The votes are all in and have been tallied, so it’s time for the 1st annual TSJ MLB Awards. Some choices were just plain obvious, but others came down to a single vote to decide the winner. It was a great year for all baseball fans, with many new players coming out of the woodwork to make a name for themselves. There were also the same regular stars who played up to their expectations and then some. 2010 was the year of the pitcher, where we saw some of the greatest performances from the mound in recent memory. The best news is that there’s more to come, with the ALCS kicking off tonight and the NLCS starting tomorrow. Here is who you the fans decided were the most deserving award winners this year in Major League Baseball.
**AL Comeback Player of the Year: **Josh Hamilton
Despite missing most of September, he still did enough to help the Rangers get a big enough lead so that they could hang onto the AL West lead while he was out. In 133 games, he hit 32 HRs and 100 RBIs and batted .359, after missing almost half the season due to injury. Not only is he comeback player, but one of the favorites for AL MVP. Other candidates like Liriano and Beltre were deserving as well, but Hamilton stood out above the rest with the way he led a very talented team with great hitting and fielding.
**2. **Francisco Liriano
** 3. **Adrian Beltre
** *Others Receiving Votes: ****Carl Pavano, Vladimir Guerrero, Vernon Wells *
**NL Comeback Player of the Year: **Tim Hudson
The Braves ace pitched some of his best baseball since his 2003 gem with Oakland, ending the season with a 17-9 record and a .283 ERA. That’s the most wins for him since 2001. His 1.15 WHIP is also the best since his 2003 year, so needless to say it’s been 7 years since his cannon fired the way we witnessed this year. Just 189 hits in 34 games was extremely impressive for this 12-year vet. Hudson ran away with this award and deservingly so.
**2. **Aubrey Huff
**3. **Brett Meyers
***Others receiving votes: *Scott Rolan, R.A. Dickey, Livan Hernandez
** NL Rookie of the Year: **Buster Posey
San Francisco’s first-year sensation has accomplished his fair share to help them play their way into the NLCS. He was only able to play 108 games after being called up to the majors on May 30th, but the impact he made was undeniable. 18 homers, 124 hits and 67 RBIs while batting .305. The 2010 rookie year class was loaded with talent to say the least. Perhaps moreso in the American League, however that’s not to say that he wouldn’t have won the award if he was in the AL just the same as you saw him fit for the title of NL ROY.
**2. **Jayson Heyward
**3. **Jaime Garcia
***Others receiving votes: *Gaby Sanchez
**AL Rookie of the Year: **Neftali Feliz
What a year for the Rangers’ rookie closer. Like Posey, he has also played a part in getting his team to the LCS. 40 saves in 43 opportunities and a 0.88 WHIP proved that even though he is just 22 years old, he welcomed the opportunity to have the baseball in his hand in the late innings when it mattered most. It was a very close vote with Feliz and our 2nd place candidate, but Feliz did just enough to be our favorite AL Rookie phenom.
**2. **Austin Jackson
**3. **Brennan Boesch
***Others receiving votes: *Danny Valencia, Wade Davis
* **AL Manager of the Year: *Joe Maddon
* As talented as the Rays are, not many expected them to be better than the Yankees and Red Sox, let alone have the best record in the AL. Certainly Boston had their fair share of injuries to help Tampa Bay’s cause, but most would choke down the stretch when in such close competition with the defending World Series Champion Yankees for the division crown. There were many deserving candidates for this award, but Joe Maddon’s ability to manage Tampa back to the AL’s elite team after a 2009 letdown which followed up their ‘08 World Series appearance makes him the slight favorite over the rest.*
**2. **Ron Washington
**3. **Ron Gardenhire
***Others receiving votes: *Buck Showalter
******NL Manager of the Year: **Dusty Baker
Maybe the only thing more surprising than the Reds winning 91 games and the NL Central, was San Diego’s season-long reign at the top of the NL West. But as we all know, the Padres sputtered in September and fell out of the playoffs. Which is why Dusty Baker narrowly beats out Bud Black for the NL skipper award. Baker silenced those who criticized his hire in Cincinnati last year by finishing 6 games ahead of the heavily favored Cardinals.
**2. **Bud Black
**3. **Bobby Cox
***Others receiving votes: *Bruce Bochy, Charlie Manuel
**NL Cy Young: **Roy Halladay
It comes as no surprise that Halladay is the winner of this award. What can be said about him that you don’t already know? He seems to get better with each passing year and in my book, he deserves MVP votes. With a 21-10 record, he pitched a career-high 219 strikeouts and nearly equalled his career-low ERA with .244 (.241 in ‘05 is his best). At age 33 his best years should probably be behind him, but he hasn’t missed a step. Not in the least. Adam Wainwright places a distant 2nd and Jimenez an even more distant 3rd after a remarkable pace at the start of the season that he just couldn’t keep going.
**2. **Adam Wainwright
**3. **Ubaldo Jimenez
***Others receiving votes: *Tim Hudson, Tim Lincecum
****AL Cy Young: **Felix Hernandez
The better pitcher clearly won this award. Not to take anything away from C.C. Sabathia’s great season, but it’s not always about wins and losses. The voters realized that Hernandez’s numbers with very little run support were amazing. Somehow, without said run support, he was able to finish 13-12 with a whopping 232 strikeouts. Not to mention a 2.27 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. King Felix was the only bright spot in a very disappointing season for Seattle.
**2. **C.C. Sabathia
**3. **David Price
***Others receiving votes: *Cliff Lee, Jon Lester
* ***AL Most Valuable Player: **Josh Hamilton
This was by far had the closest vote of all the awards, with Hamilton winning by a single point. He missed nearly 30 games, but obviously TSJ feels he did enough in the 133 he suited up for to make himself appear more dependable for the Rangers to be successful than any other AL players were to their respectful teams. It’s an award that could’ve gone any of 3 directions, including Cano and Cabrera. Each were deserving candidates and had a terrific season. Should be interesting to see who has the better series when 1 and 2 face off in the ALCS.
**2. **Robinson Cano
**3. **Miguel Cabrera
***Others receiving votes: *Jose Bautista
****NL Most Valuable Player: **Joey Votto
Things were a little more clearcut in the NL as far as who should be declared MVP. Joey Votto had a monster season, knocking out 37 homers and 113 RBIs. He also totaled 177 hits and scored 106 runs to lead the unlikely Reds to the NL Central Division pennant. Making the playoffs usually factors into the MVP award, so that surely cost Albert Pujols and Carlos Gonzalez some votes. Nonetheless, the right man won. Votto took the Reds further than anyone expected of them this season and he gets the recognition he deserves here.
**2. **Albert Pujols
**3. **Carlos Gonzalez
***Others receiving votes: *Roy Halladay
Overall, I think TSJ got it right. A special thanks to everyone who voted and to Zach Lambert who counted up the ballots. Hopefully we can do it again next year.