2008 Sports Mogul Awards - The Winners

First off, thank you to all the members that participated in the vote. I didn't get quite the turn-out I would've liked, but it was good nonetheless. I received a varying number of ballots for each award, so I've listed the number of ballots in parenthesis after each award. There are links provided to view the full voting results of each award

Without further ado, I'd like to present to you the winners of this year's Sports Mogul awards.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (23)
For full AL results, click here.
For full NL results, click here.

American League - The AL MVP voting was incredibly varied with 8 different players receiving first-place votes, and 6 of those 8 receiving multiple first place votes. Ultimately, Boston Red Sox second basemen Dustin Pedroia won the vote on the back of a .326/.376/.493 (122 OPS+) batting line and Gold Glove second base defense.

National League - There was no competition for the award in the National League, with St. Louis Cardinals first basemen Albert Pujols winning the award unanimously. Pujols had what was arguably the best year of his career, batting .357/.462/.653 (190 OPS+) with 37 HR and 116 RBI.

CY YOUNG (23)
For full results, click here.

American League - As with the NL MVP award, this award was won uncontested. Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians took home the award unanimously on the strength of a 22-3 record to go along with a league-leading 2.54 ERA (168 ERA+) and a fabulous K:BB ratio of 5:1.

National League - There was a little more competition for the NL Cy Young, with 4 pitchers receiving 1st place votes, but young San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum takes home the award with 17 of the 23 first place votes. Lincecum, despite being backed up by a poor defense and offense, went 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA (169 ERA+) and led the majors with 265 strikeouts.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (21)
For full results, click here.

American League - The Tampa Bay Rays were baseball's feel-good story of the year by winning the toughest division in baseball, the American League East, after not ever approaching .500 in any year of their history prior to this one. Their third basemen, and this year's AL Rookie of the Year winner Evan Longoria was a big part of the team's emergence. Longoria hit .272/.343/.531 (127 OPS+) with 27 HR and 85 RBI while playing a fantastic third base.

National League - As with the AL, the NL's Rookie of the Year winner was also an integral part to his team's division title. Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto takes home the award. Soto handled the pitching staff well, and also packed a punch at the plate, hitting .285/.364/.504 (118 OPS+) with 23 HR and 86 RBI.

RELIEF PITCHER OF THE YEAR (20)
For full results, click here.

American League - On the strength of breaking the all-time record for saves in a season and setting a new mark of 62, Los Angeles Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez takes home this year's AL Relief Pitcher of the Year award.

National League - Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge takes home the NL Relief Pitcher of the Year award with ease, making good on all 41 of his save opportunities, the only closer in the majors to post a perfect 100% save percentage.

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR (17)
For full results, click here.

American League - To go along with his unanimous Cy Young award, Cleveland Indians pitcher Cliff Lee also unanimously won this year's Comeback Player of the Year award. Midway through the 2007 season, Lee was sent to AAA due to his struggles on the mound. In 2008, he posted one of the strongest pitching seasons in recent memory.

National League - Former Chicago Cubs phenom Kerry Wood is known mostly for his highly-publicized battles with injury ever since 2004. In 2008, he returned at full-strength as the Cubs closer, racking up 34 saves for the NL Central division champions, and takes home this year's Comeback Player of the Year award.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR (20)
For full results, click here.

American League - There was little competition for the AL Manager of the Year award as the jump-start Tampa Bay Rays skipper Joe Maddon took home the award with ease.

National League - The NL Manager of the Year award featured a wide array of opinions. 8 managers received votes, and all 8 of them also received at least 1 first-place vote. In the end, Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella received the most support.

GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR (15)
For full results, click here.

American League - Tampa Bay Rays general manager Andrew Friedman paired with his manager Joe Maddon to take home both of the management awards. Friedman was awarded for his great drafts in previous years, along with his acquisition of complementary talent to lead the Rays to the AL East division championship.

National League - In the National League, the winner of the GM of the Year award is Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin. This year's Brewers assembled by Doug Melvin, bolstered by the in-season acquisition of dominant lefty C.C. Sabathia, reached the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

GOLD GLOVES (11)
For full AL results, click here.
For full NL results, click here.

American League -
P - Kenny Rogers (DET)
C - Joe Mauer (MIN)
1B - Lyle Overbay (TOR)
2B - Dustin Pedroia (BOS)
3B - Adrian Beltre (SEA)
SS - Orlando Cabrera (CHW)
OF - Torii Hunter (LAA)
OF - Grady Sizemore (CLE)
OF - Carlos Gomez (MIN)

National League -
P - Greg Maddux (SDP/LAD)
C - Jason Kendall (MIL)
1B - Albert Pujols (STL)
2B - Brandon Phillips (CIN)
3B - Troy Glaus (STL)
SS - Jimmy Rollins (PHI)
OF - Carlos Beltran (NYM)
OF - Aaron Rowand (SFG)
OF - Hunter Pence (HOU)

SILVER SLUGGERS (14)
For full AL results, click here.
For full NL results, click here.

American League -
DH - Milton Bradley (TEX)
C - Joe Mauer (MIN)
1B - Kevin Youkilis (BOS)
2B - Dustin Pedroia (BOS)
3B - Alex Rodriguez (NYY)
SS - Jhonny Peralta (CLE)
OF - Carlos Quentin (CHW)
OF - Josh Hamilton (TEX)
OF - Grady Sizemore (CLE)

National League -
P - Carlos Zambrano (CHC)
C - Brian McCann (ATL)
1B - Albert Pujols (STL)
2B - Chase Utley (PHI)
3B - Chipper Jones (ATL)
SS - Hanley Ramirez (FLA)
OF - Ryan Ludwick (STL)
OF - Matt Holliday (COL)
OF - Ryan Braun (MIL)

Wow... Pedroia in the AL was a bad pick but the rest of the picks we made were actually pretty good!

I don't think Pedroia was a bad pick. I think he'll win the real award.

Granted, he wasn't my #1 pick, but he certainly wasn't a bad pick. There was no clear winner in the AL this year.

Very good picks all around. Not a single surprise.

Pedroia is a solid choice for AL MVP, though I personally had him down on the list a bit. Really, there's a good 7 or so AL players that could win this award or the real life award and it'd make sense. I changed my ballot around on that one many, many times, and switched my #1 about 5 times.

The full results are interesting.

Thanks again, HGM.

Agreed, great job.

Agreed... I think we hit the nail on the head with every pick

I didn't AGREE with every pick, but I don't think we made ANY bad picks.

And I'm incredibly happy that Albert Pujols won unanimously. He's highly unlikely to pull that off in real life. What's it say about the BBWAA when ~20 random people of varying ages on the internet can pick an award winner better than 30 reporters that have been following baseball for at least a decade?

Wow, all my bvotes accept for Neal Huntington won the awards, not counting Silver Slug and Gold Glove

Too many Red Sox fans here.

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Originally Posted by Moot

Too many Red Sox fans here.

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Knowing what I know of the people that voted, there were only 3-4 Red Sox fans that voted, maybe 5.

metsguy, just curious...you had Dustin Pedroia #2 on your AL MVP ballot...how do you think he was a BAD pick then?

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Originally Posted by Moot

Too many Red Sox fans here.

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why because pedroia won???

there is no reason hamilton should have won ahead of him...

Most VALUABLE Player... would Boston be in there if not for Pedroia. NO
Would Texas still have sucked without Hamilton... yes.

I think pedroia won more games for Boston than Hamilton won for Texas. Which in my opinion makes him more valuable than Hamilton

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Originally Posted by TheNamelessPoet

Most VALUABLE Player... would Boston be in there if not for Pedroia. NO
Would Texas still have sucked without Hamilton... yes.

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I don't think that's a good rationale for determining value. It's not Josh Hamilton's fault that Texas has a horrible pitching staff, and there's nothing Josh Hamilton can do about that.

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I think pedroia won more games for Boston than Hamilton won for Texas. Which in my opinion makes him more valuable than Hamilton

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It's arguable, but then you also have to adjust for things like position, so even if Hamilton DID win more games for Texas than Pedroia won for Boston, the fact that Pedroia did it as a second basemen would put him ahead of Josh Hamilton in terms of value (assuming they were close, of course, which, by any measure, they were).

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Originally Posted by TheNamelessPoet

why because pedroia won???

there is no reason hamilton should have won ahead of him...

Most VALUABLE Player... would Boston be in there if not for Pedroia. NO
Would Texas still have sucked without Hamilton... yes.

I think pedroia won more games for Boston than Hamilton won for Texas. Which in my opinion makes him more valuable than Hamilton

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Most ignorant statement ever. The best player IS the most valuble. If the Rangers didn't have Hamilton, they'd have about 10 more losses, or more. The only reason Pedroia won is because he's on a good team. Is it Josh Hamilton's fault Texas has no pitching? You people make me sick.

I'm a Giants fan and all, but... how does Rowand win a GG? I was really unimpressed with him in the outfield this year. His arm doesn't seem that great, especially in CF. I think they should move him to LF and let one of the younger guys play CF. He just wasn't that impressive to me.

Anyone who voted for him care to explain?

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Originally Posted by rogue9

I'm a Giants fan and all, but... how does Rowand win a GG? I was really unimpressed with him in the outfield this year. His arm doesn't seem that great, especially in CF. I think they should move him to LF and let one of the younger guys play CF. He just wasn't that impressive to me.

Anyone who voted for him care to explain?

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I had him 5th on my ballot, but you're right. Rowand, by most advanced defensive measures, is no more than an average center fielder, maybe slightly better than that. His reputation, though, is of a great center fielder, because of his propensity to go "all out". Honestly, I have a feeling that if he never ran into a wall and broke his nose, he wouldn't have quite the defensive reputation that he currently has.

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Originally Posted by Moot

Most ignorant statement ever. The best player IS the most valuble. If the Rangers didn't have Hamilton, they'd have about 10 more losses, or more. The only reason Pedroia won is because he's on a good team. Is it Josh Hamilton's fault Texas has no pitching? You people make me sick.

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You are not serious are you??? Unless the guy DOMINATES how is he the best player on a losing team... A-Rod was different... he was DOMINATING the league when he won it in Texas.

You are probably hte same Guy that says Howard should win over Pujols.
You take Howard off the Phillies they still probably make the playoffs... you take pujols off the Cards and they are lucky SNIFF 75 wins MAYBE... Its who is most valuable not who puts up the gaudiest statistics...

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Originally Posted by TheNamelessPoet

You are not serious are you??? Unless the guy DOMINATES how is he the best player on a losing team...

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Because the player's teammates do not affect how good, valuable, or effective he is.

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You are probably hte same Guy that says Howard should win over Pujols.

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Actually...that's exactly the type of argument that Moot is arguing AGAINST. There's no small portion of people out there that argue Pujols shouldn't be the MVP because his team didn't make the playoffs. Frankly, that nonsense makes me sick, too. There is no reason whatsoever that a player's MVP case should hinge on the performance of his teammates, except in the extremely, extremely close cases.

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Originally Posted by HoustonGM

Because the player's teammates do not affect how good, valuable, or effective he is.

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so its safe to say if you took pujols on the yankees he would not have more RBI's and possibly more HR due to better protection?

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Originally Posted by HoustonGM

I had him 5th on my ballot, but you're right. Rowand, by most advanced defensive measures, is no more than an average center fielder, maybe slightly better than that. His reputation, though, is of a great center fielder, because of his propensity to go "all out". Honestly, I have a feeling that if he never ran into a wall and broke his nose, he wouldn't have quite the defensive reputation that he currently has.

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Rowand is very solid with the glove and rarely makes mistakes. He has good range. He also shows up more often than the average CFs on Web Gems, which helps his case for anyone who doesn't watch 162 Giants games in a season.

It's definitely a matter of reputation as well, kinda like Greg Maddux. Although Maddux is still in the upper echelon of fielding pitchers, with outstanding range and great skills with the glove and arm.

As far as Pedroia goes, I don't think it's a case of homerism, or picking the player on the best team, or anything. There's no possible way you can argue beyond a shadow of a doubt that Hamilton is somehow MORE deserving of the MVP than Pedroia.

Hamilton, Rodriguez, Quentin, Pedroia, Youkilis, Mauer, Morneau, Sizemore, Lee... ANY of these players could win the award and it would not be shocking, and it wouldn't be them stealing the award from another, more deserving player. I pretty much see it as a 9-or-so-way tie for first. No ONE player really stood out at all.

It's interesting to note... in my opinion at least, Pujols, Berkman, or Wright could have walked away with this award if they played in the AL and put up the same numbers they did in the NL.

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Originally Posted by TheNamelessPoet

so its safe to say if you took pujols on the yankees he would not have more RBI's and possibly more HR due to better protection?

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More HR, doubtful. "Protection" affecting anything besides walk totals has largely been debunked.

RBI, yes, he'd have more, but that is a function of the players in front of him. The number of RBI's a player racks up tells you nothing about how good the player is, nor does it give you any indication of his value.

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Originally Posted by HoustonGM

More HR, doubtful. "Protection" affecting anything besides walk totals has largely been debunked.

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good point.. altho I think it would help... you will pitch to A-Rod more if Pujols (shudder at that lineup :p) is behind him than if say Matsui is behind him, would you not. Then again... it depends on the game situation.

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RBI, yes, he'd have more, but that is a function of the players in front of him. The number of RBI's a player racks up tells you nothing about how good the player is, nor does it give you any indication of his value.

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BUT the so called "prefessionals" who have control over the REAL ballots use is. In the same way runs are also not based entirely on you, they have a lot to do with who hit behind you. Granted HR's are a product of entirely yourself and the pitcher.

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Originally Posted by TheNamelessPoet

good point.. altho I think it would help... you will pitch to A-Rod more if Pujols (shudder at that lineup :p) is behind him than if say Matsui is behind him, would you not. Then again... it depends on the game situation.

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Yeah. You'd pitch to him more, meaning he'd draw less walks.

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BUT the so called "prefessionals" who have control over the REAL ballots use is. In the same way runs are also not based entirely on you, they have a lot to do with who hit behind you. Granted HR's are a product of entirely yourself and the pitcher.

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Right...but, this doesn't change the fact that the player's ACTUAL VALUE is unaffected by his teammates performance. Just because the idiotic sportswriters use a stat like RBI to determine value, and they assign value based on teammate performance (such as people arguing that Pujols shouldn't win the MVP because his team didn't make the playoffs), doesn't mean that the actual value of the player is changed.

good points Houston.

1 Question tho...

if he had less walks he would have more plate appearences... and with more plate appearences couldn't I assume "and I'm sure its dangerous to do this but..." with the "extra" plate appearences he would hit more HR?

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Originally Posted by TheNamelessPoet

1 Question tho...

if he had less walks he would have more plate appearences... and with more plate appearences couldn't I assume "and I'm sure its dangerous to do this but..." with the "extra" plate appearences he would hit more HR?

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Less walks doesn't equal less plate appearances. It equals less at bats. And sure, it's possible that he would hit more HR. But, overall, player's offensive performance, in terms of hitting for average, getting on-base, and power, does not change significantly based on the player hitting behind them, except their walk rate fluctuates a bit (better batter behind them = lower walk rate and vice versa).

Less walks makes for more at-bats.

IC what you mean now.

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Originally Posted by justanewguy

Less walks makes for more at-bats.

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lol I was thinking the same thing

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Originally Posted by HoustonGM

metsguy, just curious...you had Dustin Pedroia #2 on your AL MVP ballot...how do you think he was a BAD pick then?

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Because I think there's a large margin between 1st and 2nd place this year... I feel Hamilton should've been the clear winner.

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Originally Posted by metsguy234

Because I think there's a large margin between 1st and 2nd place this year... I feel Hamilton should've been the clear winner.

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I'm sorry, but that's just not true. As justanewguy said, there's like 10 guys in the AL who have a good case for the MVP.

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Originally Posted by HoustonGM

I'm sorry, but that's just not true. As justanewguy said, there's like 10 guys in the AL who have a good case for the MVP.

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But Pedroia this year looks like Rollins last year and Jeter in 06... the type of player I call the "Sampler"... not good at anything in particular, but decent at everything...

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Originally Posted by metsguy234

But Pedroia this year looks like Rollins last year and Jeter in 06... the type of player I call the "Sampler"... not good at anything in particular, but decent at everything...

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And such players tend to be incredibly underrated because they don't have one skill that sticks out.

Anyway, Rollins isn't in the same group as them. Pedroia and Jeter both had real strong arguments for MVP. Rollins had...was on a playoff team, was good, and promised a division championship.

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Originally Posted by TheNamelessPoet

why because pedroia won???

there is no reason hamilton should have won ahead of him...

Most VALUABLE Player... would Boston be in there if not for Pedroia. NO
Would Texas still have sucked without Hamilton... yes.

I think pedroia won more games for Boston than Hamilton won for Texas. Which in my opinion makes him more valuable than Hamilton

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Most ignorant statement ever. The best player IS the most valuble. If the Rangers didn't have Hamilton, they'd have about 10 more losses, or more. The only reason Pedroia won is because he's on a good team. Is it Josh Hamilton's fault Texas has no pitching? You people make me sick.

uh... you already said that.
Let's take it easy with statements like "You people make me sick." too, please.

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Originally Posted by Moot

Most ignorant statement ever. The best player IS the most valuble. If the Rangers didn't have Hamilton, they'd have about 10 more losses, or more. The only reason Pedroia won is because he's on a good team. Is it Josh Hamilton's fault Texas has no pitching? You people make me sick.

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Originally Posted by Moot

Most ignorant statement ever. The best player IS the most valuble. If the Rangers didn't have Hamilton, they'd have about 10 more losses, or more. The only reason Pedroia won is because he's on a good team. Is it Josh Hamilton's fault Texas has no pitching? You people make me sick.

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all you did was copy and paste??? whats the point of that???

you even quoted my same post from 2 pages ago??? :confused:

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Originally Posted by HoustonGM

Anyway, Rollins isn't in the same group as them. Pedroia and Jeter both had real strong arguments for MVP. Rollins had...was on a playoff team, was good, and promised a division championship.

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So you're saying that Rollins had no strong argument for MVP, but that he had a strong argument for MVP last year. That makes loads of sense, HGM :D

Whoever voted Willy Taveras for Silver Slugger needs to really think about that.

LOL! Who voted Willy and his around 600ish OPS Silver Slugger!?? They are genius! Why listen to logic when you can use steals as a batting stat! Genius! :D

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Originally Posted by RedsoxRockies

LOL! Who voted Willy and his around 600ish OPS Silver Slugger!?? They are genius! Why listen to logic when you can use steals as a batting stat! Genius! :D

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Who voted Jon Lester for Cy Young is a better question... he's like 10th best candidate in his league... :D

And... who voted Bengie Molina for MVP?

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Originally Posted by metsguy234

Who voted Jon Lester for Cy Young is a better question... he's like 10th best candidate in his league... :D

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HoustonGM did. And I would've had him somewhere between 4-6 on my own ballot.

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Originally Posted by YEAH DAAAAWG

HoustonGM did. And I would've had him somewhere between 4-6 on my own ballot.

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:eek:

I thought it would've been RSR!:D