Season 54 Awards

Hey folks! Welcome to the first official Clemens* blog post!

I'm hoping to get a post or two out each season going forward. If you have ideas for a post or would like to contribute yourself, please reach out via Trade Chat.

Let's kick things off some commentary on the Season 54 awards. I'll be releasing these over the next few days as I find the time.

AL MVP

• Joe Thomson (1B) - 50HR 146RBI 2SB .317/.383/.598
• Stew Ellis (3B) - 42 HR, 110 RBI, 38 SB, .278/.334/.539
• Angelys Colon (2B) - 32 HR, 107 RBI, 24 SB, .300/.409/.554
• Tony Martin (CF) - 15 HR, 72 RBI, 75 SB, .312/.393/.479
• Sammy LaMarre (1B) - 18 HR, 88 RBI, 32 SB, 306/.358/.445

Thomson boasts the best OPS, HR, and RBI totals among this group while striking out just 57 times, which is why Simmy has him atop the list. Hard to argue with those numbers, however Thomson is a poor defender and baserunner, two things I really value when making my selections.

Ellis, Colon, and Martin all play premium defensive positions, though Martin is a negative defender in CF and would benefit with a move to 2B/LF. Ellis, while a plus defender, actually spent most of his season in RF while nearly completing a 40/40 season. Colon, is a solid defender at 2B, has the 2nd best OPS, but was thrown out 12 times on the base paths this season.

As for Sammy, I really don't see much of a case here. He's had a good season, but has the lowest OPS of the group and plays 1B, albeit a VERY good 1B.

My Pick: Stew Ellis

NL MVP

• Luis Marin (1B) - 50 HR, 132 RBI, 1 SB, .318/.391/.596
• Corban Knebel (2B) - 33 HR, 99 RBI, 26 SB, .302/.376/.565
• Aramis Aviles (1B) - 35 HR, 107 RBI, 2 SB, .327/.427/.582
• Raul Coronado (3B) - 42 HR, 129 RBI, 9 SB, .291/.355/.561
• Wilson Park (2B) - 42 HR, 91 RBI, 7 SB, .283/.395/.530

Louis Martin's case for his 3rd MVP sits with his NL leading 50 HR and 132 RBI. His defense and baserunning are just as bad as they where when he won MVP last season.

Corban Knebel's move from Salt Lake to Iowa helped him set career highs in nearly all hitting stats. A move from 2B, where Knebel commited 10 Errors and 9 Minus plays, would be beneficial in future seasons.

In just his third ML season, Coronado is yet to make an AS team but finds himself on the MVP ballot. Coronado has the worst OPS on this list, but is his HR and RBI totals rank 2nd. His real value is in his defense where he stared at 3B this season.

Wilson Park is another worthy candidate, posting big HR numbers and an absolutely spectacular season at 2B. Considering he has a 16 vLH this stat line is really impressive.

And then we have eight time, that's right EIGHT time, MVP winner Aramis Aviles. At age 34 he's still leading all hitters in OBP and OPS. With only 507 AB, his counting stats trail in comparison.

My Pick: Louis Martin

AL CY YOUNG

• Yusmeiro Odor (SP) - 254 IP, 2.34 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 8.15 K/9
• Heath Diaz (SP) - 192 IP, 3.51 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 6.33 K/9
• Tomas Julio (SP) - 226 IP, 2.78 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 6.37 K/9
• Denard Murray (RP) - 65 IP, 2.49 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 8.45 K/9
• Gail Gosselin (SP) - 183 IP, 2.75 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 7.97 K/9

No reason to draw this out any, Yusmeiro Odor should run away with this award. Odor far outpaces the rest of the CY Young hopefuls in IP, ERA, WHIP, K/9, and (if you care about such things) Wins. At just 25, this could be the first of many awards for Memphis SP.

The rest of the ballot isn't made of up scrubs, though Heath Diaz's inclusion is a bit of a head scratcher. Tomas Julio, with strong numbers across 226 IP, would get my 2nd place vote, if such a thing existed. Denard Murray pitched only 65 innings and makes an appearance thanks to his 37 Saves. Gail Gooselin's numbers are a little stronger than Julio's but had 40 fewer IP.

My Pick: Yusmeiro Odor

NL CY YOUNG

• Marcus Lesher (SP) - 251 IP, 2.11 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 9.82 K/9
• Travis Cone (SP) - 191 IP, 2.16 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 6.46 K/9
• Marcell Melo (SP) - 171 IP, 3.34 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 6.51 K/9
• Rickey Cosby (SP) - 226 IP, 3.46 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 6.93 K/9
• Francisco Mota (SP) - 221 IP, 2.97 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 8.55 K/9

Much like the AL Cy Young ballot, this is an easy selection. Marcus Lesher tossed 250 innings with a sub 1 WHIP while leading this group in ERA and K/9. At just 26, Lesher should collect his 3rd CY award!

Youngsters Travis Cone and Francisco Mota had excellent seasons and are likely to appear on this ballot in future seasons. Rickey Cosby threw pitched a bunch of innings with solid to good numbers. Marcell Melo's inclusion confuses me, but my guess is Simmy loves the 19 Wins.

My Pick: Marcus Lesher