Below is the All-Decade team for the NL. I apologize for the lack of commentary, however as I've mentioned before being an AL owner I find it tough to stay on top of all the NL players. I have done my best to include all the NL team names that a player has played for. However, for obvious reasons I'm sure I've missed a few teams. I apologize if I missed your team.
Please note I had to lean on All-Star appearances and Silver Sluggers since you can't sort stats for a career via position. I know this does lead to some flaws. Additionally, please note players that split time behind the AL and NL are disadvantaged when naming an all-decade team for a specific league.
Without further ado.
Starting Lineup
SP- Kevin Coleman-Heartworms/Mets/Shockers/Heartworms (3-time All-Star, 3 Cy Young & 1 Silver Slugger)
SP- Shawn Owen- Clydesdales/Caesars/Studdabubbas (5-time All-Star, 2 Cy Young & 2 Silver Slugger)
SP- Mark Meng- Clydesdales (3-time All-Star)
CL- Miguel Bennett-FatNasty (4-time All-Star & 3 Fireman of the Year)
SetA- Eddie Perez- Hartworms (4-time All-Star & 1 Fireman of the Year)
C- Sammy Moraga-FatNasty (5-time All-Star & 3 Silver Slugger)
1b – Rich Peters- Baydogs (All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove + All-Star and
Silver Slugger @ RF+ Will be 3rd player to 500 HR)
2b- Lonny Iglesias- Blasters/Mule Deer (3 All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger + Silver Slugger & Gold Glove @ LF + First player to 500 HR)
SS- Erubiel Johnson- Blasters (4-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
3b- Angel Bolivar- TCB (4-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger, 2 Gold Glove & 1 MVP + 2-time All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger @ SS)
LF- Albert Henley- Loose Sluts/Blasters/Mormons/FatNasty (5-time Allstar, 4 Silver Slugger & 2 MVP + Silver Slugger & 1 Gold Glove @ 2b)
CF- Garrett Biggio-TCB (6-time All-Star, 8 Silver Slugger, 1 Gold Glove & 1 MVP)
RF- Frank Zhang-Blasters (4-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger, 2 MVP & ROY)
Bench
SP- Ivan Miller- Clydesdales (3-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & Cy Young)
SP- Charles Lawton -Clydesdales/Shockers ( 3-time All-Star)
SP-Andruw Allen-FatNasty/Blasters/ Studdabubbas (4-time All-Star)
SP- Lew Drabek- Shockers/Mormons (3-time All-Star)
Long - Jumbo Urbina- Blasters (4-time All-Star & Cy Young)
RP- Hipolito Guillen- MooseDawg (3-time All-Star & Fire Man of the Year)
RP- Ross Kingston- Nickels (4-time All-Star)
C- Roy Christenson-Loose Sluts/Tomato Can/Gamblers (3-time All-Star & 3 Silver Slugger)
1b- Brace Starr-Blasters (3-time All-Star & 1 Silver Slugger)
2b- Frank Perez-Torpedoes/Scrotums/Mets (1-time All-Star & 2 Silver Sluggers)
SS- Steve Parker- Brain Sandwiches/Clydesdales (2-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
3b- J.P. Mercedes-Blasters (3-time All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
LF- James Hayashi- Shockers/Blasters (2-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & MVP + Silver Slugger & All-Star @ 1b)
CF- Andrew Wright- Blasters/Clydesdales (3-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger, Gold Glove & MVP)
RF- Erubiel Molina- Clydesdales/Caesars (6-time All-Star, 3 Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
Snubs
SP- Benito Bonilla-Metropolitans (3-time All-Star & 1 Cy Young)
RP- Ahmad Beltre- Waves/Shockers (3-time All-Star)
SP- Vic Guardado- FatNasty/Shockers/Blasters (2-time All-Star & 1 Cy Young)
RP- Vance Davidson –Blasters (2-time All-Star)
C- Taylor Griffiths- Clydesdales (2-time All-Star & Silver Slugger)
C- Buddy Valentine- Blasters (All-Star & 2 Gold Gloves)
1b- Ned Aldridge- Mormons (2-time All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
2b- Kelvin Croushore- Blasters (All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger)
SS- Eduardo Gonzalez- Blasters (2 All-Star & 2 Silver Slugger + All-Star @ 2nd)
3b- Josh Kroon- Hashies (2 All-Star & 3 Silver Slugger)
Lf- Buddy Krivda- Wranglers/Flyers 2 All-Star, Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
Cf- Jason Hutton- Blasters/Mets (3-time All-Star)RF- Trevor Thomas- Flyers (2-time All-Star, 2 Silver Slugger & Gold Glove)
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
All-Time AL Records
Wins
1 S.F. 1061
2 Washington 1011
3 Louisville 991
4 Burlington/Philly 924
5 Pawtucket/Minnesota 907
Runs Scored
1 Louisville 10463
2 Washington 10224
3 Arizona/Boise/Salem 9884
4 Pawtucket/Minnesota 9485
Runs given Up (Best)
1 SF 6421
2 Washington 7682
3 Louisville 7862
4 Burlington/Philly 8026
Division Titles
T-1 Washington 9
T-1 Louisville 9
T-1 S.F 9
T-2 Pawtucket/Minnesota 7
Playoff Appearances
T-1 Washington 10
T-1 S.F. 10
T-1 Louisville 10
T-4 Pawtucket/Minnesota 7
T-4 Burlington/Philly 7
Seasons Played
T-1 Washington 10
T-1 Burlington 10
T-1 Louisville 10
T-1 S.F. 10
T-1 Atlanta 10
T-1 Texas 10
Biggest Improvement
T-1 Rochester/Cleveland +34W (S3-S4)
T-1 New Britian +34W (S8-S9)
2 Arizona/Salem/Boise +32W (S2-S3)
T-4 Kansas City/Pawtucket +22W (S3-S4)
T-4 S.F. +22W (S5-S6)
Division Wins
AL South 3415
AL West 3310
AL East 3225
AL North 2884
ALCS Appearances
1 Washington 5
T-2 San Fran 4
T-2 Louisville 4
4 Burlington/Philly 2
T-5 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
T-5 Atlanta 1
World Series Appearance
T-1 S.F. 3
T-1 Washington 3
T-3 Burlington 1
T-3 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
T-3 Louisville 1
World Series Titles
1 Washington 3
2 S.F. 2
3 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
1 S.F. 1061
2 Washington 1011
3 Louisville 991
4 Burlington/Philly 924
5 Pawtucket/Minnesota 907
Runs Scored
1 Louisville 10463
2 Washington 10224
3 Arizona/Boise/Salem 9884
4 Pawtucket/Minnesota 9485
Runs given Up (Best)
1 SF 6421
2 Washington 7682
3 Louisville 7862
4 Burlington/Philly 8026
Division Titles
T-1 Washington 9
T-1 Louisville 9
T-1 S.F 9
T-2 Pawtucket/Minnesota 7
Playoff Appearances
T-1 Washington 10
T-1 S.F. 10
T-1 Louisville 10
T-4 Pawtucket/Minnesota 7
T-4 Burlington/Philly 7
Seasons Played
T-1 Washington 10
T-1 Burlington 10
T-1 Louisville 10
T-1 S.F. 10
T-1 Atlanta 10
T-1 Texas 10
Biggest Improvement
T-1 Rochester/Cleveland +34W (S3-S4)
T-1 New Britian +34W (S8-S9)
2 Arizona/Salem/Boise +32W (S2-S3)
T-4 Kansas City/Pawtucket +22W (S3-S4)
T-4 S.F. +22W (S5-S6)
Division Wins
AL South 3415
AL West 3310
AL East 3225
AL North 2884
ALCS Appearances
1 Washington 5
T-2 San Fran 4
T-2 Louisville 4
4 Burlington/Philly 2
T-5 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
T-5 Atlanta 1
World Series Appearance
T-1 S.F. 3
T-1 Washington 3
T-3 Burlington 1
T-3 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
T-3 Louisville 1
World Series Titles
1 Washington 3
2 S.F. 2
3 Scottsdale/Seattle 1
Friday, December 12, 2008
Top 10 Free Agent Signings of S10
It's been a "decade" of great baseball in Hunter World. Season 10 lived up to the hype and provided a lot of fierce competition. Let's take a look back at the ten most effective free agent signings of S10.
It's been a "decade" of great baseball in Hunter World. Season 10 lived up to the hype and provided a lot of fierce competition. Let's take a look back at the ten most effective free agent signings of S10.
- Shawn Owen SP Pittsburgh- Who would have thought the signing of a 38 y.o. starter would make such an impact on a team? Owen gave the pitching starved Studdabubbas a huge boost, going 18-7 with a nifty 3.35 ERA in 193.1 IP. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Owen went down in Game 2 of the opening round of the playoffs. The flip side of having an old ace.
- Rodrigo Brito 3B/2B Pittsburgh- Hmmm, no wonder Pittsburgh won their division. A second shrewd signing was Brito, who manned 3B most of the year, but played a little 2b as well. Brito powered his way to a .951 OPS. If you like conventional stats, then a .299 AVG with 34 HR and 115 RBI should get your attention.
- Juan Gonzalez SP Cleveland- Gonzalez is no stranger to glory, having pitched for 7 seasons in the San Francisco machine. The Moosedawg shrewdly signed this wily veteran, who responded by posting a 15-10 mark with a 3.68 ERA in 220 IP. Cleveland, not coincidentally, is one of the 2 NL wild card representatives.
- Frank Funaki 2B Chicago- Here's a case of Pittsburgh letting a good one slip away. Funaki was signed by the Fire to man 2B and turned in an iron man performance, playing 162 games. He hit .301 with 36 HR and 119 RBI with a .874 OPS. The Fire struggled with their pitching again, but that wasn't Funaki's fault.
- Mendy Montana CF Philadelphia- The Black Sox were very active in the FA market this year and snagged some solid players. Tops on the list is Montana. For a bargain price, Montana hit .283 with 29HR and 112 RBI. An .828 OPS from CF is nothing to sneeze at.
- Phillip Mercedes 2B Philadelphia- What's that? Another Philly signing? Pennsylvania really raked in the free agents this season. Mercedes was also signed for a bargain price and played 2B for the Sox, hitting for an .819 OPS with 33 HR and 100 RBI.
- Mel Bush SP Helena- Don't let the mediocre record fool you. Bush turned in a fine season for the Hashies, posting a 3.89 ERA in 192 IP to go with his 11-10 record. Helena had a rough year and it's the last for original Hunter owner tbook. We'll miss him.
- Philip Bellinger SP Atlanta- Bellinger is a 35 yo veteran with a track record of success, so it's no surprise he jumped right into his role as Atlanta's #4 starter with a fine season 10. Bellinger went 17-9 with a 4.44 ERA in 194.2 innings. The stability he brought to the bottom of Atlanta's rotation helped return the Cheese Grits to the playoffs for the first time since Season 5.
- Harry Castro SP Los Angeles- Castro has spent most of his career as a reliever, but this season he took his regular turn in LA's rotation and had a fine season, going 11-7 with a 2.95 ERA in 180 IP. He really had a better season than Bellinger, but Atlanta's trip to the playoffs meant Bellinger had more of an impact. Still, you can't take anything away from Castro.
- Homer Busby RP Cleveland- We would be remiss if we didn't include at least one relief pitcher. Busby is an old hat at 38, but Cleveland used his diminishing skills wisely, deploying him out of the bullpen. Busby posted a 2.65 ERA in 71 IP as the Moosedawg's main setup man.
S10 - NL MVP, Cy Young and ROY awards
NL MVP
This comes down to Frank Zhang vs. Yamid Molina. Molina best Zhang in (HR and RBI) however pales in AVG and OPS. Zhang candidacy is always tough to determine as, you do have to factor in his home park. With that said a .372 average and 1.300 + OPS is too much to ignore especially considering he did still hit 64 HR.
Pick: Frank Zhang (Col)
NL Cy Young
This one has no clear cut winner and several intriguing candidates. I am against relievers as Cy Young’s unless they have an utterly dominant season or there is a complete dearth of SP candidates, so that rules out Davison. York did fit under the utterly dominant category but I can’t value 66 IP over the 200+ provided by the 3 starter candidates. Out of the three starters Bonilla was the best leading the candidates in IP, ERA and K’s and only falling 2 W’s behind the other candidates (Owen and Gordon).
Pick: B. Bonilla (NY)
AL ROY
This one really comes down to Redding (SF) vs. Demarlee (Lou/Sal) since Demarlee clearly trumps all other hitting candidates. Demarlee’s stat line of 47 HR 115 RBI .307 is too tough to ignore considering it was borderline MVP candidate. A good back story on Demarlee is he was drafted by Lou and then traded to SF. I realized my mistake and attempted to trade back for him for two seasons without success. He was then dealt to Salem, at this point I re-doubled my efforts to get him back, before finally succedding with what was probably my 20th offer for the Slugger. For the season Demarlee was a member of 3 organizations.
Pick: Demarlee (Lou/Sal/SF)
NL ROY
I found this one a very difficult one to sort out in the end it came down to Reyes (SLC), Keagle (Col) and Santiago (SJ). Keagle’s hitting numbers were beyond impressive however, his home park did come into my thought process especially considering he only he .273 in Coors, had he played in a neutral park that would have been closer to .250. Although I did think it would be fun to watch Radek’s head explode if he picked him as ROY, I just couldn’t pull the trigger.
So in the end it came down to a battle of two pitchers Reyes and his 200 IP vs. Santiago and his 120 IP. Typically, I place a huge premium on IP especially if the rest of their stats are comparable. However, Santiago’s 13-0 in an extreme hitters park did give me cause to waver. In the end I had to go with Reyes who ERA was only slightly higher than Santiago but pitched 80 more innings.
Pick: David Reyes (SLC)
This comes down to Frank Zhang vs. Yamid Molina. Molina best Zhang in (HR and RBI) however pales in AVG and OPS. Zhang candidacy is always tough to determine as, you do have to factor in his home park. With that said a .372 average and 1.300 + OPS is too much to ignore especially considering he did still hit 64 HR.
Pick: Frank Zhang (Col)
NL Cy Young
This one has no clear cut winner and several intriguing candidates. I am against relievers as Cy Young’s unless they have an utterly dominant season or there is a complete dearth of SP candidates, so that rules out Davison. York did fit under the utterly dominant category but I can’t value 66 IP over the 200+ provided by the 3 starter candidates. Out of the three starters Bonilla was the best leading the candidates in IP, ERA and K’s and only falling 2 W’s behind the other candidates (Owen and Gordon).
Pick: B. Bonilla (NY)
AL ROY
This one really comes down to Redding (SF) vs. Demarlee (Lou/Sal) since Demarlee clearly trumps all other hitting candidates. Demarlee’s stat line of 47 HR 115 RBI .307 is too tough to ignore considering it was borderline MVP candidate. A good back story on Demarlee is he was drafted by Lou and then traded to SF. I realized my mistake and attempted to trade back for him for two seasons without success. He was then dealt to Salem, at this point I re-doubled my efforts to get him back, before finally succedding with what was probably my 20th offer for the Slugger. For the season Demarlee was a member of 3 organizations.
Pick: Demarlee (Lou/Sal/SF)
NL ROY
I found this one a very difficult one to sort out in the end it came down to Reyes (SLC), Keagle (Col) and Santiago (SJ). Keagle’s hitting numbers were beyond impressive however, his home park did come into my thought process especially considering he only he .273 in Coors, had he played in a neutral park that would have been closer to .250. Although I did think it would be fun to watch Radek’s head explode if he picked him as ROY, I just couldn’t pull the trigger.
So in the end it came down to a battle of two pitchers Reyes and his 200 IP vs. Santiago and his 120 IP. Typically, I place a huge premium on IP especially if the rest of their stats are comparable. However, Santiago’s 13-0 in an extreme hitters park did give me cause to waver. In the end I had to go with Reyes who ERA was only slightly higher than Santiago but pitched 80 more innings.
Pick: David Reyes (SLC)
S10 - AL MVP and Cy Young awards
This season I am evaluating the five AL MVP’s and Cy Young candidates and placing them in the order I’d put them on my ballot. I am also going to name two honourable mentions, the best two players that were not on the final candidates list. Please note this write-up was completed after 161 games.
AL MVP
1. Magglio Javier (Louisville): 114 R (11th), 44 HR (T-9 ), 135 RBI (3rd), .319 AVG (6th), .986 OPS (T-9)I must say this was by far the toughest year to pick AL MVP’s. You could make a case for Purcell, Guerreo, Javier or Cox as the MVP. Their stats across the board are extremely similar. What clinched Javier as the MVP (no it wasn’t that he’s on my team), was the fact he was the only candidate to make the playoffs. With everything else being so equal that worked as a tiebreaker. Additionally, Javier was also only one of two candidates to rank in the top 10 of the 5 major categories (was 11th in the 5th).If Javier were to win this would tie him with Lou Stevenson for the most MVP’s overall (5) and give him the lead for most AL MVP’s, which he currently shares with Stevenson at (4).
2. Ozzie Purcell (Sco): 123 R (2nd), 53 HR (2nd), 113 RBI (14th), .268 AVG (NR), .997 OPS (6th)Purcell had a fantastic year and I’m not going to penalize him for a low average since he did still manage to generate a great OBP. He lead all MVP candidates with 53 HRs which was good enough for him to grab the 2nd spot.
3. Sean Guerreo (Tex): 122 R (T-3), 46 HR (T-6), 118 RBI (T-9), .308 AVG (T-9), .968OPS (11th)Texas just missed the playoffs, had Guerreo powered the Beefeaters into the playoffs he would have valuated to number 2 on this list. He like Javier was top 10 in four categories and was 11th in the 5th.
4. Braden Cox (Pawtucket): 109 R (14th), 46 HR (T-6), 110 RBI (T-16), .303 AVG (16th), .996 OPS (6th)Cox stats were just behind his peers. He did best the top 4 in OPS, however he was 4th in R and RBI’s. He was the only member of the top 4 to finish 4th in two categories.
5. Glenn McCarty (Tex): 113 R (T-12), 19 HR (NR), 79 RBI (NR), .357 AVG (1st), 1.001 OPS (4th)No offense to McCarty but despite the .357 AVG he had no business being in the top 5. As he ranked well outside of the top 25 in both HR and RBI’s. There were several more deserving candidates to take the 5th spot. This nomination once again reflects WIS’ skew towards average over power.
Honorable Mention:
Alridge/Herdnadez (Atl): Both Atlanta players had fantastic years, however they came over from the NL half-way through the season but their totals would have been right among the top AL players. It will be interesting to see how they perform over a full year in the AL. Unlike real ML baseball, the AL is more of a pitchers league especially with respect to parks compared to the NL league which is definitely more hitter friendly.
Jamie Cashman (Tex): 113 R (13th), 62 HR (1st) , 152 RBI (1st), ..276 (NR), .938 OPS (14th)Cashmen fell to WIS’s distain for averages below .300. He would have been a much better candidate than his teammate McCarty especially considering the fact he lead the league in HR and RBI’s. I will admit I am glad he got snubbed because his inclusion would have only further muddied the water of the rankings above.
AL Felipe Bournigal Award:
1. Pete Daly (SF): 257 IP (1st), 17 W (T-5), 244 K (1st) , 3.12 ERA (5th)For the first time since I started doing the award rankings I will cast my Cy Young vote for pitcher not name Bouringal. In the end it came down to Meng and Daly for the top spot. The additional 14 IP (2 starts worth of innings) and 77 K’s outweighed 2 W and .09 ERA. Daly was the more dominant pitcher and gave his team the most innings in the league.
2. Mark Meng (Sco): 243 IP (2nd), 19 W (T-2), 177 K (5th), 3.03 ERA (4th)Meng vs. Bournigal was extremely close as they tied for W and were only 4 K’s apart. However, the extra 49 IP (or seven starts worth of innings) carries more value to myself than the difference in ERA as Meng going deeper and more often would most definitely improve Scottsdales entire team ERA and health.
3. Felipe Bournigal (SF): 194 IP (T-22), 19 W (T-2), 173 K (6th), 2.18 ERA (1st)Every run must come to an end and injuries and loss of stamina have finally caught up to Bournigal. What I mean by that is he’s no longer CLEARLY the best pitcher in the world. He’s simply one of the top 3. Had Bournigal got to 220 IP and keep his ERA sub 2.25, he would have been my choice.
4. Gene Fitzgerald (Lou): 223 IP (6th), 22 W (1st), 157 K (T-16), 3.87 ERA (17th)14 starts into the season when Fitzgerald was 11-1, I had delusions that it might be a Slugger pitcher that would knock off Bournigal. Obviously, that will not be the case. Fitzgerald had a great season but was clearly not in the league of the top 3 although he did manage to lead the AL in win’s.
5. Jose Diaz (Tex): 230 IP (4th), 18 W (4th), 184 K (T-3), 4.08 ERA (18th)Solid across the board (top 5 in three categories), however a 4+ ERA doesn’t scream Cy Young. Diaz is a young pitcher who continues to improve, I would expect him to be a top 5 fixture for years to come.
Honourable Mention:
Elvis Ogea (Wash)/Steve Sheldon (Paw): These pitchers finished 2nd/3rd in ERA, however they were ultimately shut-out from Cy Young contention based upon low IP (sub 200) and low win totals. With that said both had great seasons and while their win totals weren’t huge the did sport fantastic win %’s (.765 Ogea and .714 Sheldon)
AL MVP
1. Magglio Javier (Louisville): 114 R (11th), 44 HR (T-9 ), 135 RBI (3rd), .319 AVG (6th), .986 OPS (T-9)I must say this was by far the toughest year to pick AL MVP’s. You could make a case for Purcell, Guerreo, Javier or Cox as the MVP. Their stats across the board are extremely similar. What clinched Javier as the MVP (no it wasn’t that he’s on my team), was the fact he was the only candidate to make the playoffs. With everything else being so equal that worked as a tiebreaker. Additionally, Javier was also only one of two candidates to rank in the top 10 of the 5 major categories (was 11th in the 5th).If Javier were to win this would tie him with Lou Stevenson for the most MVP’s overall (5) and give him the lead for most AL MVP’s, which he currently shares with Stevenson at (4).
2. Ozzie Purcell (Sco): 123 R (2nd), 53 HR (2nd), 113 RBI (14th), .268 AVG (NR), .997 OPS (6th)Purcell had a fantastic year and I’m not going to penalize him for a low average since he did still manage to generate a great OBP. He lead all MVP candidates with 53 HRs which was good enough for him to grab the 2nd spot.
3. Sean Guerreo (Tex): 122 R (T-3), 46 HR (T-6), 118 RBI (T-9), .308 AVG (T-9), .968OPS (11th)Texas just missed the playoffs, had Guerreo powered the Beefeaters into the playoffs he would have valuated to number 2 on this list. He like Javier was top 10 in four categories and was 11th in the 5th.
4. Braden Cox (Pawtucket): 109 R (14th), 46 HR (T-6), 110 RBI (T-16), .303 AVG (16th), .996 OPS (6th)Cox stats were just behind his peers. He did best the top 4 in OPS, however he was 4th in R and RBI’s. He was the only member of the top 4 to finish 4th in two categories.
5. Glenn McCarty (Tex): 113 R (T-12), 19 HR (NR), 79 RBI (NR), .357 AVG (1st), 1.001 OPS (4th)No offense to McCarty but despite the .357 AVG he had no business being in the top 5. As he ranked well outside of the top 25 in both HR and RBI’s. There were several more deserving candidates to take the 5th spot. This nomination once again reflects WIS’ skew towards average over power.
Honorable Mention:
Alridge/Herdnadez (Atl): Both Atlanta players had fantastic years, however they came over from the NL half-way through the season but their totals would have been right among the top AL players. It will be interesting to see how they perform over a full year in the AL. Unlike real ML baseball, the AL is more of a pitchers league especially with respect to parks compared to the NL league which is definitely more hitter friendly.
Jamie Cashman (Tex): 113 R (13th), 62 HR (1st) , 152 RBI (1st), ..276 (NR), .938 OPS (14th)Cashmen fell to WIS’s distain for averages below .300. He would have been a much better candidate than his teammate McCarty especially considering the fact he lead the league in HR and RBI’s. I will admit I am glad he got snubbed because his inclusion would have only further muddied the water of the rankings above.
AL Felipe Bournigal Award:
1. Pete Daly (SF): 257 IP (1st), 17 W (T-5), 244 K (1st) , 3.12 ERA (5th)For the first time since I started doing the award rankings I will cast my Cy Young vote for pitcher not name Bouringal. In the end it came down to Meng and Daly for the top spot. The additional 14 IP (2 starts worth of innings) and 77 K’s outweighed 2 W and .09 ERA. Daly was the more dominant pitcher and gave his team the most innings in the league.
2. Mark Meng (Sco): 243 IP (2nd), 19 W (T-2), 177 K (5th), 3.03 ERA (4th)Meng vs. Bournigal was extremely close as they tied for W and were only 4 K’s apart. However, the extra 49 IP (or seven starts worth of innings) carries more value to myself than the difference in ERA as Meng going deeper and more often would most definitely improve Scottsdales entire team ERA and health.
3. Felipe Bournigal (SF): 194 IP (T-22), 19 W (T-2), 173 K (6th), 2.18 ERA (1st)Every run must come to an end and injuries and loss of stamina have finally caught up to Bournigal. What I mean by that is he’s no longer CLEARLY the best pitcher in the world. He’s simply one of the top 3. Had Bournigal got to 220 IP and keep his ERA sub 2.25, he would have been my choice.
4. Gene Fitzgerald (Lou): 223 IP (6th), 22 W (1st), 157 K (T-16), 3.87 ERA (17th)14 starts into the season when Fitzgerald was 11-1, I had delusions that it might be a Slugger pitcher that would knock off Bournigal. Obviously, that will not be the case. Fitzgerald had a great season but was clearly not in the league of the top 3 although he did manage to lead the AL in win’s.
5. Jose Diaz (Tex): 230 IP (4th), 18 W (4th), 184 K (T-3), 4.08 ERA (18th)Solid across the board (top 5 in three categories), however a 4+ ERA doesn’t scream Cy Young. Diaz is a young pitcher who continues to improve, I would expect him to be a top 5 fixture for years to come.
Honourable Mention:
Elvis Ogea (Wash)/Steve Sheldon (Paw): These pitchers finished 2nd/3rd in ERA, however they were ultimately shut-out from Cy Young contention based upon low IP (sub 200) and low win totals. With that said both had great seasons and while their win totals weren’t huge the did sport fantastic win %’s (.765 Ogea and .714 Sheldon)
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