Despite the Phillies having a down season, there were plenty of stand-out performances from select players, and The Philadelphia chapter of the Baseeball Writers' Association of America released their annual list of award winners on Monday to honor those that were most valuable, both on and off the field.
Cole Hamels took home the Steve Carlton Most Valuable Pitcher award, while Carlos Ruiz won the Mike Schmidt Most Valuable Player award.
Hamels, who signed an extension to stay with the Phillies through 2018, has a 3.05 ERA in 203 innings of work, while Carlos Ruiz erupted to have the best season of his career, with a slash line of .328/.396/.542 in an injured shortened season. His 15 home runs and 62 RBIs are both career highs, and for much of the season, he was the most dangerous hitter in the lineup.
Jimmy Rollins was also honored with the Special Achievement Award, thanks to the unique distinction of becoming the only shortstop in MLB history to have 2,000 hits, 400 stolen bases and 100 home runs. If you recall, Rollins eclipsed the 2,000 hit mark earlier this season, while also becoming the franchise leader in games started at shortstop. He is also the author of a very underrated season, with 21 homers, 30 stolen bases, and a .429 slugging percentage, which is good enough for fourth in the Majors.
Finally, Juan Pierre earned the Tug McGraw True Pro Award, which, according to the BBWAA's press release, “...best exemplifies the Tugger's good-natured personality and for his professional cooperation with beat writers.” And not being a huge fan of Pierre before the season started, I have to admit that he took a lot of people by surprise with his play, and he seems like a really swell guy off the field, as well.
Congratulations to the players, who certainly earned their awards. They will be honored on Wednesday night before the game against the Washington Nationals.
