Lee, Halladay Top Award Choices

It’s the end of another baseball season again. Time to get psyched for the playoffs, rake some leaves — and argue like mad over awards choices.Before I present my picks for league MVP awards (as well as Cy Young and Rookie of the Year), a note about my methodology.I don’t penalize players for playing on nonplayoff teams, at least not significantly. If the choice comes down to two similarly qualified candidates, give me the one going to the playoffs. Otherwise, “Most Valuable” to me simply means “providing the most value,” otherwise known as “best.” If a player (let’s call him Albert Pujols) outperforms everyone else in the league by a wide margin but misses the playoffs because his team’s general manager didn’t bother acquiring viable everyday middle infielders (let’s call them Cesar Izturis and Adam Kennedy), that’s not the player’s fault.Also, I have zero interest in storyline. Carlos Delgado was hitting below the Mendoza Line for a chunk of the first half and .228 after three months, raising suggestions that the Mets should simply dump him. He’s redeemed himself with a big second half, which has netted out to a solid season. He gets exactly zero bonus points for doing this. While we’re here, a player’s contributions matter on April 26 just as much as they matter on September 26. That means Delgado, Ryan Howard, and others don’t get a huge bump for putting up big numbers late in the year. After all, if they were producing all season long, their teams would already be in the playoffs, instead of fighting tooth and nail to get in this weekend.Finally, traditional context-dependent statistics mean virtually nothing to me. Francisco Rodriguez, Brandon Webb, and Howard are all very good players. But much of what inflated their saves, wins, and RBI totals, respectively, were the efforts of their teammates. I’d sooner look at numbers that don’t rely nearly as much on context in picking awards.NL MVP1. Albert Pujols Leads the league in slugging percentage and OPS, second in on-base percentage, second in batting average, second in homers. Also leads the league in more advanced categories such as Value Over Replacement Player. No player on a contending team comes close.2. Lance Berkman Sticking with advanced stats, he leads the pack in Win Shares and Win Probability Added, to name two. If not for his late slump, he’d be a viable first-place pick (and yes, that slump could’ve happened any time and would’ve had the same effect).3. Hanley Ramirez A shortstop who hits like a first baseman. Granted, his defense is below average for the position, but the mere fact that he can hold his own out there has immense value — just as Derek Jeter did all those years that he tore the cover off the ball but couldn’t reach balls hit to his left.Honorable Mention: David Wright, Chipper Jones, Jose Reyes, Tim LincecumAL MVP1. Cliff Lee Here’s another voting criterion of mine — I have no qualms about picking a pitcher for MVP and don’t buy the argument that pitchers have their own award. In a down year for megaperformances among position players, Lee’s big year (22-3, league-leading 2.54 ERA, or tops in the league in VORP, take your pick) takes the prize.2. Roy Halladay Ditto, except he’s just behind Lee.3. Joe Mauer A .327 average and .413 OBP from a starting catcher who plays more than anyone else at his position? Yes, please. Here’s a case where a small bonus is awarded for helping his team into playoff contention, since Grady Sizemore is a comparable candidate, value-wise.Honorable Mention: Grady Sizemore, Dustin Pedroia, Alex Rodriguez, Kevin YoukilisNL Cy Young1. Tim Lincecum Brandon Webb’s 22 wins are fine and all, but Lincecum beats him in every other stat that matters, traditional or advanced.2. Johan Santana Only a lack of run support and bullpen support — plus possibly some overheated expectations — have kept Santana out of the Cy Young discussion. But strip out context-dependent wins and he’s been better than Webb and most everyone else in the league.3. Cole Hamels More innings pitched, fewer runs allowed, tougher ballpark than Webb’s. Another great performer who’s lost in a sea of talented teammates.Honorable Mention: Brad Lidge, Brandon Webb, Dan HarenAL Cy Young1. Cliff Lee What’s good for the MVP is good for the Cy Young.2. Roy Halladay Ditto.3. Ervin Santana There’s a huge gap between the top two and the rest of the league, such that a half-dozen other pitchers could’ve claimed this spot. Santana gets the slight nod for consistent success with a big workload (213.1 IP).Honorable Mention: Jon Lester, John Danks, Daisuke MatsuzakaAnd the quickie picks for Rookie of the Year:NL: 1. Geovanny Soto (by a landslide), 2. Jair Jurrjens 3. Hiroki KurodaAL: 1. Evan Longoria, 2. Armando Galarraga 3. Joba ChamberlainMr. Keri (jonahkeri@gmail.com) is a writer for ESPN.com’s Page 2.

Lee, Halladay Top Award Choices

Lee, Halladay Top Award Choices

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