Week 6 of Awards Wednesday and wondering why the Aâs have overcome even more injuries than the Yankees to be an over-.500 team on a shoestring budget?
1. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees. 2. Vladimir Guerrero, Angels. 3. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers. Thanks to his April masterpiece, Rodriguez is still holding onto a slim lead. But his advantage will not hold with yet another sub-par week, especially if you notice the sizzling play to the North is from David Ortiz (Last weekâs leader: Rodriguez).
1. Jason Kendall, Aâs. 2. Joe Crede, White Sox. 3. Alex Gordon, Royals. Gordon was viewed as a strong candidate for AL Rookie of the Year. But he has just been overmatched so far (Last weekâs leader: Kendall).
1. Jose Reyes, Mets. 2. Barry Bonds, Giants. 3. Chipper Jones, Braves. This is so close that you can go so many different ways. You can go with three guys who have all won this award in Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr. and Jones. You can go with three shortstops in Reyes, Hanley Ramirez and J.J. Hardy. Or you can go with three first basemen Prince Fielder, Derrek Lee and Todd Helton. Ultimately, Reyes gets the nod as the best overall player in the group (Last weekâs leader: Bonds).
1. Jim Edmonds, Cardinals. 2. Adam LaRoche, Pirates. 3. Mike Cameron, Padres. One homer in 112 at-bats for Edmonds (Last weekâs leader: Edmonds).
AL CY YOUNG
1. Dan Haren, Aâs. 2. Gil Meche, Royals. 3. Josh Beckett, Red Sox. Meche sure has come a long way since the winter when his five-year, $55 million deal was probably the most derided of a hyper-inflated market (Last weekâs leader: Beckett).
AL ANTI-CY YOUNG
1. Jeff Weaver, Mariners. 2. Sidney Ponson, Twins. 3. Miguel Batista, Mariners. Ponson will be disappearing from consideration because the Twins have now made him disappear (Last weekâs leader: Weaver).
NL CY YOUNG
1. Jake Peavy, Padres. 2. Tim Hudson, Braves. 3. Brad Penny, Dodgers. In his last four starts, Peavy has pitched 28 innings, worked to a 0.96 ERA, allowed 12 hits and struck out 46 in 28 innings (Last weekâs leader: John Maine, Mets).
NL ANTI-CY YOUNG
1. Adam Wainwright, Cardinals. 2. Kip Wells, Cardinals. 3. Adam Eaton, Phillies. The transition from closer to the rotation for the World Series MVP Wainwright has not gone very well (Last weekâs leader: Eaton).
AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
1. Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox. 2. Hideki Okajima, Red Sox. 3. Joakim Soria, Royals. Dice-K threw his first complete game this week (Last weekâs leader: Okajima).
NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
1. Josh Hamilton, Reds. 2. Chris Young, Diamondbacks. 3. Henry Owens, Marlins. Hamilton is hitting his first big-league slump just as Young seems to be clicking (Last weekâs leader: Hamilton).
SPECIAL AWARD OF THE WEEK
AL NO-STARS (Guys we thought had a chance at being All-Stars who have been anything but)
C-Kendall (.177 BA, 0 HRs). 1B-Shea Hillenbrand, Angels (.235 OBP, 1 HR). 2B-Robinson Cano, Yankees (.281 OBP, 1 HR). SS-Michael Young, Rangers (.256 OBP). 3B-Crede, White Sox (.295 SLG). LF-Garret Anderson, Angels (.265 OBP, 1 HR). CF-Rocco Baldelli, Devil Rays (.268 OBP). RF-Bobby Abreu, Yankees (.291 SLG, 1 HR).
FIVE BEST TEAMS
1. Red Sox. 2. Tigers. 3. Mets. 4. Brewers T5. Indians/Braves (Last weekâs leader: Red Sox).
FIVE WORST TEAMS
1. Nationals. 2. Royals. 3. Rockies. 4. Rangers. 5. Devil Rays (Last weekâs leader: Nationals).