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 IT'S JUST BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR IVAN NOVA

(Photo: Getty)

Ivan Nova needed only one run from his teammates today but to play it safe the offense went out and gave him 3. The "2011 AL Rookie-of-the-Year" was absolutely spectacular today as he pitched 7 innings of shut out ball to help the Yankees take 3-out-of-4 from the Minnesota Twins.



Bouncing back from that rough outing earlier this week in Kansas City, Nova made the pitches when he needed them the most and was in total control from the start. Even when the Yankees did their best imitation of the Bad News Bears in the field, Nova picked up his teammates and shut down any chance of the Twins scoring. Nova mixed up his pitches and had the Twin hitters off balance for most of the afternoon. His final line today was 7 IP's - 5 Hits - 0 ER - 5 K's - 1 BB. The best part? Nova earned his 13th win of 2011 and lowered his ERA to 3.96.



The Yankee's bullpen combination of David Robertson and Mariano Rivera has quickly become the most dominant 8-9 combo in MLB this year. DRob did what DRob does in the 8th. Despite giving up two infield singles, both of which could have been outs, and a walk to Jim Thome, "Houdini" closed the door on any hope the Twins had. And then it was Mo time in the 9th: 1-2-3 went the Twins and Mariano gets his 33rd save of the year.Ivan Nova continues to show amazing composure despite his age. I mentioned it a couple weeks ago in this piece, WHY IVAN NOVA IS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED. This 2010/2011 Ivan Nova reminds me so much of the 1995/1996 Andy Pettitte. I remember when Pettitte became a full time starter for the Yankees. What stood out for me was the way he handled himself on the mound. It seemed no matter what the game situation was, Pettitte kept his composure and showed so much heart. When you turned on a Yankee game and Pettitte was on the mound, when you looked at him you couldn't tell if the Yankees were up 3-0 or down 7-0. Pettitte literally threw one pitch at a time. That is exactly what Ivan Nova is showing to me now. I believe we are truly watching a pitching phenom develop right before our eyes and it goes way back to how much we've supported Nova here at BYB. This piece, WHY HE'S SUPER NOVA is from March, but it just shows that there were early signs, this kid was bound to have a great year. So, enjoy it Yankee fans, I know I am!

For the first 6 innings today the Yankee bats were pretty much sleeping. They managed to manufacture a run in the 6th inning to break the scoreless game. Even though Nova and the bullpen only needed that one run today, the Bronx Bombers tacked on a couple more in the 7th inning with back-to-back, and a belly-to-belly home runs by the "2011 AL MVP" Curtis Granderson and his shadow, Mark Teixiera. (Photo: AP)

For Grandy it was home run #35 of the year and he is now tied with Jose Bautista of Toronto. And for Tex, it was his 34th HR of the season. Can anyone say Maris & Mantle, 1961? Here at BYB, we began seeing the Maris/Mantle & Granderson/Teixeira similarities early on. Check out

WHY ITS 1961 ALL OVER AGAIN and WHY MANTLE & MARIS ARE STILL INTRIGUING TODAY. Casey's been pounding that drum all year.

Other Game Highlights today:

• In addition to Granderson's inside the park homer, it gives him 98 RBIs on the year and Grandy also stole his 24th base of the year.

• Teixeira's solo blast gives him 95 RBI.

• David Robertson continues to dazzle, particularly against lefty hitters. Robertson pitched an inning striking out two more left handed hitters. Robertson has now faced 96 left handed hitters, striking out 47 of them! Can anyone say CY Young? I can... read WHY DAVID ROBERTSON IS CY YOUNG WORTHY.

• Cano hit his 33rd double of the season. Nice.
  
  

FINAL SCORE: New York Yankees 3 - Minnesota Twins 0.





--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer

Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com

Twitter: @MikeyBlu23





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WHY IVAN NOVA IS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED

(Photo: AP)

What a difference 24 hours can make in Yankeeland. The young, super talented righty for our Yankees, Ivan Nova, can teach the veteran AJ Burnett a thing or two about composure. Nova gets it. Nova keeps it together. It's no secret Ivan Nova is going to be a superstar in this game and thank God he is a Yankee!

I swear, the more I see Ivan Nova go out there and shut down opposing hitters and gain more and more confidence, the more he reminds me of a certain Yankee pitcher who recently retired... Andy Pettitte. When I think of Pettitte words like composure, heart, intelligence, confidence, and most important, winning come to my mind. I see many similarities between the 1995-1996 Andy Pettitte to the 2010-2011 Ivan Nova. I know that Nova can't hold a candle to the legacy of Pettitte yet, but he is on his way. I believe we are watching a true stud grow and mature right before our eyes. For sure he is the future ace of this Yankee staff and that title may come sooner than we think.

(Photo: Getty)

Tonight, Nova was sensational for 6 innings. He baffled Angel hitters and had total control of the strike zone. Granted he clearly ran out of steam in the 7th but the bullpen combo of Rafael Soriano and Luis Ayala shut down the Angels brief rally they had going. Even though Nova could not get an out in the 7th he still seemed composed. Unlike Burnett who just seems to completely collapse, Nova didn't sulk on the mound. He handed the ball to Girardi and lives to fight another day. I guess if I had to knit-pick Nova did not have any strikeouts, but he got the outs when he needed them nonetheless. The final line for Nova was 6 innings pitched, allowed 5 hits, 3 earned runs and 3 walks.(Photo: Getty)

The Grandyman is, simply put, on fire! Two more dingers to get him within one of Jose Bautista. Also, his 31st home run tonight is a new career best and he is leading in runs scored in the American League and it's not even close. Can anyone say AL MVP?(Photo: Getty)

Robinson Cano finished the evening one hit short of the cycle, and that one hit he needed was just a single. I was kind of praying the Yankees batted around in the 8th just so he could get a shot. Oh well, something tells me that won't be the last time in his career he'll be going for the cycle. Also Cano is closing in on .300. His 3 hits tonight give him a .299 average.



Rafael Soriano is doing damn good. Don't look now Yankee fans but Soriano is beginning to look great. He entered the 7th inning with no out and bases loaded and in just 4 pitches, he shuts down any chance the Angels had of coming back. Even though he only threw 4 pitches, I thought it was a good move for Girardi not to bring him out in the 8th. You might as well rest that arm.



Nick Swisher quietly had a nice game. He went 2-4 with an RBI and played a nice right field. Keep it Swish, we love ya pal!



Final Score tonight: Yankees 9 Angels 3 and the Yankees record right now is: 70-45

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer

Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com

Twitter: @MikeyBlu23

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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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WHY DOESN'T CASH LIKE SPENDING CASH?

It seems like the only off season move that Cashman disagreed with this year is the one that has the most impact on the Yankees upcoming season. It's Rafael Soriano. He insisted on not giving up a first round pick, and of course Hal, with the George genes in full effect, decides to make the team better by picking up Soriano. Great player, great move as far as I'm concerned. Cashman is trying to preach patience, but at the end of the day, he forgets one thing...We are the New York Yankees, the team with the highest payroll for 10+ years running. We aren't the Pirates and we damn sure aren't the Royals. We go after the best talent and we don't wait for the after thoughts to approach us.

Look, New York has the smartest and most active fans of any city in the world. We expect a winner on the field every single year. It seems to me that since the beginning of 2009 when King George really started to lose it, there haven't been any major deals. Think about this for a moment; After the 2008 off season spending extravaganza of CC, AJ and Tex, the Yankees have traded for or signed Jerry Hairston Jr., Javy Vazquez, Boone Logan, Curtis Granderson, Austin Kearns, Kerry Wood, Lance Berkman, Rafael Soriano, Pedro Feliciano, and Russell Martin. 5 of these players are no longer with the team as a result of struggling teams getting rid of expiring contracts, and 3 of the 5 left on the Yankees are relief pitchers. Don't forget, a relief pitcher position is the position with the poorest contracts. That leaves us with Curtis Granderson, who we traded our top prospect Austin Jackson for, and Russell Martin. The Yankees have made no Free Agent or trading splashes since George left us mentally. And that is not meant to be disrespectful, that is fact. It doesn't look like the Yankees will be making any "splashes" this off season after losing out on Cliff Lee. Cashman is preaching patience, but with patience here are some potential moves that can be made mid-season, and in my opinion, should be made:

• Mark Buehrle: Chicago White Sox- He's getting up there in age and nearing the end of his prime, but is still one of the best in the game when his command is right and his pitches break.
• Chris Carpenter: St. Louis Cardinals- Former Cy Young award winner. Carpenter could bring some veteran leadership to the Yankees. 39 years old, but has not shown much of a decline since his Cy Young Season.
• Oliver Perez: New York Mets- Once one of the best prospects in the game. Looked great as a young Pirate, but the Mets ended up destroying another up-and-coming pitcher. Could seek a revival by hopping on the subway over to the Bronx. (I know The Mighty Casey disagrees.)
• Jose Valverde: Detroit Tigers- His windup and pitching style pisses me off as an opposing fan, but boy would I love to see those evil Red Sox look like little leaguers against his nasty change up. If we need some more help in the bullpen, he is the man to turn to.
• Juan Pierre: Chicago White Sox- "I used to run base like Juan Pierre, now I run the base high hat in the snare". Good line by our very own Jay-Z. Looks like other than Brett Gardner, the Yankees have been running the base high hat in the snare. We need speed.
• Jose Bautista: Toronto Blue Jays- Wow, would this be a splash! Last years MLB Home Run leader in the huge Rogers Center. Would he hit 60 in a year in the new Yankee Stadium? Perhaps.

These are some of the acquisitions I would recommend to the Steinbrenner's if I were the GM. This is based on the upcoming expiring contracts in the 2011-2012 off season. I like them, but of course I do, I picked them. What do you think?


Will Cohen BYB Freelance Writer




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