Throwdowns > Closed

fvkasm2x said 07/17, 09:50 PM
Let's talk about the AL & NL awards now that there have been some injuries to key players this week.

I have 2 crystal balls. I'm letting you hold one. Now if we each rub my balls, what do we see?

AL MVP: This might be the toughest choice of the bunch. Several great candidates. I'll go with Robinson Cano.

Cano could break the record for HR by a 2nd baseman (43 by Davey Johnson) as well as become only the 3rd 2nd baseman with 90 extra base hits (Rogers Hornsby) or more than 360 total bases (Hornsby).

NL MVP: Andrew McCutchen

Votto just got put on the DL. Not only is he the leader for the award right now (IMO), the Pirates currently trail the Reds by 1 game for the division. The Pirates can take that lead and Andrew can continue hitting the ball. That makes for a great year at the plate for a guy on a team that is FINALLY relevant again.

AL Cy Young: Chris Sale

Another tough decision, but he is such a pleasant surprise, I think he'll get some votes for that as well. Big name or not, he's a contender.

NL Cy Young: Dickey

Never thought I'd have a TD where I say "rub my balls" and Dickey in the same argument.

fvkasm2x said 07/17, 11:04 PM
Sabathia? No way was I expecting that.

Verlander and Weaver are both having better seasons (as is Sale). Heck, even David Price is.

Sabathia is 5th best as of right now (at best) and missed just about 3 weeks due to injury. It was his first trip to the DL, could it be sign of things to come? Perhaps his big frame is finally catching up to him?



Let's look at some key numbers/rankings for Sabathia this year:

ERA - 10th

Wins - 8th (tie)

WHIP - 18th

Opp. BA - 26th

Some of the Cy Young favorites with a better WHIP and lower Opp. BA ??

Weaver, Sale, Price and Verlander

Oh, and all 4 of those guys have more wins and a better ERA

In short, Sabathia doesn't lead the 4 other guys in any relevant category. Do you really think he is going to make up that much ground in the next 2 months to take the lead in voting? I don't.

Hamilton, however, is a great choice. I was trying to decide between him, Cano and Trout.

The reason I went with Cano though, is that he is on pace to break records. Arguably the best 2B of all time (Hornsby) holds those records and they are very old. That holds weight for voters and they will give him the nod.

fvkasm2x said 07/18, 10:40 PM
Sabathia IS a dominant pitcher. But that's fairly irrelevant. We're talking about who we think will win the awards.

Not who is great.

Now who deserves it as of today.

Who will end up winning it?

Sabathia will not. He hasn't been better than several pitchers so far this year. Picking him over Price, Verlander and Weaver is crazy. I'm going with Sale because he's got the numbers to match/beat these other guys... plus he is fairly "random" and playing for a 1st place team.

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Hamilton is doing what, exactly... that nobody else has done? I missed your point. What didn't Aaron, babe or Williams do that Hamilton has done this year?

If Cano breaks records, that counts for something. Hamilton is not going to break any records. If their numbers are fairly close and the teams are both in first... you have to give the nod to a guy who breaks records by Hornsby. They've stood that long for a reason.