Monday, September 29, 2008

2008 American League Awards

What an interesting year it has been! Here is who MLB Rumors thinks is worthy of 2008 MLB Awards in the American League:

AL MVP: Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox (.312 AVG, 29 HR, .390 OBP)
- A controversial pick over Pedroia or Morneau, but Youkilis played a big role in the Red Sox playoff run. He hit .377 with runners in scoring position and made just seven errors playing three positions over the course of the season. 

AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Indians (22-3 W-L, 2.54 ERA, 170 K)
- Leading the league in wins and ERA makes him the obvious choice for the Cy Young. The only thing holding him back is that he is playing for the Indians, who struggled mightily this year. However, Lee was coming off a bad season and came back to dominate nearly every opponent. Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina are up there, but this is Lee's for sure.

AL Rookie of the Year: Alexei Ramirez, White Sox (.288 AVG, 20 HR, .374 AVG w/ RISP)
- While you could argue that Ramirez is not a rookie since he played in Cuba, but many GMs planned on having Ramirez start in Double-A if he had signed with them. All Ramirez needed was a month to adjust and he dominated the rest. He hit for power and average, and held his own wherever the Sox put him on the field. 

AL Comeback Player of the Year: Edwin Jackson, Rays (14-11 W-L, 4.42 ERA, 108 K)
- Jackson is a surprise pick but after losing fifteen games in 2007 and being in the minors for some of 2006, he makes for a great choice. He played a huge role in the Rays playoff run this season and should be rewarded for it.

AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, Rays
- Enough said.

This story was approved by MLB Rumors.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

comeback player of the year has to be Mike Mussina. Edwin Jackson did show a lot of improvement, but Mussina was lights out after a dreadful 2007 season.

Eli said...

mussina is more of a bounce back. comeback is defined as someone who was all but forgotten.