Terry Francona, Joe Maddon Awarded BBBA’s Cornelius “Connie Mack” McGillicuddy Award for Best Regular Season MLB Managing Performances of 2016

The bloggers of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance have chosen the Cleveland Indians’ Joe Maddon and the Chicago Cubs’ Joe Maddon as the best MLB managers of the 2016 regular season.

In balloting, Terry Francona earned 150 points on 27 first place votes, highest among all candidates in both leagues. Other American League managers who received first place votes included the Texas Rangers’ Jeff Bannister (with five first place votes), the Baltimore Orioles’ Buck Showalter and the Toronto Blue Jays’ John Gibbons. The top three NL managers finished as follows:

1. Terry Francona, 150 points (27 first place votes)
2. Jeff Banister, 51 (5)
3. John Farrell, 29

In the National League, Joe Maddon led all candidates with 116 points on 19 first place ballots. Also receiving first place votes were the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Dave Roberts (seven), the Washington Nationals’ Dusty Baker (two), the New York Mets’ Terry Collins (two), the San Francisco Giants’ Bruce Bochy (two), the Miami Marlins’ Don Mattingly and the Philadelphia Phillies’ Pete Mackanin. The top three AL managers finished as follows:

1. Joe Maddon, 116 points (19 first place votes)
2. Dave Roberts, 70 (7)
3. Dusty Baker, 37 (2)

In total, 21 MLB managers received a vote for the 2016 Connie Mack Award. Honorable mention (with point totals) goes to:

• American League: Buck Showalter (26), John Gibbons (23), Joe Girardi (9), Brad Ausmus (5), Scott Servais (4), A.J. Hinch (1)
• National League: Terry Collins (27), Bruce Bochy (21), Don Mattingly (11), Pete Mackanin (9), Brian Snitker (3), Craig Counsell (3), Bryan Price (1), Mike Matheny (1), Walt Weiss (1)

Gary Sanchez, Corey Seager Awarded BBBA’s Willie Howard Mays, Jr., Award for Best Regular Season MLB Rookie Performances of 2016

The bloggers of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance have chosen the New York Yankees’ Gary Sanchez and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager as the best rookies of the 2016 MLB regular season.

In balloting, Mr. Seager earned 130 points with 26 first place votes, highest among all candidates in both leagues. Other National League rookies who earned first place votes included the Washington Nationals’ Trea Turner (with two), the Dodgers’ Kenta Maeda, the Chicago Cubs’ Willson Contreras and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Almedys Diaz. The top three NL rookies finished as follows:

1. Corey Seager, 130 points (26 first place votes)
2. Trea Turner, 36 (2)
3. Trevor Story, 34

In the American League, Mr. Sanchez earned 99 points on 14 first place votes, narrowly edging out the Detroit Tigers’ Michael Fulmer with 95 points and 12 first place votes. Other first place vote getters included the Cleveland Indians’ Tyler Naquin (two), the Boston Red Sox’ Andrew Benintendi (three), the Chicago White Sox’ Tyler Anderson and the Houston Astros’ Yulieski Gurriel. The top three AL rookies finished as follows:

1. G Sanchez, 99 points (14 first place votes)
2. M Fulmer, 95 (12)
3. T Naquin, 33 (2)

In total, 32 rookies received a vote for the 2016 Willie Mays Award. Honorable mention (with point totals) goes to:

• American League: Andrew Benintendi (15), Nomar Mazara (7), Tyler Anderson (6), Yulieski Gurriel (5), Max Kepler (4), Matt Bush (4), Edwin Diaz (4), Cheslor Cuthbert (3), Byron Buxton (3), Aaron Judge (3), Hyun Soo Kim (1), Dylan Bundy (1), Chris Devenski (1)
• National League: Kenta Maeda (27), Willson Contreras (10), Almedys Diaz (8), Steven Matz (7), Dansby Swanson (4), Jose Peraza (3), Seung Hwan Oh (3), Ryan Schimpf (2), David Dahl (1), Jon Gray (1), Jameson Taillon (1), Tony Wolters (1), Zach Davies (1)

Zach Britton, Kenley Jansen Awarded BBBA’s Richard “Goose” Gossage Award for Best Regular Season MLB Relief Pitching Performances of 2016

The bloggers of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance have chosen the Baltimore Orioles’ Zach Britton and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen as the best relief pitchers of the 2016 MLB regular season.

In balloting, Mr. Britton received 24 first place votes and 200 points overall, highest among all candidates in both leagues. The only other American League reliever to earn a first place vote was the Cleveland Indians’ (and previously New York Yankees’) Andrew Miller, with nine selections atop the ballot. The top five AL relievers finished as follows:

1. Zach Britton, 200 points (24 first place votes)
2. Andrew Miller, 131 (9)
3. Cody Allen, 36
4. Dellin Betances, 34
5. Francisco Rodriguez, 22

In the National League, Kenley Jansen earned 181 points on 20 first place votes. Other first place vote getters included the New York Mets’ Jeurys Familia (8), the Washington Nationals’ (and previously Pittsburgh Pirates’) Mark Melancon (3), the Mets’ Addison Reed (1) and the Chicago Cubs’ Justin Grimm (1). The top five NL relievers finished as follows:

1. Kenley Jansen, 181 points (20 first place votes)
2. Jeurys Familia, 102 (8)
3. Mark Melancon, 83 (3)
4. Seung Hwan Oh, 29
5. Addison Reed, 26 (1)

In total, 49 MLB relievers received a vote in the 2016 Goose Gossage Award balloting. Honorable mention (with point totals) goes to:

• American League: Roberto Osuna (19), Alex Colome (16), Christopher Devenski (16), Sam Dyson (15), Brad Brach (7), Kelvin Herrera (6), Craig Kimbrel (4), Bryan Shaw (2), David Robertson (2), Joseph Biagini (2), Ken Giles (2), Mike Montgomery (2), Nate Jones (2), Nick Vincent (2), Wade Davis (2), Will Harris (2), Edwin Diaz (1), Matt Bush (1), Mychal Givens (1), Ryan Dull (1)
• National League: A.J. Ramos (15), Justin Grimm (10), Travis Wood (10), Hector Rondon (8), Joe Blanton (5), Raisel Iglesias (5), Tyler Thornburg (5), Jeanmar Gomez (4), Shawn Kelley (4), Carlos Torres (3), Santiago Casilla (3), Tony Cingrani (3), Tony Watson (3), Fernando Rodney (2), Kyle Barraclough (2), Brad Hand (1), Hector Neris (1), Jim Johnson (1), Josh Smith (1)

Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer Awarded BBBA’s Walter Perry Johnson Award for Best Regular Season MLB Pitching Performances of 2016

The bloggers of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance have chosen the Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander and the Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer as the best pitchers of the 2016 MLB regular season.

In balloting, Mr. Verlander received 11 first place votes and 130 points overall, highest among all candidates in both leagues. Finishing a close second with 125 points and nine first place votes was the Cleveland Indians’ Corey Kluber. The Boston Red Sox’ Rick Porcello finished third with 110 points and nine first place ballots. Also earning the top spot on BBA ballots were the Chicago White Sox’ Chris Sale and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Aaron Sanchez. The top five American League pitchers finished as follows:

1. Justin Verlander, 130 points (11 1st place votes)
2. Corey Kluber, 125 (9)
3. Rick Porcello, 110 (9)
4. Chris Sale, 46 (1)
5. Aaron Sanchez, 44 (4)

In the National League, Mr. Scherzer received 115 points and 10 first place votes. The Nats’ ace narrowly beat the Chicago Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks who finished second with 105 points and one more first place vote than Scherzer. Also receiving first place votes were the New York Mets’ Noah Syndergaard, the Cubs’ Jon Lester, the San Francisco Giants’ Madison Bumgarner, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, and late Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez. The top five NL pitchers finished as follows:

1. Max Scherzer, 115 (10)
2. Kyle Hendricks, 105 (11)
3. Noah Syndergaard, 63 (1)
4. Jon Lester, 58 (2)
5. Jose Fernandez, 44 (3)

In total, 28 MLB pitchers received a vote in the 2016 Walter Johnson Award vote. Honorable mention (with point totals) goes to:

• American League: Andrew Miller (25), Masahiro Tanaka (19), J.A. Happ (11), Jose Quintana (11), David Price (6), Zach Britton (6), Francisco Rodriguez (3), R.A. Dickey (2), Cole Hamels (1)
• National League: Madison Bumgarner (41), Clayton Kershaw (34), Jake Arrieta (24), Johnny Cueto (21), Tanner Roark (4), Kenley Jansen (3), Jeurys Familia (2), Julio Teheran (2), Bartolo Colon (1)

Stay tuned the rest of the week for the winners of the Goose Gossage (best relievers), Willie Mays (best rookies) and Connie Mack (best managers) awards.

Mike Trout, Kris Bryant Awarded BBBA’s Stanley Frank Musial Award for Best Regular Season MLB Performances of 2016

Following balloting by the constituent blogs of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, voters chose the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout and the Chicago Cubs’ Kris Bryant as the best regular season performers of the 2016 MLB regular season.

Mr. Trout received 22 first place votes and 403 points, the highest point total among all players in both leagues. Finishing a close second was the Boston Red Sox’ Mookie Betts, with 331 points (9 1st place), while Jose Altuve finished a respectable third with 263 (5 1st place). The American League Top 10 finished as follows:

1. Mike Trout, 403 points (22 1st place votes)
2. Mookie Betts, 331 (9)
3. Jose Altuve, 263 (5)
4. Josh Donaldson, 152
5. David Ortiz, 107 (1)
6. Manny Machado, 101
7. Francisco Lindor, 67
8. Robinson Cano, 61
9. Miguel Cabrera, 39
10. Corey Kluber, 37

Mr. Bryant earned his 364 points with 22 first place ballots. Daniel Murphy and Corey Seager finished a distant second and third. The National League Top 10 finished as follows:

1. Kris Bryant, 364 points (22 1st place votes)
2. Daniel Murphy, 171 (1)
3. Corey Seager, 162 (2)
4. Nolan Arenado, 153 (2)
5. Anthony Rizzo, 107
6. Freddie Freeman, 80
7. Joey Votto, 69
8. Max Scherzer, 67
9. Noah Syndergaard, 57
10. Bryce Harper 56

A total of 70 players received a spot on a ballot for the 2016 Stan Musial Award. Honorable mention (with point total) goes to:

• American League: Justin Verlander (36), Andrew Miller (34), Edwin Encarnacion (33), Zach Britton (32), Brian Dozier (29), Xander Bogaerts (28), Dustin Pedroia (27), Adrian Beltre (26), Jackie Bradley Jr. (25), Kyle Seager (25), Rick Porcello (21), Carlos Correa (17), Aaron Sanchez (13), Ian Desmond (10), Ian Kinsler (9), Chris Sale (8), Jose Ramirez (8), Adam Jones (7), Jose Abreu (7), Mark Trumbo (6), Masahiro Tanaka (6), Jose Bautista (5), Cody Allen (4), J.A. Happ (4), Jason Kipnis (4), Mike Napoli (4), Rougned Odor (4), Ervin Santana (3), J.D. Martinez (3), Nelson Cruz (3), Chris Archer (2), Eric Hosmer (2), Jose Quintana (2), Todd Frazier (2), Yunel Escobar (2), Elvis Andrus (1), Marcus Stroman (1)
• National League: Madison Bumgarner (56), Paul Goldschmidt (51), Kyle Hendricks (44), Jon Lester (40), Clayton Kershaw (37), DJ LeMahieu (31), Justin Turner (29), Jose Fernandez (27), Starling Marte (26), Brandon Crawford (25), Jean Segura (25), Jake Arrieta (22), Buster Posey (16), Charlie Blackmon (13), Johnny Cueto (13), Yoenis Cespedes (12), Jonathan Villar (10), Dexter Fowler (9), Wil Myers (8), Yadier Molina (8), Andrew McCutchen (7), Ben Zobrist (7), Bartolo Colon (6), Odubel Herrera (6), Ryan Braun (6), Carlos Gonzalez (5), Christian Yelich (4), Yasmany Tomas (4), Julio Teheran (2), Kenley Jansen (2), Wilson Ramos (2), Anthony Rendon (1), Matt Kemp (1)

Stay tuned the rest of the week for the winners of the Walter Johnson (best overall pitchers), Goose Gossage (best relievers), Willie Mays (best rookies) and Connie Mack (best managers) awards.

Mike Trout Closes in on Another Second-Place MVP Finish

Mike Trout, despite being the best player in baseball, will almost certainly not be named American League MVP.

While Trout won’t join the list of 30 players who have captured multiple MVPs, he does have an opportunity to become a member of a more elite club: Should Trout finish second in the voting (a distinct possibility), he’ll join Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and current teammate Albert Pujols as the only players with four MVP runner-up finishes… 

Read the Complete Article at Plate Coverage

Will HOF Voters Have the Audacity to Vote Selig in While Keeping McGwire Out?

The HOF website’s anodyne summary of the Selig Era reads like the inscription for his plaque: “Allan H. ‘Bud’ Selig was Baseball’s ninth commissioner, serving as acting commissioner starting in 1992 before being named commissioner in 1998. Selig oversaw two rounds of expansion, the creation of Wild Card playoff teams and interleague play as well as the creation of the World Baseball Classic.”

It’s an incomplete summation of the man and his tenure. Selig not only oversaw the game’s greatest geographic expansion, he led the game’s greatest sustained economic expansion (per Graham Womack at the Sporting News, annual revenues went from $2 billion to $9 billion under his watch, a compound annual growth rate of about 8%). He negotiated and approved landmark television and merchandising deals, and led baseball’s “early adopter” efforts with regard to streaming technology (it was reported earlier this year that the Walt Disney Company took a stake in MLB Advanced Media; while details weren’t made public, it was estimated that the deal values the company at $3.5 billion).

Of course, Selig was acting commissioner when the most calamitous work-stoppage (1994-1995) in the history of the game took place (he was firmly in the corner of ownership). He is the only commissioner to preside over an October without a World Series; and it is under his leadership that the use of performance-enhancing drugs proliferated throughout the game…

Read the complete article at Plate Coverage.

Born from Scandal: The History of the Most Valuable Player Award

 

Presentation of the 1913 Chalmers Trophy. Winner Jake Daubert is dressed for the occasion. His teammates look thrilled.

 

Hugh Chalmers (b. 1873) was that most authentic American construct: The brazen, huckster industrialist. Part Henry Ford, part P.T. Barnum, the self-made Chalmers began his career at the age of 14 as an office boy at the National Cash Register Company; by the time he was 35, he owned an eponymous automobile manufacturer, the Chalmers Motor Company, renowned for building “medium-priced” cars aimed at a burgeoning and aspirant middle class.

The charismatic Chalmers was a born salesman who saturated newspapers with ads for his cars (“Not How Large but How Good” was a tagline). He sponsored road races and exhibitions to showcase his merchandise, and became something of an authority on marketing and promotion. He was a popular speaker on the Chamber of Commerce circuit, giving countless talks on the art of selling, which he described as “simply influencing the human mind.” His speeches were reprinted in newspapers, advertising books, and educational pamphlets. 

Which is to say, Chalmers gave a lot of thought – a lot of thought – to how he might sell his cars to people who might not have known they wanted one. 

The automobile man was also a baseball fan, and keenly aware of the sport’s immense and growing popularity in the early years of the 20th century (he was fond of peppering his speeches with baseball metaphors and imagery). In 1910, he hatched a marketing campaign that would dominate the summer headlines and become the progenitor of the modern MVP award:

“Fans all over the country are turning their attention to the battle which is being waged between the leading batters of the big leagues for a motor car, which has been offered for the batting championship this season.”–Milwaukee Journal, August 25, 1910

The motor car on offer was a Chalmers-Detroit Model 30. The man doing the offering was Hugh Chalmers.

 

Read the full story at Plate Coverage

Marcus Semien should be Heart & Hustle Award’s overall winner

If there ever were criteria for an award that matched up with Marcus Semien it would be the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association’s (MLBPAA) “Heart and Hustle Award.” The award is given to one player on each team that,

 “Demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game. One player from each Major League team is chosen by the committees based on their passion, desire and work ethic demonstrated both on and off the field.”

Thankfully the members of the MLBPAA noticed this close comparison and named Semien the winner of the award for the Oakland Athletics. Of course there is a bigger, overall award that is voted on by former MLB players. It is the only award of its kind as only former players may vote for the winner.

The MLB winner will be announced on Nov. 15, 2016 at the 17th annual Legends for Youth Dinner in New York. The award is only about a decade old and the past overall winners include  David Eckstein (2005), Craig Biggio (2006, 2007), Grady Sizemore (2008), Albert Pujols(2009), Roy Halladay (2010), Torii Hunter (2011), Mike Trout (2012), Dustin Pedroia (2013), Josh Harrison (2014) and Anthony Rizzo (2015).

It would be great to see Semien as the overall winner. As I highlighted above the award is mainly based on “passion, desire and work ethic.” I do not believe there is a better candidate out there than Marcus Semien.

To read more of this story on BBST – Click Here!

Sean Doolittle Wins BBBA’s 2016 ‘Tony Gwynn’ Leadership Award

These 2 are always in the charity work. Recently they have even hosted dinners for a LGBT dinner, and Thanksgiving Dinner for Syrian refugees..

By Chuck Booth (BBBA President)

We are proud to present the winner of the Tony Gwynn Leadership Award to Oakland A’s Relief Pitcher Sean Dooittle, who narrowly edged OF Curtis Granderson of the New York Mets  by one mere vote.

This distinction goes to an outstanding individual in the MLB that reflects both a great leader in the game – but also off the field.

Thanks to all members who voted.   The other nominees were Clayton Kershaw, Brett Lawrie and Jeff Francoeur.

Here was a response from one of our members (A’s Chapter President – Jen Rainwater – and what she wrote about Doolittle, and his girlfriend Eireann Dolan.)

I had a tough time with this because I really like Jeff Francouer, he’s been a friend to the Oakland fans for years – he even tailgated with us on a day inspired by his friendship – Bacon Day – when he played in the AL we had Bacon Day three or four years in a row – so much so that the organization got in on it and had “Bacon Facts” etc up on the big screen during the game. He’s a great person!

However, Sean Doolittle and Eireann Dolan are two of the most amazing people on earth. They made national news helping the Syrian refugees but they do so much more just around the community striving for equality, helped the families of fallen police officers and helped to spread the word about drunk driving when a man named Diego was struck and killed by a drunk driver – getting his brother the chance to throw out the first pitch at a game and dedicated it to Diego. The hashtag #FirstPitchFoDiego got Doolittle’s attention and he helped the family, not to mention the million things that Eireann Dolan has done for LGBTQ rights – they are truly selfless and amazing people.

If you are interested here is a link to a piece I wrote on Doolittle and Dolan for FanRag Sports Network’s TodaysKnuckleball.com … it details many of their good works and is worth a read if you are having trouble with your decision. I’m not telling you who to vote for at all, just providing more information. I know Eireann Dolan and have insight about what she and Doolittle have done for the community that you may not find elsewhere! Thanks for reading this and I hope you will check out my post! Thank you!

Read Jen’s piece on Doolittle  here.

I am not surprised Doolittle won here either.  A lot of the BBBA members have had the ability to meet the man before, and all have come back raving about him.