With Red Sox Fading, Yanks’ Jeter Gains Edge in American League MVP Race
Perhaps the biggest question, at least on the East Coast, is if Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz finally can win an MVP award. Many thought he should have won the honor last season but he was edged out by New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. While Ortiz probably was the favorite for most of this season, that may no longer be the case with the Red Sox falling out of the playoff race like a lead balloon. They had dropped seven games behind the Yankees through August 28.
Even if the Red Sox miraculously recover, there are some baseball writers who feel the award shouldn’t go to a designated hitter and that’s clearly why he didn’t win a year ago.
Ortiz posted better numbers than Rodriguez last season but not significantly better. Unlike this season when he has developed major throwing problems, Rodriguez played a stellar third base in 2005. That was the deciding factor in A-Rod winning the MVP. He helped the Yankees win games with his glove while Ortiz sat on the bench when the Red Sox played defense.
Could Ortiz be beaten out again by another Yankee? It’s looking more and more possible and the man to do it this year could be Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who actually has cooled off a bit after batting .412 in July, when he practically carried the team by himself. It now
looks like Jeter won’t be able to catch Minnesota Twins shortstop Joe Mauer for the American League batting title.
After ending July batting .354, Jeter’s averaged had slipped to .337 through August 27, which was still good enough for second in the league. Jeter doesn’t put up gaudy numbers because he’s not a power hitter and that could hurt him in the MVP voting because most voters are swayed by impressive home run and RBI totals. Still, Jeter helps the Yankees win in so many subtle ways and he has a chance to drive in 100 runs batting in the second spot in the lineup, and that isn’t too shabby. Jeter ranks in the top seven in the AL in hits, on-base percentage and stolen bases.
Ortiz could be losing votes as the Red Sox continue to flounder. Then there’s the question of what the MVP award actually represents. Does it go to the player having the best season or does it go to the player who means the most to his team? The two are not necessarily the same, though it’s hard to imagine where the Red Sox would be without Ortiz. Another factor that could come into play is Ortiz losing votes to his teammate, Manny Ramirez, who posts impressive numbers in his own right. On top of all that, Ortiz could have cost himself votes during Boston’s disastrous five-game sweep to the Yankees when “Big Papi” was held pretty well in check.
Jeter also didn’t have a great series but he did have two huge hits – a base-clearing triple that helped the Yankees erase a three-run deficit in the second game and game-tying single in the fourth game when New York was down to its last out.
Up until about a week ago, our vote would have gone to Ortiz. He gets so many big hits (is there a more clutch player in the game?) and his numbers (47 homers, 121 RBI through August 27) were too impressive to overlook. But now we have to give the nod to Jeter and vote Ortiz second. The seven-game difference in the standings is the deciding factor.
We’ll tab Mauer for third. Just 23, Mauer is an immense talent but he gets overlooked because he plays for a small-market team. That’s especially true in New York and Boston, where it’s Yankees-Red Sox 24 hours a day. But winning a batting title as a catcher would be an impressive accomplishment.
American League manager of the year
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1. This one is a no-brainer. It has to go to Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland. Yes, Detroit has been slumping and may be feeling heat for the first time this season as it tries to hang on to the lead in the American League Central Division – down to a somewhat uncomfortable five games through August 28. But the Tigers clearly have been the best story in baseball this season. Until hitting a speed bump, the Tigers were playing nearly .700 ball and still could win 100 games. Just three years ago, Detroit lost an American League-record 119 games. A remarkable turnaround, indeed.
2. We’re probably going to get grief for this pick, but our No. 2 choice goes to Yankees manager Joe Torre. Yes, we know Torre has the luxury of a $200 million payroll at his disposal. But the Yankees missed three key regulars – outfielders Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield and second baseman Robinson Cano – for large portions of the season. Torre did arguably his best job with the Yankees by holding the team together despite the rash of injuries. Now, New York is in position to win its ninth straight division title.
3. Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins. The Twins are an underrated team who probably don’t get the credit they deserve and Gardenhire is blessed to have talented Johan Santana as his ace. Still, the Twins were seven games under .500 in early June and appeared to be going nowhere. They could have folded their tents. Gardenhire did not allow that to happen.
American Cy Young Award.
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1. Minnesota Twins lefthander Johan Santana – Featuring arguably the nastiest curveball in the game, Santana captured this award in 2004 and could win it again. Through August 27, he was 15-5 with a 3.01 ERA, having won his previous five decisions, and led the AL in strikeouts with 196. Also, he has been unbeatable at home, winning his last 13 decisions at the Metrodome, dating to last season.
2. Toronto Blue Jays righthander Roy Halladay – The Blue Jays spent a lot of money in the offseason, hoping to move closer to the powerful Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East. That hasn’t happened as Toronto is still stuck in third place but through no fault of Halladay, who is the winningest pitcher in the majors and had a remarkable 16-3 record with a 3.18 ERA through August 27.
3. Detroit Tigers righthander Justin Verlander – The 23-year-old Verlander anchors Detroit’s young staff and is a big reason the Tigers are in first place. At 15-7 with a 3.42 ERA, Verlander joins Mark “the Bird” Fidrych as the only Detroit rookies to win at least 15 games in the last 50 years. Fidrych won 19 games in 1976.
Rookie of the Year
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1. Detroit Tigers righthander Justin Verlander – See above.
2. Los Angeles Angels righthander Jered Weaver – In an odd twist, Weaver took his brother Jeff’s job in midseason and has been nothing short of sensational since joining the Angels’ rotation, going 9-0 with a 1.95 ERA in his first 12 starts. He matched the best start ever for a American League rookie. The only other AL rookie to start a career 9-0? A fellow named Whitey Ford. Weaver’s streak finally ended in a 2-1 loss to the Red Sox on August 24.
3. Boston Red Sox righthander Jonathan Papelbon – For most of the season, Papelbon was virtually unhittable. He hit a wall with three thrown blown saves in August, when all of Boston’s young pitchers started to feel the pressure of their first pennant race. Still, Papelbon had 34 saves through August 27 and his ERA was back under one (0.96) . However, the Red Sox may look to convert him into a starter.
