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Written by Matt Zhe
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NL Cy Young
Tim Lincecum, SF (18-5, 2.62 ERA) over Brandon Webb and Ryan Dempster
Again, this is a case of rewarding an excellent pitcher on a bad team. While Lincecum could not match Webb’s win total of 22, he led the majors in strikeouts with 265. Lincecum easily wins the ERA battle (2.65 vs. 3.30) against Webb and that puts him over the top.
NL MVP
CC Sabathia, MIL (11-2, 1.65 ERA) over Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols and Manny Ramirez
To me, Sabathia defined the term “Most Valuable Player” over the last few weeks of the season. Sabathia, a soon to be $100 mil free agent, took the ball on three days rest several times during the wild card chase, not only putting his health at risk, but also jeopardizing his big pay day in order to pitch his team into the playoffs (I can already hear my father starting his ‘back in my day…’ lecture). Some senior circuit fans might lean more towards Pujols or Howard, two players who were with their team since the start of the season. Pujols, while putting up another great year, did nothing to stand out from the pack. Howard, the man who led MLB in both homers and RBI, is a worthy choice. His paltry .251 batting average is about the only point against (Sabathia, for the record, batted .229 with 1 HR and 6 RBI).
*****
POSTSEASON PREDICTIONS
The Boston Red Sox will not win their third championship since 2004 this year. There are simply too many questions surrounding their health. Mike Lowell, J.D. Drew and now Josh Beckett will be at less than full strength, if they play at all. That, along with a shaky bullpen (less Papelbon) is enough of a reason to go with the regular season champ Angels in the first round.
ALCS:
Los Angeles (of Anaheim) 4, Tampa Bay (of St. Petersburg) 2
NLCS
Philadelphia 4, Chicago 3
WORLD SERIES
Philadelphia 4, Los Angeles 3
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