PREDICTING THE MVP & CY YOUNG AWARDS

It’s hard to believe that it is already September, which means we are in the final sprint for post-season play and voting for the best of the best. There are a lot of deserving candidates out there, so there is no sure vote.

It’s no secret that good pitching is the key to winning games, and this is the year of the pitcher. Question is, which pitcher is going to be King of the mound this year?

NL Cy Young candidates

A: Cliff Lee: 16-7, 2.47 ERA, 204 strikeouts, 1.031 WHIP. Lee went 5-0 in August and had at least 10 strikeouts in eight games this year.B: Cole Hamels: 13-7, 2.63 ERA, 169 strikeouts, 0.97 WHIP. Hamels holds the best WHIP stats in the National league, would have more wins if his team gave him better run support.

C: Roy Halladay: 16-5, 2.49 ERA, 195 strikeouts, 1.06 WHIP. Halladay has 7 complete games this season and has walked only 25 batters this season. He also has the best strikeout to walk ration in the big leagues. Is there ever a year when this guy isn’t in the CY Young discussion?
D: Clayton Kershaw: 17-5, 2.45 ERA, 222 strikeouts, 1.02 WHIP. Kershaw trails only Halladay in complete games pitched; he also leads everyone in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts. He is second in WHIP and ERA.

Cy Young prediction: Clayton Kershaw
Runner-up: Roy Halladay

AL Cy Young Candidates

A: Josh Beckett: 12-5, 2.49 ERA, 155 strikeouts, 0.98 WHIP. Beckett has bounced back nicely from 2010 but has a lower strikeout total than the other candidates. He has done well keeping runs scored to a minimum allowing no more than five in any game this season.

B: James Shields: 14-10, 2.77 ERA, 205 strikeouts, 1.02 WHIP. Shields has pitched 10 complete games this season for the Rays. He could become a free agent at the end of the season if they don’t pick up his club option, but I doubt this happens.C: CC Sabathia: 19-7, 2.97 ERA, 211 strikeouts, 1.17 WHIP. Sabathia should make 30 starts for the 10th time in his career. His strikeout ratio trails only Kershaw and Verlander and has the second most wins in the majors.

D: Jered Weaver: 16-7, 2.49 ERA, 176 strikeouts, 1.03 WHIP. Weaver is argued to be the second most consistent pitcher after Verlander this year. He also has the best ERA in the league.
E: Justin Verlander: 21-5, 2.34 ERA, 224 strikeouts, 0.91 WHIP. Verlander is first in wins, strikeouts, and WHIP in the league. He has also gone 18-2 since April and has a no-hitter this year.

Cy Young prediction: Justin Verlander
Runner-up: Jered Weaver

Pitching wins games, but you also need a good offense to give you the run support. Question is, who has been the most valuable player?

NL MVP Candidates

A: Joey Votto: .316BA, 26 HR, 90 RBI. Can he repeat? His home run, RBI and OPS totals will most likely fall short from last year. His team does not have a shot at repeating their division title, so this will probably cost him votes.B: Prince Fielder: .292BA, 31 HR, 108 RBI. Fielder is argued to be half of one of the better offensive duos in the majors, but a teammate has been more effective offensively and probably fairs better to win. He is a league leader in RBI’s.

C: Matt Kemp: .319BA, 32 HR, 107 RBI. His average, stolen bases (37), home runs and RBI’s look impressive, but his high strikeouts (137) will probably cost him. He also plays for the Dodgers, who have had a less than impressive season which will cost him some votes.
D: Ryan Braun: .333BA, 27 HR, 95 RBI. Braun has had an impressive year leading the league in OBP (.402) and slugging percentage (.590). He is also among league leaders in runs scored and batting average. He also is second with stolen bases (31).

MVP prediction: Ryan Braun
runner-up: Matt Kemp

AL MVP Candidates

A: Adrian Gonzalez: .342BA, 23 HR, 105 RBI. Gonzalez has the best batting average, and amongst leaders in OBP and SLG percentage; however….he is sure to split some votes between himself and another Red Sox candidate.

B: Jacoby Ellsbury: .312BA, 24 HR, 85 RBI. He has the second best batting average, and the most stolen bases; however he is sure to split some votes with Gonzalez .C: Jose Bautista: .304BA, 40 HR, 92 RBI. He’s having another great year, and can still come close to the same number of home runs as last year. The fact that his team is not in contention in a much more competitive AL East division than last year is sure to cost him votes.

D: Justin Verlander: Yes, the wins and ERA are impressive; however pitchers have their own award. He is worth a mention though.

E: Robinson Cano: .305BA, 24 HR, 105 RBI. Cano is quietly making a case for MVP again with his consistent hitting and offensive and defensive skills but will he split votes with another Yankee?
F: Curtis Granderson: .269BA, 38 HR, 109 RBI. His batting average is lower, however his consistency this year is amazing compared to last year. The changes he has made have helped the Yankees win, and the power numbers and RBI’s don’t hurt either. He also has more extra base hits.

MVP prediction: Curtis Granderson
runner-up: Adrian Gonzalez

Clearly we're Yankee fans, clearly we root. But as far as this post is concerned, I’m glad I get to predict who will win, rather than give the news when the voting is done. It will be interesting to see how far off these predictions are. But like they say, you can’t predict baseball…



--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor



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WHY GAMMONS IS OVERRATED

This isn’t a Yankee thing. This is a WTF thing. I’m sorry, I take issue with Peter Gammons. Look, I know this guy is a Hall of Famer, but let’s be honest, when I listen to Peter Gammons, I'm not so sure I'm learning anything new and I know many of you aren't either.

On May 31st, Gammons went on the Dan Patrick Show. Now, I love the Dan Patrick Show. It's so much fun and I learn a ton of stuff about baseball and a lot of different sports, plus, I laugh. But I have to tell you, I got alittle aggravated. They were talking about Toronto's Jose Bautista
with Gammons when suddenly Peter told Dan that years ago Dale Sveum told him that Bautista was going to be something special and that he hates when people accuse Bautista of PEDs. Here is the transcript of that:"There is suspicion and I find it unfair. I've heard people on the radio and I've read people that don't believe it.... now I can say this, about 6 or 7 years ago, Dale Sveum was a coach with the Red Sox and he managed Bautista. And he said 'You know, something's gonna get figured out. He's got a world of talent. I don't think it's going to be 2nd base but he's an unbelievably gifted athlete.'

So last year when he took off I asked J.P. Riccardi...and I said 'J.P. what's the story' and he said 'It's very simple, he's always had great bat speed... he could never get the timing down, but in September 2009, he finally got it.' It all came together."

OK look, If Gammons wants to tell a story about something that may or may not be true, go ahead. That's fine, I have no beef with that. I do however find it alittle odd though that Bautista had 54 home runs last year and before that, his season high total in homers was 16. Look HERE. Now, do I think the guys on PEDs? I'm not looking to accuse the guy, I don't care. That actually is not what I'm upset about. I'm upset about this next statement by Gammons:

"You know, I don't remember people questioning Joey Votto when he had his great breakout year."

Really Peter, really? I thought you were a well respected baseball man? Why would you throw another great baseball player like Joey Votto under the bus to protect the one your talking about in Jose Bautista? That's irresponsible and disrespectful.

The fact of the matter is Joey Votto's numbers show a progression of power, average and everything else leading up to his "breakout" year as you like to call it. Look HERE. But, if you look at Bautista’s numbers, there is a gigantic increase in 2010 to his previous season which is why everyone is led to believe that something fishy is going on. By the way, here' the interview: Peter Gammons Interview - May 31, 2011 . Listen to it for yourself. Tell me if you find that to be ridiculous, or not. Anyone from the outside looking in can see the numbers on the page and know that something isn't right.

So, back to my point, clearly sports analysts can say whatever they want and no one challenges them. Us bloggers write anything slightly controversial and we're accused to being brainless and a wannabe.

I love Dan Patrick and I think for him, it was a respect thing to get Peter Gammons on, and not really probe. Hell, maybe he didn't even notice what Peter said, who knows. I tweeted Dan yesterday to asked him to please challenge that horrendous comparison between Bautista and Votto. It just didn't make sense to me. My God, can you imagine if he attacked a Yankee with that crap? It would have been World War 3.

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