Baseball’s top home run hitter strolls through the clubhouse half-dressed, hunting for food. He looks like a young George Foreman, fitting for the way his statistics will be grilled over the next few days.
If Andruw Jones hadn’t hit his approximate weight in September, there would be no debate about the National League MVP. He would be preparing an acceptance speech, reserving space on his mantel, clearing his schedule for an appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”
Except his bat went hollow, delivering just two souvenirs since Sept. 11, while his average dropped 13 points.
“I don’t care,” pitcher John Thomson said. “He’s still the MVP.”
Here’s why. Though often cited, Triple Crown categories are only a start in separating the candidates. Jones leads the league in homers and RBIs. But his real value lies in defense at a premium position. Pitching coach Leo Mazzone calls him the best center fielder since Willie Mays.
And no Atlanta team has leaned on Jones as much as this year’s. The Braves are set to become the first team since the 1989 San Francisco Giants to finish first in their division and last in the league in strikeouts.
“That’s a lot of freaking balls in play,” Mazzone said. “And nobody catches more than Andruw.”
Sorry, Albert Pujols. Your title as baseball’s best player to never win an MVP won’t change. And Derrek Lee, you picked the wrong season to receive validation for glory on a bad team.
That settled, let’s break out the envelopes around the league.
AL MVP | A drag race between the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez and Boston’s David Ortiz. Rodriguez has put together a season worth remembering in an oil painting. He hits for power and plays solid defense. And yet, at the risk of triggering more venom-laced e-mails, my choice remains Ortiz. He benefits his team more than Frank Thomas and Jason Giambi, past MVPs, by not playing defense. And regardless of the lineup protection around him, no hitter delivers in the clutch like Big Papi. He’s Boston’s version of John Elway. The winner: Ortiz.
NL Cy Young | Dontrelle Willis reminds people baseball players have teeth. He’s constantly smiling, a walking endorsement for the game. He brings a funky delivery and filthy stuff. Willis, 22-10, 2.59 ERA, is the first Marlins pitcher to win 20 games. Florida’s failure to make the postseason is unquestionably the worst thing you can say about his season. That’s one of the slight distinctions that nudges Chris Carpenter to the top of my ballot.
Carpenter leads the league in innings pitched, ranks third in strikeouts and at one point went undefeated in 16 straight starts. The winner: Carpenter.
AL Cy Young | It’s hard to go wrong picking Mariano Rivera. He stapled together the Yankees’ frayed season with his consistency. Still, he hasn’t been the league’s best pitcher. Bartolo Colon has quietly amassed 21 wins, doing his best work when most folks back East are asleep. Minnesota’s Johan Santana, the reigning winner, is arguably stronger this year. He leads baseball with 229 strikeouts, his 15 wins a reflection of poor run support. Opponents are batting .212 against him. He won’t win the trophy, but will on my ballot. The winner: Santana.
NL rookie of the year | The Rockies flooded the field with candidates but finished with only third baseman Garrett Atkins as a legitimate contender. Atkins consistently drives in runs, but having more errors (18) than home runs (13) sabotages his bid. Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard has hit more home runs than Todd Helton (21) in 197 fewer at-bats. Houston’s Willy Taveras is a dynamic burner who puts pressure on the defense with his speed. However, Jeff Francoeur’s splash is impossible to overlook. All he did was re-energize a city, hit for power and throw out every important runner when the Braves needed it most. He will become the first midseason call-up to win since Willie McCovey in 1959. The winner: Francoeur.
AL rookie of the year | Tampa Bay’s Jonny Gomes has blasted 21 home runs and played with total disregard for his body. Toronto’s Gustavo Chacin posted 12 wins. Any number of A’s deserve consideration, but no one has been better in a bigger role than closer Huston Street. “I can’t say I am surprised because he was always asking me advanced questions, wanting to know how to get major- league hitters out,” said Tom Holliday, Street’s pitching coach at the University of Texas. The A’s never lost a game when Street entered as closer. His season is nothing short of Dennis Eckersley Lite. The winner: Street.
Big Red helps out
Former Rockies pitcher John Thomson grew up in Louisiana and was moved by the suffering of those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Thomson, now the Braves’ No. 4 starter, organized food and clothing drives, and his wife and family volunteered at checkpoints across the state as victims were evacuated from New Orleans.
Hurricane Rita damaged Thomson’s home last weekend in Sulphur, La., a town of 35,000 near Lake Charles.
“From what my brother said, it’s going to take a long time to clean up the city,” Thomson said. “I just feel sorry for those people who were already there because of Katrina.”
Footnotes
It’s amazing how much a new uniform changes perception. Shawn Chacon always felt maligned by the Rockies’ brass, singled out for wearing earrings and his hat crooked. In New York, manager Joe Torre recently called him “Mr. Cool Cat, walking through the dugout with his hat pulled down and baggy pants.” The media has tabbed him a blue-collar bargain. Again, ironic since he’s no longer a Rockie because they couldn’t afford him. …
Bob Gebhard, the architect of the original Rockies, will be the only in-house candidate to interview for Arizona’s general manager job he has been filling on an interim basis. …
Nobody shows his appreciation for support like Atlanta’s Tim Hudson. He’s 87-4 in 112 career starts when his team scores at least four runs. …
A trade that could have altered the Rockies’ future: Back in 2001, after second baseman Jose Ortiz began hitting home runs, Colorado attempted to unload him for Tampa Bay minor-leaguer Jorge Cantu. The deal fizzled, as did Ortiz. He’s playing in Japan and Cantu is the American’s League’s version of Jeff Kent – a second baseman with power.
