NL Manager of the Year - The BBA Awards

Monday October 12, 2009

The End of Season Awards - BBA Awards Voting

It’s an honor to be included in the Baseball Bloggers Alliance voting on the major awards in baseball.

Acording to the BBA website at baseballbloggersalliance.com, "The Baseball Bloggers Alliance was formed in 2009 to foster communication and collaboration between bloggers across baseball."

"The BBA has, as a secondary aim, the goal of producing year-end awards in a similar fashion to the Baseball Writers Association of America. These awards can be found here in October with links back to the voters, ensuring transparency and, most likely, the onset of some good baseball arguments."

To find a complete list of links to the member BBA Blogs, click here

We have chosen as a group to vote using the same criteria as the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The BBWAA has two writers for each team vote on the awards. We want to give the fans of the teams we represent an alternative voice on these awards while holding ourselves to the same standards and criteria for voting.

The San Diego chapter of the BBA elected to have all 5 members vote and have the combined votes count for both votes. Votes were aggregated on a first place-3 points, second place-2 points, third place-1 point system.

The Padres chapter assigned both of our votes for 2009 National League Manager of the Year in the following manner:

• First Place - Jim Tracy
• Second Place - Tony LaRussa
• Third Place - Joe Torre

Because I blog mostly about the San Diego Padres and the NL West, I have limited the explanations of my voting to the National League, the league I get to watch on a regular basis and the league I feel like I have more of a voice on.

Over the coming days I will be posting my picks for the NL Manager of the Year, NL Rookie of the Year, NL Cy Young and the NL MVP.

I hope you enjoy reading my take or at least are prompted to send me a nasty note asking why your favorite was not included.

Web

You can look forward to the San Diego BBA members voting on -
Manager of the Year: Monday, October 12
Rookie of the Year: Thursday, October 15
Cy Young Award: Monday, October 19
Most Valuable Player: Monday, October 26


2009 NL Manager of the Year

Manager of the year was perhaps the easiest award for me to vote on. To start the year I watched a terrible Rockies team struggle against division foes with a 6-9 record in April. Then Tracy took over and the team almost immediately changed their character and they started winning. No other manager had as much of an impact on a team.

Honorable Mention – Fredi Gonzalez – Marlins
Directed the lowest budget team in baseball to an 87-75 record. Good enough for 2nd place in the NL East and just 5 games out in the Wild Card.

3 - Bud Black - Padres
For not losing 100 with this group.

2 - Tony LaRussa - Cardinals
LaRussa once again took a team that was projected to be middle of the pack and with the addition of 1 player is in the playoffs.

1 - Jim Tracy -
Took over an 18-28 team and got them to play some of the best
baseball in the NL from that point on and win the NL Wild Card

Padres Adams has historic season

Friday October 8, 2009

I wish I could say I wrote it, but this article about Mike Adams points out something not even the biggest Padres honk has pointed out yet.

Namely that Mike Adams has had a historically great season.

In 37 innings pitched over 37 appearances Adams had a 0.73 ERA, a 0.59 WHIP, 45 K (10.95 K/9) and a .111 BAA.

Yes you read that right.

That is the 8th best ERA in history and the best WHIP EVER for a pitcher with 35+ innings pitched.

As Padres fans this season we were privileged to witness two of the greatest performances in history from Adams and Kouzmanoff. How many do you think realize it even now?

Padres wave Baek, Hill and Floyd

Thursday October 8, 2009

Today the San Diego Padres announced that they have waived Pitchers Cha Seung Baek, Shawn Hill and Outfielder/Pinch Hitter Cliff Floyd.

All three players spent most if not all of the 2009 season on the DL.

Baek injured his forearm in Spring Training and injured his elbow during a rehab assignment in July. He never pitched for the Padres during the 2009 regular season.

The oft injured Hill was signed by the Padres on March 23rd and made just 3 starts before injuring his elbow against Pittsburgh on April 25th. He went under the knife for his 2nd Tommy John procedure and 5th over all surgery in June and was lost for the season.

Floyd was signed by the Padres to be a left handed power bat off the bench and to be the DH in interleague play they have been missing in recent years. Instead he injured his leg in spring training and was on the big league roster for just 18 days and 16 at bats before tearing the labrum in his right shoulder and going back on the DL for the rest of the 2009 season on June 18th.

This move was certainly not unexpected as none were expected to return in 2010. Baek and Hill will likely still be rehabbing from surgery next season and an injury plagued 36 year old Floyd may have seen his last days in a major league uniform.

The move cleared room on the 40 man roster which the Padres used to add Eulogio De La Cruz.

In other Padres news reliever Greg Burke underwent debridement surgery on his right (throwing) shoulder to remove dead or damaged tissue in the hopes that would allow healthy tissue to heal faster.