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Preview Week: American League Awards
2005-03-30 05:33
by Alex Ciepley

The Toaster takes a quick look at some of the contenders for a few awards in the American League.

AMERICAN LEAGUE BEST POSITION PLAYER

Alex B:   Miguel Tejada
Alex C: Miguel Tejada
Cliff: Hideki Matsui
Derek: Mark Teixeira
Jon: Vladimir Guerrero
Ken: Manny Ramirez
Mike: Gary Sheffield
Scott: Gary Sheffield
Will: Alex Rodriguez/Eric Chavez

author notes

Jon: I still don't think Guerrero has maxed out his potential. That plus West Coast bias could kick the MVP award back to him.

Alex B: I've been a huge fan of Tejada's since I read "Away Games," which chronicled his rise through the Oakland system. Anchoring a good line up, plus playing in Camden Yards should mean another monster year.

Mike: Sheffield was one of the best players in the AL in 2004. And that was an "off" year.

Derek: I have no good reason for choosing Teixeira--just a little tickle in the back of my brain that tells me he's going to blow up.


AMERICAN LEAGUE BEST PITCHER

Alex B:   Curt Schilling
Alex C: Roy Halladay
Cliff: Johan Santana
Derek: Rich Harden
Jon: Johan Santana
Ken: Johan Santana
Mike: Johan Santana
Scott: Johan Santana
Will: Rich Harden

author notes

Derek: Again with the tickle in the brain. I really should get that looked at.

Jon: I don't really see a challenger to Santana whose health I trust.

Mike: Johan was so much better than anyone else last year. How can you pass him up?

Scott: Santana and the Big Unit are a step above all other starters.

Alex C: Picking Johnson or Santana seems too easy. Where did all the great pitchers go in the AL? I'm picking Halladay in an upset. He's only a year from having been the best AL pitcher, and I think he'd going to retake his rightful crown.


AMERICAN LEAGUE BEST ROOKIE

Alex B:   Dallas McPherson
Alex C: Dallas McPherson
Cliff: Jeremy Reed
Derek: Nick Swisher
Jon: Mark Teahen
Ken: Felix Hernandez
Mike: Dallas McPherson
Scott: Dallas McPherson
Will: Ian Kinsler

author notes

Cliff: Reed could be hurt by playing in Safeco, but if Kenny Williams traded him, he has to be the real deal (see the Pirates rotation).

Alex C: I think McPherson wins mostly because of playing time, and because he'll outslug his class. I'm tempted to go with Felix Hernandez, though, thinking he'll pull a Roy Oswalt and take the league by storm after a callup.

Jon: McPherson's back is a concern. I almost went with Kazmir, but figured pitching uphill with the Devil Rays will overwhelm him. Teahen's got the opportunity to stand out.

Scott: McPherson and Teahen will have similar stats, but playing on a good team (Angels) trumps playing on the Royals. Oh, and let me add: If the White Sox bring up Brandon McCarthy, he wins the AL Rookie of the Year.

Derek: I might have gone with Dallas McPherson, but when I saw that the Angel's official site was touting them as "The A Team," I re-chose out of spite. Oh, and I think Swisher will be pretty good, too.

Comments
2005-03-30 10:12:46
1.   Xeifrank
Laughed when I read that about the West Coast bias. Never heard of one before. Very funny!

vr

Xeifrank

2005-03-30 14:49:42
2.   The Cheat
Ha Ha Cliff that was funny. I wasn't aware that Kenny Williams was also the GM of the San Diego Padres.
2005-03-30 16:10:09
3.   Padgett
>> Laughed when I read that about the West Coast bias. Never heard of one before. Very funny!

Not sure if you're joking or not, but the last AL MVP outside the AL West was Mo Vaughn in 1995.

2005-03-30 18:42:38
4.   Cliff Corcoran
Cheat, I was referring to Kip Wells and Josh Fogg, of course. Williams traded forty percent of the Pirates rotation for a man who posted a 76 ERA+ in 133 2/3 innings before leaving as a free agent. Are you going to try to defend that?
2005-03-31 04:51:28
5.   Ryan
No one picked Randy Johnson?
2005-04-01 07:38:10
6.   Cliff Corcoran
I almost did, but then I remembered just how dominating Santana was down the stretch last year. Besides, Matsui & Johnson would have been way to much homerism.

Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.