MLB Awards Preview 2009

NL Cy Young
Johan Santana – In his first year in the National League, Johan Santana went 16-7 with a 2.53 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Ahead of him were Tim Lincecum and Brandon Webb. While Lincecum is young and should only get better, it will be very hard for him to repeat that success now that everyone has seen him. Brandon Webb was helped by his 22-7 record and simply isn’t on the level of Johan Santana. Expect Santana’s wins to increase with a reliable bullpen to hold his leads. Johan broke out in the second half of last season, going 8-0 with a 2.17 ERA after going 8-7 with a 2.84 ERA in the first half. I expect that with a year of National League pitching under his belt, Johan will continue his success from the second half and dominate the National League this year.
Dark Horse – Francisco Rodriguez, NYM

AL Cy Young
Roy Halladay – There is not a ton of competition for Halladay this year. The other obvious candidate is CC Sabathia. While Sabathia went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA after the trade to Milwaukee last year, that was in the National League, in a fairly weak hitting division. It will be difficult for Sabathia to perform consistently early in the season, as the media spotlight will sooner or later turn to him, as A-Rod will be absent for the first 7 weeks of the season. On the other hand, Halladay is one of the more consistent performers in the American League. He has pitched in the AL east his whole career and only twice in the past eight years has he had an ERA of over 3.25. While he likely won’t repeat his numbers from 2008 where he went 20-11 with a 2.78 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, he will still be the most consistently effective pitcher in the American League.
Dark Horse – Francisco Liriano, MIN

NL Most Valuable Player
Albert Pujols – In my eyes, Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball. He will put up around 40 HR, 120 RBI, 100 R, and be among the league leaders in batting average and on base percentage. Pujols is also defensively solid, as he won a Gold Glove in 2006. Pujols is the cornerstone of a Cardinals team that has the opportunity to make a run at the NL Central crown, and he will be recognized as such. The other thing in his favor is that there should be no suspicion of steroid usage. Pujols is an honest competitor and a great person off the field, which will help him in voting.
Dark Horse – Chase Utley, PHI

AL Most Valuable Player
Mark Teixeira – In the monstrous Yankee lineup, Teixeira could have a massive year. Media coverage will be lax compared to normal due to the A-Rod situation and addition of AJ Burnett and big-name CC Sabathia. After moving to the big Angels lineup last year, Teixeira had 13 HR with 43 RBI in 54 games, while hitting .358/.449/.632. Expect big numbers again this year, along the lines of 30 HR, 120 RBI, and .300/.415/.570.
Dark Horse – Grady Sizemore, CLE

Other Various Awards
NL Rookie of the Year – Dexter Fowler, COL
AL Rookie of the Year – David Price, TB/Matt Wieters, BAL – Whomever spends more time in the majors.
NL Manager of the Year – Tony LaRussa, STL
AL Manager of the Year – Joe Girardi, NYY
Biggest Individual Surprise, NL – Carlos Delgado, NYM
Biggest Individual Surprise, AL – Kevin Slowey, MIN
Biggest Individual Disappointment, NL – Yovani Gallardo, MIL
Biggest Individual Disappointment, AL – Jonathan Papelbon, BOS
Biggest Team Surprise, NL – San Francisco Giants
Biggest Team Surprise, AL – Kansas City Royals
Biggest Team Disappointment, NL – Milwaukee Brewers
Biggest Team Disappointment, AL – Boston Red Sox