Awards: NL and AL Manager of the Year, AL Cy Young

Yesterday, Ron Gardenhire and Bud Black took home the AL and NL Manager of the Year Awards, respectively. Bud Black is no surprise, and a decision I agree with. He led a team of young players -- who were expected to finish last -- to a near-division title. The way he handled the bullpen, using each pitcher at just the right time, was most impressive. Had that bullpen been mishandled -- some relievers overworked and others not used enough -- they wouldn't all have the dazzling 2010 stats that they boast. What Black was able to do in spite of a relatively weak roster, was impressive.

I can understand sentiments of Giants fans who might be angry that Bruce Bochy didn't win the award, but it was voted upon before the postseason, and he was much more impressive during the postseason than he was in the regular season.

Ron Gardenhire comes as a surprise, but he deserves credit for managing the Twins to the best second-half record in baseball without Justin Morneau.

Meanwhile, Felix Hernandez took home the AL Cy Young Award, after leading the AL in ERA, finishing second in complete games, and finishing second in strikeouts.

BBWAA Awards Predictions and Schedule

According to BBWAA.com, the awards schedule is as follows:

AL and NL Rookie of the Year: Nov 15
NL Cy Young: Nov 16
AL and NL Manager of the Year: Nov 17
AL Cy Young: Nov 18
NL MVP: Nov 22
AL MVP: Nov 23

I guess I'd say I'm more excited for the awards then ever before...maybe because it will (hopefully) be the first of many awards for Buster Posey.

Anyway, I'll make some predictions on the winners here (just for kicks):

AL Rookie of the Year = Neftali Feliz
NL Rookie of the Year = Buster Posey
AL Manager of the Year = Ron Washington
NL Manager of the Year = Bud Black
AL Cy Young Award = Felix Hernandez
NL Cy Young Award = Roy Halladay
AL MVP = Josh Hamilton
NL MVP = Joey Votto

I'm pretty sure these are the exact award-winners as determined by the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. I'm guessing the Baseball Writers' Association of America will vote the same way. We'll see if I'm right...

BBA Awards Update: Walter Johnson Award

Roy Halladay

So far, the following BBA Awards have been announced:

Willie Mays Award:

NL - Buster Posey

AL - Neftali Feliz

Connie Mack Award:

NL - Bud Black

AL - Ron Washington

Goose Gossage Award: 

NL - Brian Wilson

AL - Rafael Soriano

Walter Johnson Award:
NL - Roy Halladay
AL - Felix Hernandez


HALLADAY, HERNANDEZ OVERWHELMING WINNERS OF WALTER JOHNSON AWARD


2010 was often referred to as “the year of the pitcher.” However, not all pitchers are created equal.

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance announced today that Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay was the unanimous selection for the National League Walter Johnson Award, receiving all nineteen first place votes. In the American League, Seattle’s Felix Hernandez was almost as dominant, garnering all but four of the first place selections from the BBA membership.

Halladay, who came over to Philadelphia in an off-season deal with Toronto, wasted no time getting comfortable in his new league, posting an 2.44 ERA, striking out 219 batters, winning 21 games, and throwing a perfect game to boot. While only the regular season was considered for voting, he also became only the second player to throw a post-season no-hitter when he faced the Reds in the National League Divisional Series. Halladay received 133 points, well ahead of the runner up, St. Louis’s Adam Wainwright, who received 66.

Hernandez’s win was statistically more impressive, due to more ballots being cast in the American League and a wider range of pitchers receiving votes. His 2010 season, where he put up a sparkling 2.27 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and struck out 232 in just under 250 innings pitched, led voters to bestow upon him 137 points, with second place being New York’s CC Sabathia, who received three first place votes and 62 points over all.

The complete voting results are as follows (first place votes in parenthesis):

American League
Felix Hernandez, Seattle (18) 137
CC Sabathia, New York (3) 62
David Price, Tampa Bay (1) 57
Cliff Lee, Seattle/Texas 41
Jered Weaver, Los Angeles 22
Jon Lester, Boston 18
Clay Buchholz, Boston 14
Francisco Liriano, Minnesota 13
Trevor Cahill, Oakland 5
Justin Verlander, Detroit 5

National League
Roy Halladay, Philadelphia (19) 133
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis 66
Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado 52
Josh Johnson, Florida 43
Tim Hudson, Atlanta 16
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco 7
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles 2
Mat Latos, San Diego 2
Heath Bell, San Diego 1
Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee 1

You can keep up-to-date with the Baseball Bloggers Alliance Awards by clicking on the
"BBA Awards" tab on this website.