Well, the MLB season is over. With the season coming to an end, it's time to look back and hand out the awards, predict the playoffs, and lament the Phillies not being in the post-season for the first time in a half decade. Here's my awards:
- AL MVP: If Miguel Cabrera does not win unanimously, the press shouldn't be allowed to vote anymore. His team won the division, and he won the Triple Crown. This shouldn't be close.
- NL MVP: This won't be popular, but Ryan Braun. First in homers, third in average, second in RBI's, 40 homers and 30 steals… stats don't lie, he's the best player in the league, and his team was alive in the final week. Buster Posey would be perfectly fine as the winner too.
- AL Cy Young: David Price should edge out Justin Verlander, though it's close. Verlander wins on innings and K's, but not wins and ERA. I'll give the nod to Price for argument's sake, though neither is wrong. Jered Weaver isn't a bad choice either, but his innings count is low. Fernando Rodney should get votes for a 0.60 ERA this season closing.
- NL Cy Young: R.A. Dickey, hands down. Yes, Gio Gonzalez had one more win, but over 30 less innings and a higher ERA. Dickey did that on a crappy team too. Hands down, he wins.
- AL Rookie of the Year: Mike Trout should unanimously win a deep award. He's the best of the crop.
- NL Rookie of the Year: Wade Miley edges out Willin Rosario and Todd Frazier. All three are worthy.
- AL Manager of the Year: With all respect to Bob Melvin on a great job in Oakland, Buck Showalter in Baltimore should win the award. What an amazing job.
- NL Manager of the Year: Davey Johnson is older than sin, but he's good, and he did a good job.
- AL Comeback Player of the Year: Fernando Rodney. What an awesome year closing.
- NL Comeback Player of the Year: Buster Posey, easily.
Now, aside from the hardware, there are certainly other things to acknowledge, namely that there are playoff games that will be played, and I probably won't really watch. In the following order, I'm rooting for:
- Baltimore Orioles
- Oakland A's
- Cincinnati Reds
- Detroit Tigers
- A black out of television
- Atlanta Braves
- An Act of God
- New York Yankees
- Texas Rangers
- San Francisco Giants
- Hell to freeze over
- St. Louis Cardinals
- A meteor to strike
- Washington Nationals
Yes, I do hate the Nationals that much. I hate everything about that franchise, and that team, and that city. I'd say their fans, but do they have fans? It's a no-win though, as a lot of the other teams aren't favorites of mine either. I'd love to see Jim Thome get his ring, or the former Philadelphia Athletics continue their run. There's a lot of teams I don't like in this post-season.
That's pretty much it. I'm predicting a Tigers-Giants World Series, with Verlander bringing the parade home.
