Griffey, Walker Put Up Impressive Mvp Numbers
Most all the races for baseball playoff spots were finished going into the weekend. Same goes for the chase for baseball’s postseason awards.
The envelopes, please:
A.L. MVP: Ken Griffey Jr. Probably should be a unanimous choice to give Junior his first MVP award. His home runs, plus his play in center field for the A.L. West champions, push him ahead of former Mariners teammate Tino Martinez, hurt by a late-season slump for the wild-card Yankees.
N.L. MVP: Larry Walker. The toughest call. If the season ended Sept. 1, Mike Piazza would’ve been the pick. If it ended Nov. 1, Barry Bonds might’ve won. But Walker should break the bias against hitters who play at Coors Field - of his league-leading 49 homers, 29 came on the road. Walker had a chance at the Triple Crown, scored more than 140 runs, stole more than 30 bases and played a strong outfield.
A.L. Cy Young: Roger Clemens. The Rocket wins his A.L.-record fourth Cy, beating out Seattle’s Randy Johnson. Clemens won 21 games for the struggling Blue Jays, finished with a better ERA than the Big Unit and pitched the whole season.
N.L. Cy Young: Pedro Martinez. Another tough pick. Braves teammates Greg Maddux and Denny Neagle both rate strong consideration, as does Phillies strikeout ace Curt Schilling. But Martinez had an ERA under 2.00, struck out more than 300 and was flat-out nasty to hit for Montreal.
A.L. Rookie of the Year: Nomar Garciaparra. Not many people are wondering now whether the Red Sox should have moved John Valentin from shortstop, huh? Garciaparra went into the weekend with a chance to finish with a .300 batting average, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs.
N.L. Rookie of the Year: Scott Rolen. The third baseman should become Philadelphia’s first player to win the award since Richie Allen in 1964. Hit for power, showed good instincts. Pittsburgh reliever Rich Loiselle had a good season, finishing with second-highest saves total ever for a rookie.
A.L. Manager of the Year: Buddy Bell. Took a Tigers team that had the worst record in the majors last year at 59-103 and gave it chance to finish at .500 this year.
N.L. Manager of the Year: Dusty Baker. Picked to finish last in the N.L. West, Baker guided a team that traded away Matt Williams to its first division title since 1989.
A.L. Comeback Player of the Year: Willie Blair. Crumpled on the ground with a broken jaw after being hit by Julio Franco’s line drive in early May, it looked like Blair might not ever get up. Instead, the journeyman pitcher came back and went 16-8 for the Tigers.
N.L. Comeback Player of the Year: Darren Daulton. Did anyone really expect Daulton’s knees would let him play again in the majors? He became so valuable that the Marlins got him in a trade with Philadelphia, providing leadership on and off the field. And, how about those eight triples?