My NL and AL winners of the 2008 season
Jon Oakley
Issue date: 10/1/08 Section: Sports
American League Most Valuable Player
Josh Hamilton, RF,
Texas Rangers
The American League was full of lackluster production from its biggest names this year. Some, like David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez, were held out of MVP contention by injuries, and others, like Travis Hafner and Paul Konerko, simply didn't produce. This allowed for newcomers such as Rangers right fielder Josh Hamilton and Chicago White Sox left fielder Carlos Quentin to shine.
Hamilton and Quentin battled for both the home run and RBI leads for the majority of the season until Quentin, the frontrunner, was put on the disabled list in early September. Quentin's broken wrist left the field open for the rest of the AL sluggers.
With the absence of Quentin, the MVP spot came down to a race between Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, both on teams that had no hope for the playoffs.
Hamilton edges out Cabrera for the AL MVP due to his league-leading 130 RBIs and his .304 batting average. Cabrera made a run at the award with a league-leading 37 home runs and respectable .292 average, but his team benefited little from his production. The Tigers ended the season in last place in the AL Central and the Rangers ended the season second in the AL West.
National League Most Valuable Player
Ryan Howard, 1B,
Philadelphia Phillies
What is there to say about Ryan Howard? What you see is what you get. He strikes out a ton (299 times in 2008) and he might not be a .300 hitter, but he is a relentless source of production in the Phillies offense.
Howard ended the year with a MLB-leading 146 RBIs and 48 home runs and helped lead the Phillies into the playoffs. Howard's batting average was low at .251, but the low average should highlight his clutch hitting. David Wright is the next highest in the NL in RBIs at 124, 22 short of Howard.
American League Cy Young
Cliff Lee, SP, Cleveland Indians
Cliff Lee was simply the best pitcher in the League this year, leading the AL in wins with 22 and ERA 2.54. Lee was a bright spot in the Indians first half and led the pitching staff all year. On top of his phenomenal statistics, Lee was a big game pitcher, going 6-2 against playoff teams this year (White Sox and Minnesota Twins both included).
Josh Hamilton, RF,
Texas Rangers
The American League was full of lackluster production from its biggest names this year. Some, like David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez, were held out of MVP contention by injuries, and others, like Travis Hafner and Paul Konerko, simply didn't produce. This allowed for newcomers such as Rangers right fielder Josh Hamilton and Chicago White Sox left fielder Carlos Quentin to shine.
Hamilton and Quentin battled for both the home run and RBI leads for the majority of the season until Quentin, the frontrunner, was put on the disabled list in early September. Quentin's broken wrist left the field open for the rest of the AL sluggers.
With the absence of Quentin, the MVP spot came down to a race between Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, both on teams that had no hope for the playoffs.
Hamilton edges out Cabrera for the AL MVP due to his league-leading 130 RBIs and his .304 batting average. Cabrera made a run at the award with a league-leading 37 home runs and respectable .292 average, but his team benefited little from his production. The Tigers ended the season in last place in the AL Central and the Rangers ended the season second in the AL West.
National League Most Valuable Player
Ryan Howard, 1B,
Philadelphia Phillies
What is there to say about Ryan Howard? What you see is what you get. He strikes out a ton (299 times in 2008) and he might not be a .300 hitter, but he is a relentless source of production in the Phillies offense.
Howard ended the year with a MLB-leading 146 RBIs and 48 home runs and helped lead the Phillies into the playoffs. Howard's batting average was low at .251, but the low average should highlight his clutch hitting. David Wright is the next highest in the NL in RBIs at 124, 22 short of Howard.
American League Cy Young
Cliff Lee, SP, Cleveland Indians
Cliff Lee was simply the best pitcher in the League this year, leading the AL in wins with 22 and ERA 2.54. Lee was a bright spot in the Indians first half and led the pitching staff all year. On top of his phenomenal statistics, Lee was a big game pitcher, going 6-2 against playoff teams this year (White Sox and Minnesota Twins both included).
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Matt
posted 10/01/08 @ 12:36 PM CST
well i guess you have your pinstripes on underneath eh? What kind of a joke column is it that you don't even mention Dustin Pedroia in the MVP section? I don't care how anti-red sox you might be or how "smart" you claim to be. (Continued…)
Armando's Dad
posted 10/02/08 @ 10:41 AM CST
Great article. As for the comment about the article being anti-Red Sox, it's about time players were recognized outside of the ESPN force fed diet that dictates baseball doesn't exist outside of New York & Boston. (Continued…)
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