Submitted by: Dan
The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made. LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason. All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew. Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks. We will continue in the American League.
Today's Pick: American League Delivery Man of the Year
The American League Delivery Man of the Year is the award given to the league's best relief pitcher. There are some notable relief pitchers this season. RHP Rafael Soriano led the league in saves, RHP Joakim Soria turned in a 40-save season, RHP Neftali Feliz had a sensational rookie season, RHP Mariano Rivera was his usual self, and quite a few pitchers had sub-2.00 ERAs and save percentages of 90 % of better.
All are worthy candidates, but the American League Delivery Man of the Year should be:
RHP Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics: Bailey notched 25 saves for second-place Oakland (81-81) despite missing a month in late July and August with an injury. He led all AL closers in ERA and posted an impressive 89.3% save percentage. Plus, he's more important in the Bay Area than Soriano in Tampa Bay, Feliz in the Dallas Metroplex, and Rivera in the Bronx. Soria is big in Kansas City, but Bailey's A's are better and the saves are more important. It was Bailey which allowed Oakland to trade Huston Street for Matt Holliday. He has been a beast in the bullpen since his Rookie of the Year campaign and is deserving of recognition.
Coming Tomorrow: American Silver Slugger Award Winners
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
American League Rookie of the Year
Submitted by: Dan
The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made. LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason. All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew. Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks. We will continue in the American League.
Today's Pick: American League Rookie of the Year
There wasn't much variety in the AL Rookie of the Year race this season. Basically, it comes down to the age-old question. Hitting or pitching? More specifically hitting or relief pitching? It is not an easy choice to make. In most situations, this is an organizational decision. A team built on pitching and defense would prefer the closer (ideally), and the team built on offense would prefer the hitter. Still, every juggernaut offensive team needs a closer (see Mariano Rivera with the New York Yankees) and every team built on pitching needs enough offense to score some runs (see the 2010 New York Mets, or better yet, don't).
But this decision is not as easily reached when considering Rookie of the Year candidates, unless of course both the pitcher and the hitter are on the same team. In that situation, a voter could weigh organizational philosophy in his or her vote. In most situations, though, a voter must rely on a different kind of philosophy. His or her own regarding Rookie of the Year voting. My personal philosophy is that, when considering Rookie of the Year candidates, position players and hitters have the edge, if only because they're pretty much guaranteed to play everyday.
So let's talk about this year's AL Rookie of the Year. But first, let's take a look at some other worthy candidates.
1. RHP Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers: Texas was so desperate to find some degree of stability at the closer’s position that they opted for a closer by committee scenario – including RHP Frank Francisco and LHP C. J. Wilson – hoping to find a reliable ninth-inning man. However, a consistent and reliable back end of the bullpen proved to be a hot commodity for Texas as no one in the Dallas Metroplex could seem to record a save. It looked like saves could be even more elusive for Texas after Wilson was moved to the rotation. That all changed when RHP Neftali Feliz, groomed in the minors as a starter, stepped up and slammed the door for 40 saves.
2. LF Brennan Boesch, Detroit Tigers: Brennan Boesch also had an impressive rookie year, leading all AL Rookies in home runs and RBI, but his overall season was well below the standards set by his teammate Austin Jackson.
I may have given away my choice for AL Rookie of the Year by talking about Boesch, but with further adieu, onto the AL Rookie of the Year:
CF Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers: Austin Jackson led AL Rookies in most categories, including hits, batting average, and an impressive 27 stolen bases all while playing superb defense at Comerica Park for Detroit. Perhaps most impressive, though, is the 113 runs that Jackson scored in his rookie campaign.
Coming Tomorrow: American League Delivery Man of the Year
Labels: MLB Awards
The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made. LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason. All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew. Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks. We will continue in the American League.
Today's Pick: American League Rookie of the Year
There wasn't much variety in the AL Rookie of the Year race this season. Basically, it comes down to the age-old question. Hitting or pitching? More specifically hitting or relief pitching? It is not an easy choice to make. In most situations, this is an organizational decision. A team built on pitching and defense would prefer the closer (ideally), and the team built on offense would prefer the hitter. Still, every juggernaut offensive team needs a closer (see Mariano Rivera with the New York Yankees) and every team built on pitching needs enough offense to score some runs (see the 2010 New York Mets, or better yet, don't).
But this decision is not as easily reached when considering Rookie of the Year candidates, unless of course both the pitcher and the hitter are on the same team. In that situation, a voter could weigh organizational philosophy in his or her vote. In most situations, though, a voter must rely on a different kind of philosophy. His or her own regarding Rookie of the Year voting. My personal philosophy is that, when considering Rookie of the Year candidates, position players and hitters have the edge, if only because they're pretty much guaranteed to play everyday.
So let's talk about this year's AL Rookie of the Year. But first, let's take a look at some other worthy candidates.
1. RHP Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers: Texas was so desperate to find some degree of stability at the closer’s position that they opted for a closer by committee scenario – including RHP Frank Francisco and LHP C. J. Wilson – hoping to find a reliable ninth-inning man. However, a consistent and reliable back end of the bullpen proved to be a hot commodity for Texas as no one in the Dallas Metroplex could seem to record a save. It looked like saves could be even more elusive for Texas after Wilson was moved to the rotation. That all changed when RHP Neftali Feliz, groomed in the minors as a starter, stepped up and slammed the door for 40 saves.
2. LF Brennan Boesch, Detroit Tigers: Brennan Boesch also had an impressive rookie year, leading all AL Rookies in home runs and RBI, but his overall season was well below the standards set by his teammate Austin Jackson.
I may have given away my choice for AL Rookie of the Year by talking about Boesch, but with further adieu, onto the AL Rookie of the Year:
CF Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers: Austin Jackson led AL Rookies in most categories, including hits, batting average, and an impressive 27 stolen bases all while playing superb defense at Comerica Park for Detroit. Perhaps most impressive, though, is the 113 runs that Jackson scored in his rookie campaign.
Coming Tomorrow: American League Delivery Man of the Year
Labels: MLB Awards
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Make It Stop!
Submitted By: Ace
Can we please talk stop talking about this? My question goes out to the media, the ESPN’s and HLN’s of the world. Over the last week or so you’ve made the Favre “sexting scandal” you’re top story. Why? Do you really have nothing else to talk about? As a life long Brett Favre fan I’d like to give you my thoughts on this whole situation. This story first broke on Deadspin.com, not the most credible of media sources in my opinion. If you’ve ever explored their website you know that their main focus is on sports gossip and humorous stories. You would think major media outlets would do some fact checking before running with this story, but I guess not, just ask Fox News. Do I believe that Favre sent explicit messages and photos to Jenn Sterger? Probably. Look at her, I could see why he would be interested. He wouldn’t be the first professional athlete to cheat on his wife. Was it wrong? Of course, we’re talking about sexual harassment here, but it’s not the end of the world. I’ll let the media continue to speculate on whether Favre will be punished by the league, but I don’t think he will, there’s really no proof he did anything. Isn’t it convenient though? This story breaks a week before the Vikings play the Jets in NY on Monday Night Football. Jenn Sterger hosts a struggling TV show, “The Daily Line” on Verses. This story has brought a ton of free publicity to Sterger, the Jets, and MNF. I’ll leave the conspiracies for our friend Pete Tomaino, but it makes you wonder. I have one request for the media. Please move on, we don’t need to ruin another professional athlete’s life over hearsay and speculation. Do your job, report on the facts.
American League Manager of the Year
Submitted By: Dan
The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made. LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason. All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew. Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks. We will begin in the American League.
Today's Pick: American League Manager of the Year
There could be a variety of choices for American League Manager of the Year this season. Some would be partial to Joe Maddon, whose Tampa Bay Rays finished the 2010 season with the best record in the American League and an AL East division crown. Others may be more inclined to pick Joe Girardi, who feel that his managing of the New York Yankees in September made them better prepared for the Postseason and, thus, better prepared to repeat in the World Series. Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins always seems to make something out of nothing in the cold and frozen north and is a worthy candidate. One may even go with Cito Gaston and his surprising Toronto Blue Jays.
But the best answer for AL Manager of the Year is Ron Washington. Washington's Rangers provided a typical high-octane offense but managed to couple it with strong pitching from former closer C. J. Wilson, Nippon Professional Baseball star Cobly Lewis and midseason acquisition Cliff Lee. Washington seemed to survive everything this year, from the troubled sale of his team to a cocaine scandal. It helped that the rest of the division was terrible, but Washington earned the title. He's an easy choice.
The sale of the team was probably the biggest bump in the road for Washington. The on-field product was solid and Washington's failed drug test went off the radar like a blip during the Cold War. Tom Hicks, owner of the financially-strapped Hicks Sports Group (which includes the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars), wanted to sell the team to a group headed by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan for a reported $525 million. However, team creditors (who gained control of the franchise after Hicks declared bankruptcy) refused to sell to Ryan because a second group of potential buyers had offered more money than Ryan's group. It is easy to perceive the sale from the side of the creditors. Hicks wants to sell the team to Ryan out of some sense of failure. Ryan, a former Ranger, had previously taken a front office position with Texas and took control of the reins of the organization, which had seem doomed since the signing of IF Alex Rodriguez in 2001. Ryan immediately changed the focus of the organization to pitching; namely abandoning the 100-pitch pitch count and preaching stamina and accumulating innings pitched to his minor league starting pitchers. After lengthy court proceedings, a federal judge eventually sided with the creditors over Hicks. The sale eventually went to auction, which is exceptionally rare in MLB.
The last time this happened was in 2001 with the Montreal Expos. The Expos were never purchased, and eventually became funded by the 29 other teams in MLB. This culminated in the eventual contraction of the Expos and the relocation of MLB's 30th franchise to Washington, D. C. Given the struggles and distractions surrounding the team and Washington's ability to guide his team through all of this turmoil, it is hard to choose any other candidate for AL Manager of the Year.
Note: With Strolling Nolan still squarely in the picture in Texas, a winning Rangers team may not be a surprising thing to see in the future. In fact, ten years from now, they may be the ultimate American League powerhouse.
Coming Tomorrow: American League Rookie of the Year
The postseason baseball awards will be announced after the conclusion of the World Series, but the selections have, for the most part, already been made. LeRoy in the Afternoon will begin announcing its picks today and continue until the conclusion of the MLB Postseason. All picks have been discussed, although not all are unanimous among the LeRoy Crew. Readers should feel free to voice their opinions, anger, and frustration regarding the picks. We will begin in the American League.
Today's Pick: American League Manager of the Year
There could be a variety of choices for American League Manager of the Year this season. Some would be partial to Joe Maddon, whose Tampa Bay Rays finished the 2010 season with the best record in the American League and an AL East division crown. Others may be more inclined to pick Joe Girardi, who feel that his managing of the New York Yankees in September made them better prepared for the Postseason and, thus, better prepared to repeat in the World Series. Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins always seems to make something out of nothing in the cold and frozen north and is a worthy candidate. One may even go with Cito Gaston and his surprising Toronto Blue Jays.
But the best answer for AL Manager of the Year is Ron Washington. Washington's Rangers provided a typical high-octane offense but managed to couple it with strong pitching from former closer C. J. Wilson, Nippon Professional Baseball star Cobly Lewis and midseason acquisition Cliff Lee. Washington seemed to survive everything this year, from the troubled sale of his team to a cocaine scandal. It helped that the rest of the division was terrible, but Washington earned the title. He's an easy choice.
The sale of the team was probably the biggest bump in the road for Washington. The on-field product was solid and Washington's failed drug test went off the radar like a blip during the Cold War. Tom Hicks, owner of the financially-strapped Hicks Sports Group (which includes the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars), wanted to sell the team to a group headed by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan for a reported $525 million. However, team creditors (who gained control of the franchise after Hicks declared bankruptcy) refused to sell to Ryan because a second group of potential buyers had offered more money than Ryan's group. It is easy to perceive the sale from the side of the creditors. Hicks wants to sell the team to Ryan out of some sense of failure. Ryan, a former Ranger, had previously taken a front office position with Texas and took control of the reins of the organization, which had seem doomed since the signing of IF Alex Rodriguez in 2001. Ryan immediately changed the focus of the organization to pitching; namely abandoning the 100-pitch pitch count and preaching stamina and accumulating innings pitched to his minor league starting pitchers. After lengthy court proceedings, a federal judge eventually sided with the creditors over Hicks. The sale eventually went to auction, which is exceptionally rare in MLB.
The last time this happened was in 2001 with the Montreal Expos. The Expos were never purchased, and eventually became funded by the 29 other teams in MLB. This culminated in the eventual contraction of the Expos and the relocation of MLB's 30th franchise to Washington, D. C. Given the struggles and distractions surrounding the team and Washington's ability to guide his team through all of this turmoil, it is hard to choose any other candidate for AL Manager of the Year.
Note: With Strolling Nolan still squarely in the picture in Texas, a winning Rangers team may not be a surprising thing to see in the future. In fact, ten years from now, they may be the ultimate American League powerhouse.
Coming Tomorrow: American League Rookie of the Year
Welcome To The New LeRoy Sports Blog!
Be sure to watch for more posts coming soon and listen to LeRoy In The Afternoon every Friday from 3-4pm on WYNO 88.9FM Oswego, NY.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)