Fantasy MVPs and LVPs

As always, the first end-of-season column focuses on the fantasy MVPs and LVPs. Awards are given to players that most over- or underperformed according to my preseason projections. I tend to give injured players a break when it comes to LVPs

I also have my real MVP/Cy Young/ROY choices below.

The Fantasy Most Valuable Players

Catchers

MVP - Ryan Doumit
Projection: .280/.349/.463, 11 HR, 37 R, 45 RBI, 2 SB in 307 AB
2008 stats: .318/.357/.501, 15 HR, 71 R, 69 RBI, 2 SB in 431 AB

It was no secret that Doumit could hit -- by OPS alone, I had him as the No. 6 catcher behind Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, Jorge Posada, Brian McCann and Russell Martin -- but that he had struggled to stay healthy and he still had Ronny Paulino to contend with made it too difficult to project him to put in a full season. The Pirates showed they were willing to overlook his defensive shortcomings, and all signs point to them sticking with him behind the plate in 2009. Another .318 average seems unlikely, but he could add a few homers on to his 2008 total.

Honorable Mention - Geovany Soto, Kelly Shoppach, Chris Iannetta
2007 Winner - Russell Martin
2006 Winner - Brian McCann
2005 Winner - Brandon Inge
2004 Winner - Craig Wilson
2003 Winner - Javy Lopez
2002 Winner - Eli Marrero
2001 Winner - Paul Lo Duca
2000 Winner - Charles Johnson
1999 Winner - Mike Sweeney

LVP - Kenji Johjima
Projection: .282/.332/.430, 15 HR, 56 R, 68 RBI, 2 SB in 479 AB
2008 stats: .227/.277/.332, 7 HR, 29 R, 39 RBI, 2 SB in 379 AB

More of the same seemed likely after Johjima hit within a few points of .290 in his first two seasons in the majors, but the 32-year-old had to bat .333 in September just to get his OPS over 600. Mandated by foolish ownership or not, the three-year, $24 million extension the Mariners gave him when he was hitting .200/.268/.246 was one of the most bizarre deals ever. Johjima has to be viewed as a backup going forward.

Dishonorable Mention - Victor Martinez, Ivan Rodriguez, J.R. Towles
2007 Loser - Ramon Hernandez
2006 Loser - Javy Lopez
2005 Loser - Jason Kendall
2004 Loser - Mike Piazza
2003 Loser - Paul Lo Duca
2002 Loser - Charles Johnson
2001 Loser - Jason Kendall
2000 Loser - Michael Barrett
1999 Loser - Todd Hundley

First Basemen/Designated Hitters

MVP - Aubrey Huff
Projection: .275/.337/.451, 21 HR, 67 R, 80 RBI, 2 SB in 534 AB
2008 stats: .304/.360/.552, 32 HR, 96 R, 108 RBI, 4 SB in 598 AB

Huff posted OPSs of 749, 814 and 778 in his previous three seasons before suddenly returning to 2003 form at age 31. He was actually hitting as low as .239 on June 8, but he was maybe the AL's best player for a three-month span before cooling off at the end of the year. Since he'll probably go right back to being an 800-OPS guy next year, the Orioles should look to trade him this winter.

Honorable Mention - Kevin Youkilis, Lance Berkman, Carlos Delgado
2007 Winner - Carlos Pena
2006 Winner - Ryan Howard
2005 Winner - Derrek Lee
2004 Winner - Travis Hafner
2003 Winner - Carlos Delgado
2002 Winner - Derrek Lee
2001 Winner - Ryan Klesko
2000 Winner - Frank Thomas
1999 Winner - John Jaha

LVP - Travis Hafner
Projection: .289/.406/.547, 34 HR, 103 R, 114 RBI, 0 SB in 530 AB
2008 stats: .197/.305/.323, 5 HR, 21 R, 24 RBI, 1 SB in 198 AB

Paul Konerko was going to occupy this spot until he hit four homers over the weekend. That was enough to cause the switch to Hafner, who was brutal enough while playing with a damaged shoulder to override my usual sympathy for injuries. Besides, Konerko had a hand problem that likely played a significant role in his awful first four months. Among those first basemen and designated hitters who remained completely healthy, Prince Fielder, Ryan Garko and Billy Butler were the biggest disappointments.

Dishonorable Mention - Paul Konerko, Todd Helton, Prince Fielder
2007 Loser - Richie Sexson
2006 Loser - Todd Helton
2005 Loser - Todd Helton
2004 Loser - Jason Giambi
2003 Loser - Paul Konerko
2002 Loser - Tony Clark
2001 Loser - Mark McGwire
2000 Loser - Sean Casey
1999 Loser - Darin Erstad

Second Basemen

MVP - Dustin Pedroia
Projection: .307/.378/.440, 11 HR, 105 R, 59 RBI, 6 SB in 580 AB
2008 stats: .326/.376/.493, 17 HR, 118 R, 83 RBI, 20 SB in 653 AB

I'd like to think I was as high on Pedroia as anyone while he was making his way through Boston's minor league system, but I certainly didn't see him contending for AL MVP awards. He ended up leading the league in runs and doubles and finishing second to Joe Mauer for the batting title. Perhaps most surprising of all, though, is that he stole 20 bases in 21 opportunities. He totaled 11 steals in his three minor league seasons.

Honorable Mention - Mark DeRosa, Alexei Ramirez, Jose Lopez
2007 Winner - Brandon Phillips
2006 Winner - Dan Uggla
2005 Winner - Chone Figgins
2004 Winner - Mark Loretta
2003 Winner - Marcus Giles
2002 Winner - Alfonso Soriano
2001 Winner - Bret Boone
2000 Winner - Jose Vidro
1999 Winner - Roberto Alomar

LVP - Robinson Cano
Projection: .320/.366/.517, 23 HR, 102 R, 108 RBI, 5 SB in 625 AB
2008 stats: .271/.305/.410, 14 HR, 70 R, 72 RBI, 2 SB in 597 AB

Cano did bounce back to .307/.333/.482 after the break, but it was a clear case of too little, too late. I had him projected to collect 72 extra-base hits. Even in his best months of the season, he never had more than 10.

Dishonorable Mention - Rickie Weeks, Freddy Sanchez, Brandon Phillips
2007 Loser - Josh Barfield
2006 Loser - Jorge Cantu
2005 Loser - Bret Boone
2004 Loser - Alfonso Soriano
2003 Loser - Roberto Alomar
2002 Loser - Roberto Alomar
2001 Loser - Edgardo Alfonzo
2000 Loser - Jose Offerman
1999 Loser - Delino DeShields

Third Basemen

MVP - Jorge Cantu
Projection: .268/.321/.439, 14 HR, 46 R, 60 RBI, 1 SB in 399 AB
2008 stats: .277/.327/.481, 29 HR, 92 R, 95 RBI, 6 SB in 628 AB

Given another chance to play regularly by a Marlins team only interested in bargains, Cantu nearly duplicated his breakthrough 2005 season, even finishing with an identical 808 OPS. One change is that he stole six bases after entering with two steals in 359 career games. Unfortunately, Cantu's glove didn't play much better at third than it used to at second. The Marlins might opt to shift him to first and trade Mike Jacobs this winter. Another possibility is that Cantu himself will be dealt.

Honorable Mention - Evan Longoria, Melvin Mora, Mark Reynolds
2007 Winner - Ryan Braun
2006 Winner - Michael Cuddyer
2005 Winner - Morgan Ensberg
2004 Winner - Adrian Beltre
2003 Winner - Bill Mueller
2002 Winner - Aaron Boone
2001 Winner - Albert Pujols
2000 Winner - Troy Glaus
1999 Winner - Fernando Tatis

LVP - Chone Figgins
Projection: .290/.350/.400, 7 HR, 103 R, 65 RBI, 50 SB in 601 AB
2008 stats: .276/.367/.318, 1 HR, 72 R, 22 RBI, 34 SB in 453 AB

Figgins again missed substantial time due to injury, and his average dropped all the way from .330 to .276. There were too many stretches in which he couldn't even get the ball out of the infield, and only the continuing improvement in his walk rate saved him from being a real liability in the Angels' lineup. I imagine that he'll be better offensively next year, but I'll project him to play in 130 games, rather than 150.

Dishonorable Mention - Alex Gordon, Edwin Encarnacion, Garrett Atkins
2007 Loser - Eric Chavez
2006 Loser - Hank Blalock
2005 Loser - Adrian Beltre
2004 Loser - Eric Hinske
2003 Loser - Edgardo Alfonzo
2002 Loser - Jeff Cirillo
2001 Loser - Tony Batista
2000 Loser - Vinny Castilla
1999 Loser - Ken Caminiti

Shortstops

MVP - Mike Aviles
Projection: .247/.287/.383, 2 HR, 8 R, 10 RBI, 1 SB in 81 AB
2008 stats: .325/.354/.480, 10 HR, 68 R, 51 RBI, 8 SB in 419 AB

Aviles, who was available to everyone in last December's Rule 5 draft, hit .264/.307/.373 and .296/.332/.463 in his first two years at Triple-A Omaha before exploding out of the gates this season. The Royals called on him two months in, and made him their starting shortstop in short order. Incredibly, he hit .330, .330, .339 and .308 and drove in 10-15 runs in each of the final four months of the season. Aviles still projects as a long-term utilityman, but the Royals might as well keep playing him regularly and give him a chance to prove us doubters wrong.

Honorable Mention - Stephen Drew, Ryan Theriot, Jhonny Peralta
2007 Winner - Hanley Ramirez
2006 Winner - Hanley Ramirez
2005 Winner - Felipe Lopez
2004 Winner - Carlos Guillen
2003 Winner - Edgar Renteria
2002 Winner - David Eckstein
2001 Winner - Rich Aurilia
2000 Winner - Jose Valentin
1999 Winner - Jay Bell

LVP - Troy Tulowitzki
Projection: .294/.367/.494, 26 HR, 110 R, 89 RBI, 9 SB in 622 AB
2008 stats: .263/.332/.401, 8 HR, 48 R, 46 RBI, 1 SB in 377 AB

Tulo hit .327/.389/.469 in the second half to provide hope for 2009, but by that time, it was too late for many of those who drafted him. Besides, he still wasn't showing the kind of power his owners hoped for. Also, he was a pathetic 1-for-7 in his steal attempts. Whether Tulo comes recommended next spring will hinge on his spot in the batting order. He began and finished this year hitting second, but he spent more time batting seventh and eighth.

Dishonorable Mention - Edgar Renteria, Khalil Greene, Julio Lugo
2007 Loser - Bill Hall
2006 Loser - Clint Barmes
2005 Loser - Kaz Matsui
2004 Loser - Angel Berroa
2003 Loser - Jose Hernandez
2002 Loser - Rich Aurilia
2001 Loser - Tony Womack
2000 Loser - Royce Clayton
1999 Loser - Royce Clayton

Outfielders

MVPs - Ryan Ludwick, Josh Hamilton, Nate McLouth
Ludwick's projection: .254/.319/.459, 15 HR, 45 R, 55 RBI, 2 SB in 338 AB
Ludwick's 2008 stats: .299/.375/.591, 37 HR, 104 R, 113 RBI, 4 SB in 538 AB

Hamilton's projection: .271/.340/.510, 24 HR, 76 R, 82 RBI, 10 SB in 473 AB
Hamilton's 2008 stats: .304/.371/.530, 32 HR, 98 R, 130 RBI, 9 SB in 624 AB

McLouth's projection: .263/.345/.432, 14 HR, 73 R, 45 RBI, 28 SB in 433 AB
McLouth's 2008 stats: .276/.356/.497, 26 HR, 113 R, 94 RBI, 23 SB in 597 AB

When all was said and done, I missed on Hamilton by a mere 50 points of OPS, compared to 190 points for Ludwick, and that was all batting average. The biggest problem was that I thought he'd get hurt and he never did. If I had projected him to receive 624 at-bats, rather than 473, I would have had him finishing with 32 homers, 100 runs scored and 108 RBI.

Honorable Mention - Manny Ramirez, Carlos Quentin, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Jason Bay
2007 Winners - Magglio Ordonez, Curtis Granderson, Eric Byrnes
2006 Winners - Jermaine Dye, Gary Matthews Jr., Matt Holliday
2005 Winners - Grady Sizemore, Jason Bay, Andruw Jones
2004 Winners - Jim Edmonds, J.D. Drew, Aaron Rowand, Jeromy Burnitz
2003 Winners - Gary Sheffield, Scott Podsednik, Vernon Wells
2002 Winners - Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero, Garret Anderson
2001 Winners - Ichiro Suzuki, Barry Bonds, Cliff Floyd
2000 Winners - Darin Erstad, Richard Hidalgo, John Vander Wal
1999 Winners - Brian Giles, Luis Gonzalez, Roger Cedeno

LVPs - Andruw Jones, Jeff Francoeur, Carl Crawford

Jones' projection: .254/.347/.490, 35 HR, 89 R, 104 RBI, 4 SB in 575 AB
Jones' 2008 stats: .158/.256/.249, 3 HR, 21 R, 14 RBI, 0 SB in 209 AB

Francoeur's projection: .290/.338/.496, 29 HR, 86 R, 110 RBI, 7 SB in 627 AB
Francoeur's 2008 stats: .239/.294/.359, 11 HR, 70 R, 71 RBI, 0 SB in 599 AB

Crawford's projection: .312/.356/.485, 16 HR, 106 R, 85 RBI, 52 SB in 612 AB
Crawford's 2008 stats: .273/.319/.400, 8 HR, 69 R, 57 RBI, 25 SB in 443 AB

I remain skeptical that Jones' bad knee had much to do with his lack of success. The general rule of thumb is that Hall of Fame talents don't simply collapse at age 31. However, he could very well be an exception. If Jones gets out of L.A., I'll probably project him for something like .240-25-80 next year. .. Crawford would have come close to matching expectations in runs scored and RBI if not for his finger injury, but that's mostly because his teammates were better than anticipated. His average and stolen-base total still would have been well down.

Dishonorable Mention - Eric Byrnes, Nick Swisher, Hunter Pence, Vladimir Guerrero, Michael Bourn
2007 Losers - Jason Bay, Andruw Jones, Jermaine Dye
2006 Losers - Jason Lane, Randy Winn, Scott Podsednik
2005 Losers - Carlos Beltran, Sammy Sosa, Corey Patterson
2004 Losers - Sammy Sosa, Marlon Byrd, Brian Giles
2003 Losers - Pat Burrell, Shawn Green, Larry Walker
2002 Losers - Ken Griffey Jr., Juan Pierre, Richard Hidalgo
2001 Losers - Richard Hidalgo, Darin Erstad, Carl Everett
2000 Losers - Ken Griffey Jr., Juan Gonzalez, Carlos Beltran
1999 Losers - Jose Cruz Jr., Kenny Lofton, Ray Lankford

Starting Pitchers

MVPs - Cliff Lee, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Dempster, Ervin Santana, Roy Halladay

Lee's projection: 8-10, 4.68 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 105 Ks in 152 IP
Lee's 2008 stats: 22-3, 2.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 170 Ks in 223 1/3 IP

Lincecum's projection: 11-8, 3.58 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 184 Ks in 171 IP
Lincecum's 2008 stats: 18-5, 2.62 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 265 Ks in 227 IP

Dempster's projection: 6-9, 4.79 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 110 Ks in 141 IP
Dempster's 2008 stats: 17-6, 2.96 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 187 Ks in 206 2/3 IP

Santana's projection: 10-9, 4.37 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 128 Ks in 171 IP
Santana's 2008 stats: 16-7, 3.49 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 214 Ks in 219 IP

Halladay's projection: 16-9, 3.49 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 135 Ks in 214 IP
Halladay's 2008 stats: 20-11, 2.78 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 206 Ks in 246 IP

I had Lee and Dempster as $0 pitchers this year, and while Lee was certainly the more valuable property, Dempster deserves special mention. I don't know that I've ever been as wrong about a player as I was about him this year. I expected to see him back in the pen by the middle of May. He ended up being a top-five starter in the NL. . Halladay's season was also quite a surprise. He had posted K/9 rates of 6.9, 6.4, 6.9, 5.4 and 5.6 the previous five years. This year, he came in at 7.5. The only other time he struck out over seven batters per nine innings was 2001, when he put in just a half-season. . Halladay, who also made the top five in 2002 and 2003, is the first three-time MVP in the 10-year history of these awards.

Honorable Mention - Ricky Nolasco, Edinson Volquez, Mike Mussina, Justin Duchscherer, Gavin Floyd
2007 Winners - Fausto Carmona, Josh Beckett, Aaron Harang, James Shields, Erik Bedard
2006 Winners - Bronson Arroyo, Brandon Webb, Francisco Liriano, Aaron Harang, Justin Verlander
2005 Winners - Chris Carpenter, Dontrelle Willis, Andy Pettitte, Cliff Lee, John Patterson
2004 Winners - Johan Santana, Ben Sheets, Carl Pavano, Oliver Perez, Chris Carpenter
2003 Winners - Esteban Loaiza, Jason Schmidt, Livan Hernandez, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay
2002 Winners - Odalis Perez, Derek Lowe, Matt Clement, Tim Wakefield, Roy Halladay
2001 Winners - Mark Mulder, Joe Mays, John Burkett, Mark Buehrle, Roy Oswalt
2000 Winners - Ryan Dempster, Jeff D'Amico, Glendon Rusch, Darryl Kile, Chan Ho Park
1999 Winners - Mike Hampton, Todd Ritchie, Tim Hudson, Kevin Millwood, Jose Lima

LVPs - Justin Verlander, Fausto Carmona, Pedro Martinez, Ian Snell, Rich Hill

Verlander's projection: 17-7, 3.30 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 183 Ks in 199 IP
Verlander's 2008 stats: 11-17, 4.84 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 163 Ks in 201 IP

Carmona's projection: 17-9, 3.49 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 137 Ks in 219 IP
Carmona's 2008 stats: 8-7, 5.44 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 58 Ks in 120 2/3 IP

Martinez's projection: 12-7, 3.43 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 153 Ks in 155 IP
Martinez's 2008 stats: 5-6, 5.61 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 87 Ks in 109 IP

Snell's projection: 13-11, 3.93 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 172 Ks in 204 IP
Snell's 2008 stats: 7-12, 5.42 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 135 Ks in 164 1/3 IP

Hill's projection: 13-12, 4.03 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 178 Ks in 199 IP
Hill's 2008 stats: 1-0, 4.12 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 15 Ks in 19 2/3 IP

I'm forgiving when it comes to injuries, but Pedro was a huge disappointment when healthy and Hill's problems seemingly were more mental than physical. Aaron Harang had a legitimate arm problem that both knocked him out of action and took a toll when he was on the mound, so he simply gets a dishonorable mention.

Dishonorable Mention - Aaron Harang, Phil Hughes, Clay Buchholz, Tom Gorzelanny, Jeff Francis
2007 Losers - Jeremy Bonderman, Mike Mussina, Dontrelle Willis, Jose Contreras, Scott Olsen
2006 Losers - Mark Buehrle, Tim Hudson, Felix Hernandez, Dontrelle Willis, Odalis Perez
2005 Losers - Oliver Perez, Curt Schilling, Tim Hudson, Zack Greinke, Eric Milton
2004 Losers - Esteban Loaiza, Barry Zito, Jose Contreras, Jamie Moyer, Javier Vazquez
2003 Losers - Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson, Ramon Ortiz, Freddy Garcia, Derek Lowe
2002 Losers - Chan Ho Park, Freddy Garcia, Bud Smith, Brad Penny, Javier Vazquez
2001 Losers - Scott Elarton, Livan Hernandez, Kevin Millwood, Bartolo Colon, Dave Burba
2000 Losers - Jose Lima, Ramon Martinez, David Cone, Omar Daal, Kevin Millwood
1999 Losers - Roger Clemens, Jeff Fassero, Chan Ho Park, Tom Glavine, Brett Tomko

Relief Pitchers

MVPs - Brad Lidge, Kerry Wood, Brian Fuentes, Francisco Rodriguez

Lidge's projection: 3-5, 28 Sv, 3.77 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 81 Ks in 62 IP
Lidge's 2008 stats: 2-0, 41 Sv, 1.95 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 92 Ks in 69 1/3 IP

Wood's projection: 3-2, 21 Sv, 3.07 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 46 Ks in 41 IP
Wood's 2008 stats: 5-4, 34 Sv, 3.26 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 84 Ks in 66 1/3 IP

Fuentes' projection: 5-3, 9 Sv, 3.49 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 66 Ks in 67 IP
Fuentes' 2008 stats: 1-5, 30 Sv, 2.73 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 82 Ks in 62 2/3 IP

Rodriguez's projection: 3-4, 40 Sv, 2.65 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 88 Ks in 68 IP
Rodriguez's 2008 stats: 2-3, 62 Sv, 2.24 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 77 Ks in 68 1/3 IP

Of the 22 pitchers to record 20 saves this year, only Fuentes and Salomon Torres didn't enter the season as a closer. As a result, the MVP list this year includes more established closers than usual. ... Only Torres beat his save projection by more than Rodriguez. That's the case even though J.J. Putz was the only closer I had projected to finish with more saves than K-Rod this year.

Honorable Mention - Salomon Torres, Joakim Soria, Dan Wheeler, Brad Ziegler
2007 Winners - Jeremy Accardo, Takashi Saito, Kevin Gregg, Manny Corpas
2006 Winners - J.J. Putz, Jonathan Papelbon, Takashi Saito, Akinori Otsuka
2005 Winners - Chad Cordero, Derrick Turnbow, Huston Street, Todd Jones, Bob Wickman
2004 Winners - Brad Lidge, Joe Nathan, Jose Mesa, Shingo Takatsu
2003 Winners - Eric Gagne, Tim Worrell, Joe Borowski, Guillermo Mota
2002 Winners - Eric Gagne, Juan Acevedo, Byung-Hyun Kim, Octavio Dotel
2001 Winners - Byung-Hyun Kim, Jeff Zimmerman, Octavio Dotel, Jose Mesa
2000 Winners - Keith Foulke, Robb Nen, Gabe White
1999 Winners - Scott Williamson, Billy Koch, John Rocker

LVPs - Jason Isringhausen, Manny Corpas, J.J. Putz, Huston Street

Isringhausen's projection: 3-2, 32 Sv, 2.90 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 49 Ks in 59 IP
Isringhausen's 2008 stats: 1-5, 12 Sv, 5.70 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 36 Ks in 42 2/3 IP

Corpas' projection: 4-5, 32 Sv, 3.21 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 58 Ks in 73 IP
Corpas' 2008 stats: 3-4, 4 Sv, 4.52 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 50 Ks in 79 2/3 IP

Putz's projection: 4-2, 42 Sv, 2.47 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 80 Ks in 73 IP
Putz's 2008 stats: 6-5, 15 Sv, 3.88 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 56 Ks in 46 1/3 IP

Street's projection: 5-3, 34 Sv, 2.74 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 68 Ks in 69 IP
Street's 2008 stats: 7-5, 18 Sv, 3.73 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 69 Ks in 70 IP

Corpas, Putz and Street were all quite effective in the second half, but only Putz regained the closer's role. Corpas has a chance to enter next year as a closer with Brian Fuentes likely to leave. Street figures to enter 2009 as another team's closer.

Dishonorable Mention - C.J. Wilson, Joe Borowski, Eric Gagne, Rafael Soriano
2007 Losers - Tom Gordon, Salomon Torres, Jorge Julio, Bob Wickman
2006 Losers - Derrick Turnbow, Brad Lidge, Ryan Dempster, Armando Benitez
2005 Losers - Danny Kolb, Danny Graves, Guillermo Mota, Keith Foulke
2004 Losers - Arthur Rhodes, Joe Borowski, Shawn Chacon, David Riske
2003 Losers - Billy Koch, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Armando Benitez, Jose Mesa
2002 Losers - Keith Foulke, Scott Strickland, Armando Benitez, Antonio Alfonseca
2001 Losers - Todd Jones, John Rocker, Billy Koch, Dave Veres
2000 Losers - Bob Howry, Scott Williamson, John Rocker, Billy Wagner
1999 Losers - Rod Beck, Jeff Montgomery, Rick Aguilera, Gregg Olson

Award Ballots

- Here are my MVP, Cy Young and ROY ballots for 2008:

AL MVP
1. Dustin Pedroia
2. Joe Mauer
3. Grady Sizemore
4. Roy Halladay
5. Cliff Lee
6. Kevin Youkilis
7. Josh Hamilton
8. Justin Morneau
9. Alex Rodriguez
10. Aubrey Huff

I think the top three were pretty clearly the AL's best players this year, but I'm still not sure about the order. The actual award is set to come down to Pedroia and Justin Morneau, who won in 2006. Mauer, a player I had second behind Derek Jeter in two years ago, doesn't have a prayer. He's playing in the wrong era, as the batting title just doesn't mean what it used to. That's for the best, of course, but Mauer is just as good as his league-leading average suggests.

AL Cy Young
1. Roy Halladay
2. Cliff Lee
3. Jon Lester
4. Ervin Santana
5. John Danks

This won't be the popular choice, and again, I'm not certain it's the right one. Lee not only led the league in ERA, but he also allowed seven fewer unearned runs than Halladay (five to 12). However, Halladay beat him in innings 246 to 223 1/3 and faced significantly tougher competition. In fact, Halladay had the highest opposing-batters OPS of any pitcher with at least 200 IP. Lee's schedule, on the other hand, was quite easy for an AL pitcher. Halladay also had the better WHIP and strikeout rate. I think he rates a slight edge. . Lester and Santana were easy calls for the next two spots. Fifth place was between Danks, Felix Hernandez and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Felix was right behind Halladay in opponent OPS, so I was going to give him the nod. However, Tuesday's performance pushed Danks ahead.

AL Rookie of the Year
1. Evan Longoria
2. Mike Aviles
3. Alexei Ramirez
4. Armando Galarraga
5. Brad Ziegler

Not a lot to debate about here. The numbers say Aviles was a pretty good shortstop. I'm not quite convinced, but as long as he was close to average, he deserves to finish ahead of Ramirez and Galarraga. Ziegler gets the last spot over Joba Chamberlain and Jacoby Ellsbury, the preseason favorites. Denard Span also deserves mention.

NL MVP
1. Albert Pujols
2. Hanley Ramirez
3. Manny Ramirez
4. Chipper Jones
5. Lance Berkman
6. Carlos Beltran
7. David Wright
8. Tim Lincecum
9. Johan Santana
10. Chase Utley

It seemed highly unlikely even a couple of weeks ago, but Ryan Howard may now be shaping up as Pujols' primary competition. I'm guessing Pujols gets the award, if only because some will rate Brad Lidge as the most valuable Phillie. . Placing Manny is the toughest assignment. If he had been merely outstanding over the course of one-third of a season, I would have left him out of the top 10 entirely. But he was easily the NL's best player after arriving, and it's pretty unlikely that the Dodgers would have made it to the postseason without him. That's worth a spot in the top five.

NL Cy Young
1. Tim Lincecum
2. Johan Santana
3. CC Sabathia
4. Ryan Dempster
5. Cole Hamels

I had Santana on top after his brilliant outing Saturday, but Lincecum's outing on Sunday put him back in first. In a way, that just doesn't seem right; Santana came up huge for a team fighting for a postseason spot, while Lincecum was going for nothing more than personal glory throughout September. Still, all that really matters here is who pitched the best. In the end, the numbers were remarkably close. Santana allowed 74 runs in 234 1/3 innings, while Lincecum gave up 72 in 227. I had it coming down to defense. The Mets ranked seventh in baseball in defensive efficiency, while the Giants were 24th. Lincecum needed every one of those 265 strikeouts he recorded in order to contend for the NL lead in ERA. He did have the slightly easier schedule (730 opponents OPS to 737 for Santana). Still, had both been pitching for the same team, I think it's clear that Lincecum would have finished with the better numbers.

NL Rookie of the Year
1. Geovany Soto
2. Joey Votto
3. Jair Jurrjens
4. Hiroki Kuroda
5. John Lannan

The NL's rookie class wasn't as deep as the AL's, but the league did have the top rookie in Soto and its top five isn't bad at all. . Kosuke Fukudome, a starter in the All-Star Game, wouldn't have cracked the top 10.

2007 Selections
AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez
AL Cy Young - CC Sabathia
AL ROY - Dustin Pedroia
NL MVP - Jake Peavy
NL Cy Young - Jake Peavy
NL ROY - Troy Tulowitzki

2006 Selections
AL MVP - Derek Jeter
AL Cy Young - Johan Santana
AL ROY - Justin Verlander
NL MVP - Albert Pujols
NL Cy Young - Brandon Webb
NL ROY - Hanley Ramirez

2005 Selections
AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez
AL Cy Young - Johan Santana
AL ROY - Huston Street
NL MVP - Derrek Lee
NL Cy Young - Roger Clemens
NL ROY - Ryan Howard

2004 Selections
AL MVP - Vladimir Guerrero
AL Cy Young - Johan Santana
AL ROY - Bobby Crosby
NL MVP - Barry Bonds
NL Cy Young - Randy Johnson
NL ROY - Khalil Greene

2003 Selections
AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez
AL Cy Young - Pedro Martinez
AL ROY - Angel Berroa
NL MVP - Barry Bonds
NL Cy Young - Mark Prior
NL ROY - Brandon Webb

2002 Selections
AL MVP - Alex Rodriguez
AL Cy Young - Pedro Martinez
AL ROY - Eric Hinske
NL MVP - Barry Bonds
NL Cy Young - Randy Johnson
NL ROY - Austin Kearns

2001 Selections
AL MVP - Jason Giambi
AL Cy Young - Mark Mulder
AL ROY - Ichiro Suzuki
NL MVP - Barry Bonds
NL Cy Young - Randy Johnson
NL ROY - Albert Pujols

2000 Selections
AL MVP - Pedro Martinez
AL Cy Young - Pedro Martinez
AL ROY - Terrence Long
NL MVP - Barry Bonds
NL Cy Young - Randy Johnson
NL ROY - Rick Ankiel

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