MV-Who?

The MVP award voting will not even be close in the American League. Alex Rodriguez had this one in the bag just after the all-star break. Sorry Magglio, I know you won the batting title, and were second in the league in RBI, but nobody in baseball carried their team like A-Rod carried the sorry Yankees. This guy is so good that he should get $3o Million next year.

The National League however is completely up for grabs. Matt Holliday lead the league in two of the three triple crown categories (batting average and RBI), Prince Fielder led in home runs, and was one of the only consistant players on the contending Brewers, and Jimmy Rollins was the second this season, and third player ever in the 20-20-20-20 club and guaranteed that his team would win the division in spring training. I think Holliday will get it. Had the Brewers held on and made the playoffs, I think Fielder would have won no doubt, but with Holliday coming up big in the one game playoff and winning a batting title for a playoff team I think will put him over the top.

The Rookie of the Year in the National League is no contest. It is unfortunate for Troy Tulowitzki, because he had an outstanding season, but if Ryan Braun had not been in the minors for the first six weeks of the season, we would be putting him in the running with Holliday, Fielder, and Rollins for MVP. This guy played in 113 games and hit 34 homers and drove in 97 runs. He also hit .324.

The American League ROY is tough to pick, because nobody really stood out like Braun and Tulowitzki did in the NL. Alex Gordon and Delmon Young were two who, at the beginning of the season, would be definite contenders but both struggled this season. I suppose I would go with Dustin Pedroia of Boston for the award, since he hit .317 and led AL rookies with an .821 OPS.

In the NL, the Cy Young should go to Jake Peavy who won the pitching triple crown in the NL. Right on his tail was defending winner Brandon Webb who could sneak in if the voters put too much emphasis on Peavy's performance in the playoff between the Padres and Rockies.

I would give the AL pitcher MVP to Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia. He had 19 wins, second only to Josh Beckett in all of baseball, and was also in the top five in the league for ERA (3.21), strikeouts (209), complete games (4), WHIP (1.14) and led the league in innings pitched (241). Not to mention he only walked 37 batters in those 241 innings.