Thursday, December 1, 2016

Season 32 Award Winners

Here's a recap of who took home the hardware in Season 32!

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
American League - Willie Cerda, Texas - .322 AVG 41 HR 134 RBI
The list of career accolades for the Texas slugger keeps growing, as he took home his record breaking 6th MVP trophy in Season 32.  He also made his 6th All-Star appearance and won his 7th Silver Slugger award.  What's next for Cerda?  It seems he has a decent chance to break the all-time Cobbfather Home Run record, as he is just 59 away, and seems like he will have the longevity to get there.  What a career it has been for Cerda.

National League - Jared Gonzales, Montgomery - .300 AVG 50 HR 126 RBI 16 SB
In the NL, we have a first-time winner, as the Montgomery centerfielder took home the MVP trophy.  He also made his 4th All-Star team in Season 32.  With several impressive offensive seasons under his belt, Gonzales took it another step up, posting career highs in almost every offensive category to lead the way for a most impressive Montgomery squad.  Definitely a well-deserved win, and nice to see a player in his 30's break through for his first MVP win.

CY YOUNG AWARD
American League - Felipe Sosa, Salem - 22-5 2.22 ERA 159 K
Sosa, the AL leader in Quality Starts who also tied for the lead in wins, took home his first Cy Young award capping off a tremendous season for a solid Salem squad.  The 30 year-old lefty also made his 2nd All-Star team in Season 32.  He's been a formidable pitcher only playing for Salem his entire career, so it's nice to see his efforts rewarded as well.

National League - Erubiel Morales, Montgomery - 16-4 2.19 ERA 134 K
Looking at his ratings, it would be hard to predict Morales would ever win a Cy Young, given his low stamina, his potential for throwing a lot of innings is limited.  But Montgomery gave him a shot in their rotation anyway, and it was a major success that allowed him to bring home the Cy Young trophy.  Morales fell 5.2 innings short of qualifying for the ERA and WHIP titles, but would have won both if he had.  Good to see a guy like Morales win it every once in a while, it shows that a wide variety of pitchers can be useful!

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
American League - Giovanny Stanley, Cheyenne - .314 AVG 26 HR 74 RBI 46 SB
The Cheyenne 1st baseman Stanley, who poses the rare combination of power, great batting eye and top tier baserunning skills, took home the AL Rookie of the Year honors by showing off his abilities with a most impressive stat line for Season 32.  His Season 32 batting average may be about his ceiling, but he has upside in all other categories, so he should be a regular going forward on many of the awards list.

National League - Rex Washington, Houston - 12-5 2.73 ERA 112 K
It was a rough season in Houston in Season 32, dealing with some tough injuries, including a tough elbow injury for NL Rookie of the Year Washington, who won despite finishing the season on the DL. It doesn't look like the injury will affect him greatly going forward, and at his age, there's a possibility that he could regain some of what he lost.  Even if he stays at his current ratings, he looks like he'll be an excellent arm going forward, if he can keep the ball down, and more importantly, stay healthy.

FIREMAN OF THE YEAR
American League - Jiggs Cuddyer, Boston - 2.89 ERA, 39 SV - 1st win
National League - Jhoulys Olmedo, New York - 3.18 ERA, 50 SV - 2nd win

SILVER SLUGGER AWARDS
American League
DH Timothy Steinbach Atlanta 1st
C Marvin Crosby Boston 1st
1B Willie Cerda Texas 7th
2B Calvin Hukata Detroit 1st
3B Wilfredo Guerrero Iowa City 1st
SS Jaret Miller Atlanta 3rd
LF Leonardo Jefferies Cheyenne 1st
CF Raul Galvez Salem 3rd
RF Francis King Salem 2nd

National League
P Bo Nelson Florida 1st
C Derrick Frank Dover 2nd
1B Adalberto Cerveza Dover 2nd
2B Yohan Gomez Buffalo 1st
3B Eli Calixte Dover 1st
SS Kirt Raggio Cincinnati 3rd
LF Mitchell Sweeney New York 2nd
CF Heath Kelly Florida 1st
RF Wiki Unamuno Montgomery 4th

GOLD GLOVE AWARDS
American League
P Omar Suarez Detroit 1st
C Chris York Cheyenne 1st
1B Michael Henn Pawtucket 1st
2B Paul Francoeur Pawtucket 1st
3B Alving Palmeiro Colorado Springs 5th
SS J.B. Taylor Pawtucket 1st
LF Donaldo Javier Pawtucket 2nd
CF Hub Paul St. Louis 1st
RF Leonys Santos Iowa City 1st

National League
P Raul Delgado Salt Lake City 1st
C Yamid Latos Los Angeles 1st
1B Harry Amarista Richmond 5th
2B Alex Tavarez Los Angeles 1st
3B Louie Banuelos Buffalo 1st
SS Ugueth Perez Montgomery 2nd
LF Fernando Cortez Vancouver 1st
CF J.T. Constanza Trenton 2nd
RF Willie Esposito Richmond 1st