The Winners Are...

Photo by Randy Stern

The envelopes have been ripped open. The trophies are getting ready for their formal presentations. How did it all go down during this year's awards? Well...

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: OK, who are these guys? Andrew Bailey of the Oakland A's - never heard of him? Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins - huh? Considering how far from being an insider I am (which would equal the distance from Target Field to Brookings, SD - where I do NOT live, thankyouverymuch!), the buzz was about the A's young pitchers and how effective they were in the face of a not-so-good season. Is Bailey a better choice than Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers? Sure.

For Coghlan, my only question would be if the Marlins had been more successful in the Wild Card race for us to know about this guy. To understand what kind of year Coghlan had, you have to forget the Marlins had Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla in the lineup. The young fella did bat .321 for the season. Explains everything! So much for J.A. Happ...

CY YOUNG AWARD: It's Zack! The AL's hottest pitcher through mid-May finished with the best ERA in the MLB. The Kansas City Royals' ace made his mark as we thought he would over the past few seasons. So, was Zack Greinke the best choice of the AL Cy Young Award? I say so!

Yet, I'm puzzled by the NL's choice of Tim Lincecum from the San Francisco Giants for his second Cy Young in a row. Clearly, Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, both of the St. Louis Cardinals, had better years in terms of team impact and individual efforts, but did the BBWAA chose Lincecum solely on leading all MLB pitchers with 261 strikeouts? I would like to know...

MANAGER OF THE YEAR: I called it right on Jim Tracy for the comeback in mid-season from practically zero to the Wild Card berth. His Colorado Rockies responded to the once bench coach to almost delivering the goods. Interesting enough, Tracy becomes the second NL Manager to win this award as a mid-season replacement. In turn, the Rox duly rewarded him with a three-year contract extension. It was a very good year for a guy who was out of baseball a year ago this month.

There is a compelling argument for the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Scioscia and his second AL Manager of the Year. It takes a guy like Scioscia to take a team who lost their most promising young pitcher to an automobile accident and channel their grief into a division championship. Could Joe Girardi match that with the Yanks' 27th World Championship? The BBWAA didn't think so. In fact, they had more votes on the Minnesota Twins' Ron Gardenhire than Girardi. Shocked? Not when you considered the incredible year the Angels had in the face of tragedy - and Gardy's innate ability to create miracle finishes towards the end of the last few seasons.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: No surprises here! Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals is the NL MVP by consensus. The year he had earned him his second in a row, his third award overall. How great was he? You can rattle off the numbers, but it simply comes down to impact and leadership. Just watch him take control at first base - that's a sign of excellence. As Bob Gibson's name still resonates along the Mississippi, Pujols will follow that echo when it is all said and done.

Not only am I glad that Joe Mauer finally got his MVP, it is a testament on how much he has worked hard to bounce from a non-threatening rub injury to another batting title and affirming his place as a leader on the Minnesota Twins. Furthermore, this is confirmation that Mauer has changed the catcher position once again in this game.

And, that's it! 2009 is finally and officially in the can! See y'all in 2010 right before TwinsFest!