Rumors for Award
Clayton Kershaw wins NL CY Young
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Congratulations to Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw who won the 2011 NL CY Young in a landslide. Kershaw won the N.L. pitching triple crown in 2011, tying for the league lead in victories with 21, and leading it with 248 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA. He also is the eighth Dodger to win the award, and the first since Erice Gagne in 2003. Kershaw is also the youngest to win the award since Dwight Gooden won it in 1985 at age 20 (kershaw is 23).
Here are the top three results for the 2011 CY Young.
1. Clayton Kershaw- 27 of a possible 32 first place votes
2. Roy Hallady
3. Cliff Lee
Verlander unanimously wins AL Cy Young
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The Baseball Writers’ Association of America unanimously selected Justin Verlander as the winner of the 2011 American League Cy Young Award. The 28-year-old pitcher was named first on all 28 ballots for a score of 196 points. Jared Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels finished second with 17 second place votes and a total of 97 points.
Verlander was 24-5 over 251 innings pitched in 2011. He limited batters to an impressive .192 batting average.
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Matt Kemp becomes newest member of the 30/30 Club
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Last night in the bottom of the seventh, Matt Kemp crushed a solo home run to deep center, something he has been doing all season.
This was no ordinary home run though, as it was his 30th of the season to go along with 33 steals which made him the newest member of the 30/30 club.
Kemp became only the second Dodger ever to accomplish this feat. The only other Dodger was Raul Mondesi, who accomplished it twice in 1997 and ‘99. Though no Dodger has ever reached the 40/40 club.
“I’m just happy I got to do it here in L.A.,” Kemp said after the game. “The fans have always supported me. We still got a long way to go.”
On the season, Kemp is hitting .323 with 98 RBIs. He is in the top four in both of these categories along with top four in home runs and stolen bases.
The last Major Leaguer to reach the 30-30 club was Texas second baseman Ian Kinsler,, in 2009.
Information and quotes used in this article were obtained from MLB.com.
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Justin Verlander throws second no-hitter of the season and his career
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This week has been the week of pitchers, as we saw Francisco Liriano throw a no-hitter against the White Sox. It was a unique no-no as his final line included six-walks. Never the less, it still goes down as a no-hitter.
On Saturday, most people turned their attention to Yovani Gallardo as he had a no-hitter going into the 8th against the Cardinals. He ended up losing the no-no to the first batter he faced in the 8th, but went on to finish the game allowing only the lone one base hit.
After Gallardo lost his no-hitter, Justin Verlander who was throwing a perfect game in the 8th against the Blue Jays demanded baseball’s attention. Verlander went to a full-count on Jonathan Arencibia (1 out already) and eventually walked him on a questionable ball-four call. Verlander was quick to put that behind him as he got Edwin Encarnacion to ground into an inning ending double-play.
In the end, Verlander lost his perfect game but was able to secure his second no-hitter of his career. Verlander faced the minimum number of batters (27) and completed his no-no with just 108 pitches (compared to Liriano at 123).
Verlander’s first no-hitter came against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007, the season after he was named AL Rookie of the Year. That time Verlander overwhelmed the Brewers with his 100 mph fastball, striking out 12 and walking four.
When asked how it felt to throw his second no-hitter, Verlander responded, “Just as good as the first.”
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Josh Hamilton wins 2010 American League MVP
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Congratulations to Josh Hamilton for winning the 2010 American League MVP Award, as announced by the Baseball Writers Associations of America. Hamilton received 22 of the 28 first-place votes with Miguel Cabrera five votes and Jose Bautista receiving 1 first place vote.
Hamilton had a $10,000 bonus in his 2009 contract for winning the MVP, it’s unclear if that bonus is valid for 2010. Cabrera receives $100,000 bonus for coming in second place. Joe Mauer missed a $25,000 bonus by finishing in eighth place with 97 points. His contract stipulates that he would have received the bonus if he finished in fourth to sixth place.
Here are the voting results:
| Name | Total Pts. |
| Josh Hamilton (Rangers) | 358 |
| Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) | 262 |
| Robinson Cano (Yankees) | 229 |
| Jose Bautista (Blue Jays) | 165 |
| Paul Konerko (White Sox) | 130 |
| Evan Longoria (Rays) | 100 |
| Carl Crawford (Rays) | 98 |
| Joe Mauer (Twins) | 97 |
| Adrian Beltre (Red Sox) | 83 |
| Delmon Young (Twins) | 44 |
| Vladimir Guerrero (Rangers) | 22 |
| Rafael Soriano (Rays) | 21 |
| CC Sabathia (Yankees) | 13 |
| Shin-Soo Choo (Indians) | 9 |
| Alex Rodriguez (Yankees) | 8 |
| Felix Hernandez (Mariners) | 6 |
| Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners) | 3 |
| Jim Thome (Twins) | 2 |
| Joakim Soria (Royals) | 1 |
| Mark Teixeira (Yankees) | 1 |
Joey Votto wins 2010 National League MVP
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Congratulations to Joey Votto for winning the 2010 National League MVP Award, as announced by the Baseball Writers Associations of America. Votto received 31 of the 32 first-place votes with Albert Pujols receiving the other first-place vote. By finishing in second place, Pujols receives a $100,000 bonus. Here are the voting results:
| Name | Total Pts. |
| Joey Votto (Reds) | 443 |
| Albert Pujols (Cardinals) | 279 |
| Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies) | 240 |
| Adrian Gonzalez (Padres) | 197 |
| Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies) | 132 |
| Roy Halladay (Phillies) | 130 |
| Aubrey Huff (Giants) | 70 |
| Jayson Werth (Phillies) | 52 |
| Martin Prado (Braves) | 51 |
| Ryan Howard (Phillies) | 50 |
| Buster Posey (Giants) | 40 |
| Matt Holliday (Cardinals) | 32 |
| Brian Wilson (Giants) | 28 |
| Scott Rolen (Reds) | 26 |
| Ryan Braun (Brewers) | 19 |
| Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals) | 18 |
| Carlos Ruiz (Phillies) | 12 |
| Dan Uggla (Marlins) | 12 |
| Adam Wainwright (Cardinals) | 12 |
| Jason Heyward (Braves) | 11 |
| Brian McCann (Braves) | 9 |
| Adam Dunn (Nationals) | 9 |
| Ubaldo Jimenez (Rockies) | 7 |
| David Wright (Mets) | 3 |
| Corey Hart (Brewers) | 2 |
| Josh Johnson (Marlins) | 2 |
| Heath Bell (Padres) | 2 |
Felix Hernandez wins 2010 AL Cy Young
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According to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez wins the 2010 American League Cy Young Award. For winning the award, Hernandez’s 2011 salary will increase $1 million from $10 million to $11 million. Hernandez’s salary in 2012, 2013 and 2014 will increase by $500,000 (a total of $2.5 million over four years).
| Name | Total Pts. |
| Felix Hernandez (Mariners) | 167 |
| David Price (Rays) | 111 |
| CC Sabathia (Yankees) | 102 |
| Jon Lester (Red Sox) | 33 |
| Jared Weaver (Angels) | 24 |
| Clay Buchholz (Red Sox) | 20 |
| Cliff Lee (Mariners-Rangers) | 6 |
| Rafael Soriano (Rays) | 5 |
| Trevor Cahill (Athletics) | 4 |
| Joakim Soria (Royals) | 2 |
| Francisco Liriano (Twins) | 1 |
| Justin Verlander (Tigers) | 1 |
Ron Gardenhire and Bud Black named Managers of the Year
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According to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Minnesota Twins’ manager Ron Gardenhire and San Diego Padres’ manager Bud Black were named American League and National League Manager’s of the Year, respectively.
The American League voting had four of the five East division managers (minus the Baltimore Orioles).
The National League winner was decided by one point – the third time this has happened in history. Dusty Baker previously won the award with the San Francisco Giants in 1993, 1997 and 2000.
| Name | Total Pts. |
| Ron Gardenhire (Twins) | 108 |
| Ron Washington (Rangers) | 81 |
| Joe Maddon (Rays) | 44 |
| Terry Francona (Red Sox) | 13 |
| Cito Gaston (Blue Jays) | 5 |
| Joe Girardi (Yankees) | 1 |
| Name | Total Pts. |
| Bud Black (Padres) | 104 |
| Dusty Baker (Reds) | 103 |
| Bruce Bochy (Giants) | 30 |
| Bobby Cox (Braves) | 28 |
| Charlie Manuel (Phillies) | 20 |
| Brad Mills (Astros) | 3 |
Roy Halliday wins 2010 NL Cy Young Award
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According to the Baseball Writers Association of America, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Roy Halladay has unanimously won the 2010 National League Cy Young Award with 32 first-place votes. The 2010 award is Halladay’s 2nd Cy Young in his career. It’s not clear if he had a bonus associated with this years award, but according to the PRO Rumors’ contract database, Halladay had a $250,000 bonus if he won the award between 2004-2007. Here are the voting results:
| Name | Total Pts. |
| Roy Halladay (Phillies) | 224 |
| Adam Wainwright (Cardinals) | 122 |
| Ubaldo Jimenez (Rockies) | 90 |
| Tim Hudson (Braves) | 39 |
| Josh Johnson (Marlins) | 34 |
| Roy Oswalt (Astros/Phillies) | 14 |
| Brian Wilson (Giants) | 7 |
| Heath Bell (Padres) | 4 |
| Mat Latos (Padres) | 4 |
| Brett Myers (Astros) | 2 |
| Tim Lincecum (Giants) | 2 |
| Bronson Arroyo (Reds | 1 |
| Matt Cain (Giants) | 1 |
With a top-five finish, Adam Wainwright’s 2012 and 2013 club options are now guaranteed as long as the pitcher does not finish 2011 on the disabled list.
Buster Posey and Neftali Feliz named Rookie of the Year
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In an announcement from Baseball Writers Association of America, Buster Posey and Neftali Feliz have been named National League and American League Rookies of the Year, respectively.
Here are the voting results:
| Name | Total Pts. |
| Buster Posey (Giants) | 129 |
| Jason Hayward (Braves) | 107 |
| Jaime Garcia (Cardinals) | 24 |
| Gaby Sanchez (Marlins) | 18 |
| Neil Walker (Pirates) | 3 |
| Starlin Castro (Cubs) | 3 |
| Ike Davis (Mets) | 2 |
| Jose Tabata (Pirates) | 1 |
| Jonny Venters (Braves) | 1 |
| Name | Total Pts. |
| Neftali Feliz (Rangers) | 122 |
| Austin Jackson (Tigers) | 98 |
| Danny Valencia (Twins) | 12 |
| Wade Davis (Rays) | 11 |
| John Jaso (Rays) | 3 |
| Brennan Boesch (Tigers) | 3 |
| Brian Matusz (Orioles) | 3 |
