Posey, Rodney win Comeback POY awards

Today the MLB announced the winners of the Comeback Player of the Year awards. The NL winner is Buster Posey of the Giants, and the AL winner is Fernando Rodney of the Rays. 

Fernando Rodney

Rodney had 48 saves in 50 chances in 2012, and also had a record-setting 0.60 ERA. He also had a 0.78 WHIP with 76 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings. 

Analysis: Rodney definitely deserved this award, but I hope that he didn't unanimously win. There were a few candidates whom I thought deserved to win, such as Adam Dunn, Jake Peavy, or Joe Mauer, but they weren't mentioned. Anyway, Rodney had a great year, and it is funny that basically no one mentioned that he had the lowest ERA (relief pitchers only) in baseball history, which is quite a feat. Now I don't know if steroids helped him, or if he magically found someone in his delivery that made him a better pitcher. Either way, he was a horrible pitcher last year, and in 2012 he just comes out to have an amazing season. It sounds a little suspicious, am I right?

Buster Posey

Posey hit .336 with 24 homers and 103 RBI in 148 games with San Francisco in 2012. He missed most of the 2011 season due to a broken leg that he suffered during a home plate collision with Scott Cousins, who was on the Marlins at the time. Posey is also being considered as the front-runner for the NL MVP.

Analysis: I honestly expected Posey to come back and have a respectable season, but he had a fantastic season. I didn't realize his batting average was so high, and he is really emerging as a leader for the Giants. I really hope that they don't switch him to first base, because he is a natural catcher and that kind of collision can happen to anyone. However, I'm a big fan of Hector Sanchez (backup catcher), so if they do move Posey to first base, at least they have a good replacement. Anyway, Posey is obviously well deserving of this award, and hopefully he continues to have this success for years to come. 

Miguel Cabrera wins Triple Crown

Tigers' third baseman Miguel Cabrera has become the first player in 45 years to win the Triple Crown, leading the American League this season in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.

Cabrera finished the 2012 season with 44 home runs, 139 RBI, and a .330 batting average. The last player to win the Triple Crown was Carl Yaztremski in 1967 with the Red Sox. Many former players have had a lot of great things to say about Cabrera, including Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley.

"I think Cabrera's focus has been on his team and winning, not concerns for himself.  Playing for your team and having great numbers is an incredible feat,” Eckersley said.

Manager Jim Leyland also had some very nice things to say about his third-baseman.

"No matter what happens, there are absolutely no flaws in Miguel Cabrera's season. None. Period. End of story," Leyland said.

Analysis: The Triple Crown is something that I've never seen in my lifetime before this, and it is very very rare. I'm happy for Cabrera because he is one of the games elite hitters, and just like Leyland said, he doesn't have any flaws. He is a force to be reckoned with and is certainly making a strong case for the Hall of Fame down the road. Anyway, Congratulations to Cabrera and hopefully he continues his success with the Tigers in the post-season.  

AL Comeback Player of the year talk

There have been a lot of players this year who are having great comeback seasons and I figured I would create a discussion seeing who you, the readers, think will win the Comeback player of the year award in the American League.

These players are definitely worthy of mentioning: 

Jake Peavy: Everyone, including myself, probably thought that Peavy was washed up before the season began. He definitely had a lot to prove and is pitching like an ace this year. He has battled injuries in the past but he has always had the great selection of pitches. If the White Sox weren't contending this year I'd say they would look to trade him. 2012 stats so far: 6-3 win loss record, 2.74 ERA, 3 complete games, 83 strikeouts, 14 games started. 

Adam Dunn: Dunn had an awful season last year and absolutely no one thought he would bounce back. He is my favorite to win this award because he is hitting home runs practically every day. His batting average is still terrible however. 2012 stats so far: 23 home runs, 52 RBI, 54 walks, 109 strikeouts, 68 games played.

Joe Mauer: Mauer played in 82 games for the Twins last season and played pretty well. The only reason he is being mentioned in this article is because he missed a large part of last year because of several injury problems. 2012 stats so far: .314 batting average, 69 hits, 60 games played.

Obviously there will be more players involved. Leave a comment below and let me know who you think will win the award. Thanks. 

Rookie of the Year talk

There have been plenty of rookies this year that are deserving of the rookie of the year award, most notably the incredibly popular Bryce Harper and the Angels' outfielder Mike Trout. In this article I am going to analyze a bunch of rookies who are producing this season and could possibly be in conversation about the ROY award.
Lets start out with the American League:


Yoenis Cespedes: The Cuban defector has 6 home runs and a .273 batting average. If he heats up, he'll most certainly be in the running for the award.

Will Middlebrooks: Middlebrooks has had an awesome year and is threatening Youkilis' job at third base. He is hitting .290 with 6 home runs.

Jesus Montero: Montero was the early favorite to win the Rookie of the year award but his batting average is not as high as people expected it to be. He is hitting .266 with 7 home runs.

Mike Trout: Ah, Mike Trout. This star in the making is hitting .341 with 6 home runs. He is a five tool player and will be a cornerstone player in the Angels' future. He is my favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award for the American League.

Wei-Yin Chen: The Orioles took a gamble on Chen in the off-season, and their gamble is definitely paying off. Chen is keeping the Orioles' rotation afloat and will certainly be a popular candidate to win the award if he keeps us his good work. His stats are: 6-2 win loss record, 3.68 ERA, 12 games started.

Ryan Cook: Yes, I know relief pitchers rarely win the Rookie of the year award but Cook has been just simply playing too well and I just had to put him on this list. Cook has a 0.64 ERA in 26 games pitched and is serving as the Athletics' setup man. He could eventually emerge as the teams closer.

Yu Darvish: Ah, one of the biggest gambles of the off-season. Darvish has silenced his critics and has proven that he can succeed in the MLB. He is 7-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 12 starts. He also has 77 strikeouts.

Jarrod Parker: Parker was the main piece involved in the Cahill trade and he has not disappointed at all since arriving in Oakland. He is 3-3 (getting no run support) with a 2.82 ERA in 10 games started.

Ok now its time for the National League


Yonder Alonso: Alonso has some serious power and is capable of hitting at least 25 HR's in a season. He is hitting .260 with 6 bombs so far but I expect him to heat up.

Norichika Aoki: Another Japanese signing and it was the Brewers this time who took the gamble. Aoki is hitting .297 and is starting to get some more playing time.

Zack Cosart: Cosart was a popular candidate to win this award before the season started but he's had a rough go of it so far. Besides hitting 7 home runs, he has hit for a weak batting average of .255. I expect him to bounce back because he does seem like the real deal.

Bryce Harper: How could I leave out Harper? The guy has been raking ever since he got promoted a few weeks into the season. He is hitting .303 with 7 home runs. He also has a great arm and its very possible that he may win a gold glove as well.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis: Kirk has fantastic all year long. He is hitting .298 with 5 home runs. He has had an injury history in the minor leagues so that is something that could be concerning.

Wade Miley: Miley has been great for the Diamondbacks this season. He has a 7-3 win loss record with a 2.39 ERA. Lets see if he can keep up his dominant performances.

Ok thats it.... Leave a comment below and let me know who you think will win the two awards. Also, if I left anyone out let me know.