francoeur. The edge goes to Howard (.283-20-57, .900 OPS) over Francoeur (.306-14-45, .908 OPS) despite Francoeur's defense. Howard has played not just more but more consistently -- Francoeur has virtually gone in the tank this last month -- and he all but saved the Phillies' offense after the disintegration of Jim Thome. It's very close, but Howard's season -- like the man himself -- has slightly more bulk.-- Alan Schwarz |
Third-party candidate: Willy Taveras No, he hasn't been on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But I like Houston's Willy Taveras as the season's top rookie for one big reason -- he's played the entire season. It's one thing to have a good half-season, but the essence of baseball is proving yourself over the long haul -- day in, day out -- once other teams get a chance to scout you and find your holes. Taverez has done that, batting .290 and stealing 34 bases in almost 150 games. Jeff Francoeur has played 68 games with about 250 at-bats. Ryan Howard has played 85 games with 300 at-bats. The award doesn't go to the rookie you think will have the better career. It goes to the rookie who had the better season. And that's Taveras.-- Jim Caple |
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Age 21. .306 BA. .565 slugging. 35 extra-base hits and 45 RBI in only 68 games. Solid range in right field with an unbelievable 13 assists. Provided a huge boost to a division-winning team. Other than his lack of patience, what's not to like? The only reason that Francoeur won't be a unanimous choice is his lack of playing time. In a lean year for NL rookies, however, what's the alternative? Ryan Howard? Francoeur is outhitting him by 22 points and outslugging him by 18 points. Their RBI rates are virtually identical and certainly not enough to make up the difference between a right fielder and a first baseman. Finally, no one would take Willy Taveras seriously if Francoeur had been called up a month earlier. Francoeur has a higher average and higher OBP and has almost twice as many extra-base hits in less than half as many games.
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