Predicting the AL & NL Cy Young Award Winner

Today the Baseball Writers Association of America will reveal who they chose to win both the American League and National League Cy Young Awards and before they do I wanted to take a stab at predicting who I thought they would pick. This is not necessarily who I would have picked if I had a vote in the BBWAA and this may or may not be who I voted for in the IBWAA ballot but just who I think will be announced as the winner tonight on MLB Network so keep that in mind.

Without further ado here are my picks for the awards tonight:

American League Finalists 
Corey Kluber, Indians
Rick Porcello, Red Sox
Justin Verlander, Tigers

In the American League I think we will have one of the closest votes that we have seen I quite some time. All three of these pitchers deserve to be finalists but one didn’t really take the necessary step forward this season to differentiate themselves and distance themselves from the rest of the pack. Ultimately I think Kluber wins the award with Verlander finishing a very close second but it wouldn’t surprise me to see any of these three men win the award. In years past when there wasn’t such a importance and relevance to sabermetrics I think Porcello and his magical 20+ wins plateau season would run away with the award but it goes to show you, assuming he does not win the award, how far the league has come since “Moneyball” became a thing.

National League Finalists
Kyle Hendricks, Cubs
Jon Lester, Cubs
Max Scherzer, Nationals

In the National League I know a lot of fans will likely ride the emotion of the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series and want or even expect either Lester or Hendricks, the ERA leader in 2016, to win the award but you have to remember that these awards are voted on before the end of the regular season. Max Scherzer will likely win the award based on his 2016 stat line followed distantly by Hendricks. In my opinion if Jose Fernandez had not passed away so suddenly I’m not sure Lester would even be a finalist this season but that’s just me. 

IBWAA SELECTS MADDON, FRANCONA IN MANAGER OF THE YEAR VOTE

IBWAA SELECTS MADDON, FRANCONA IN MANAGER OF THE YEAR VOTE

 

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Manager of the Year category Tuesday, with the Chicago Cubs’ Joe Maddon winning the group’s National League award, and Terry Francona, of the Cleveland Indians, being selected in the American League.

 

Maddon received 85 first-place votes (48.57%) and 585 points while being named on 157 of 175 ballots (88.70%). Others receiving first-place votes include Dave Roberts (66), Dusty Baker (10) and Terry Collins (10).

 

Francona received 102 first-place votes (58.62%) and 683 points while being named on 167 of 174 ballots (94.35%). Others receiving first-place votes include Jeff Banister (27), Buck Showalter (12), John Farrell (9) and Joe Girardi (5).

 

Election results are as follows:

 

AL Manager:

 

1^st Place:                  Terry Francona, Cleveland Indians – 683 points
2^nd Place:                 Jeff Banister, Texas Rangers – 390 
3^rd Place :                  Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles – 193

 

NL Manager:

 

1^st Place:                  Joe Maddon, Chicago Cubs – 585 points
2^nd Place :                 Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers – 494

3^rd Place:                  Dusty Baker, Washington Nationals – 264

 

Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.

 

The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.

 
Among approximately 460 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Jon Heyman, Today’s Knuckleball; Danny Knobler, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs and Jesse Spector, Sporting News.

 

Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a lifetime fee of $75. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.

 

For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.

Weekly AFL Check In: Gleyber Torres

The New York Yankees are well on their way to having two of the last three Arizona Fall League MVP Award winners with the impressive fall that Gleyber Torres has put together. Torres has defied expectations and has excelled against advanced pitching and talent and all signs point to him joining the 2014 Arizona Fall League MVP Greg Bird as two Yankees to win the award in recent years.

The AFL and success down there has shown to be a precursor to future and almost immediate success in the Major Leagues in some cases so this is nothing but good news for the Yankees and their organization.

This Day In New York Yankees History 11/16: Yankees,Yomiuri Giants & Hideki Matsui

On this day in 2002 the New York Yankees and the Japanese League Yomiuri Giants sign a deal that creates a partnership between the two biggest teams in their respected leagues. Both teams hope to benefit from improved scouting, marketing, and other benefits that will help both teams. Enter Hideki Matsui in 2003.

“It’s Not What You Want” Episode 4 by Jacob Westendorf and Matt Bove

Ladies and gentleman the Greedy Pinstripes is proud to present to you episode four of the “It’s Not What You Want” Podcast by Matt Bove and Jacob Westendorf. Check it out and give it a listen. Leave your thoughts in the comments section and/or on Twitter by tweeting us @GreedyStripes. 

IBWAA SELECTS JANSEN, BRITTON IN RELIEF PITCHER AWARDS VOTE

IBWAA SELECTS JANSEN, BRITTON IN RELIEF PITCHER AWARDS VOTE

 

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its relief pitcher category Sunday, with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen winning the 2016 IBWAA Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Award, and Zach Britton, of the Baltimore Orioles, being selected as the 2016 IBWAA Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year.

 

Jansen received 115 first-place votes (66.09%) and 697 points while being named on 163 of 174 ballots (92.09%). Others receiving first-place votes include Jeurys Familia (33), Mark Melancon (16) and Seung Hwan Oh (5).

 

Britton received 148 first-place votes (86.86%) and 785 points while being named on 167 of 173 ballots (95.35%). Others receiving first-place votes include Andrew Miller (20).

 

The relief pitcher awards were established in 2010.

 

Election results are as follows:

 

NL Reief Pitcher:

 

1^st Place:                  Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers – 697 points
2^nd Place:                 Jeurys Familia, New York Mets – 339 
3^rd Place :                  Mark Melancon, Washington Nationals – 225

 

AL Relief Pitcher:

 

1^st Place:                  Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles – 785 points
2^nd Place:                 Andrew Miller, New York Yankees – 366 
3^rd Place:                  Francisco Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers – 77

 

Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.

 

The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.

 
Among approximately 460 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Jon Heyman, Today’s Knuckleball; Danny Knobler, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs and Jesse Spector, Sporting News.

 

Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a lifetime fee of $75. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.

 

For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.

RiverDogs Spread Holiday Cheer with Specialty Ticket Packages Now Available

RiverDogs Spread Holiday Cheer with Specialty Ticket Packages Now Available

RiverDogs holiday packages now available for the 2017 season

CHARLESTON, SC – With a countdown until Opening Day already beginning, it’s not surprising the Charleston RiverDogs are already dreaming of happy holidays this year. In the spirit of giving, the RiverDogs have announced specialty holiday ticket packages as the perfect gift for a baseball fan in the Lowcountry this year.

“It’s not too early to start thinking about the holidays, and certainly not too early to get excited about the upcoming season at The Joe,” said RiverDogs President and General Manager Dave Echols. “What better way to spread a little cheer than with a trip to the ballpark?”

A RiverDogs holiday pack includes everything a starving baseball fan with visions of summer dancing in their heads could hope for. Fans have the option of a five-game flex package with a RiverDogs knit cap to stay warm during the Hot Stove season or coffee mug for a sip of steaming hot chocolate. Vouchers are redeemable for any of the 70 RiverDogs home games excluding Opening Night on April 6 or the Independence Day Celebration on July 3.

Knit cap packages range from a five game flex package in the grandstand sections costing $50, $90 for the field view sections, and $100 for diamond view. The prices for the coffee mug packs are $45, $85, and $95, respectively.

Fans that find their very own RiverDogs holiday pack nestled under their tree on Christmas morning can stay in the giving spirit and redeem all five vouchers at once or savor the gift that keeps on giving throughout the 2017 season.

RiverDogs season tickets, half-season ticket packages and mini plans are now available for the 2017 campaign. The RiverDogs begin the season on April 6 when they host the Lexington Legends at Joseph P Riley, Jr. Park. Ticket information can be secured by contacting the box office at (843) 577-DOGS (3647) or online at www.riverdogs.com.

What If the 2014 Offseason Never Happened?

The New York Yankees were unusually quiet during the offseason before the 2016 season signing as many major league free agents as I have major league at-bats in my life, zero. This was unusually surprising because the free agent market last winter was exceptionally strong so with a much thinner market this time around it shouldn’t come as a shock if the team remains quiet again this winter. The last time the Yankees went truly crazy on the free agent market was the big splash after big splash free agent market of 2014 where the New York Yankees signed Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Masahiro Tanaka but looking back now three years later was it a good idea and what would the Yankees look like right now had that not happened?

Let’s start with the easy one in Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury did not deserve his seven-year and $153 million contract in my opinion and he has far from lived up to the hype and the expectations since signing it, also my opinion. I mean he has been healthy overall, which was a huge concern, but he has hit just 32 home runs in his three seasons in pinstripes, hasn’t sniffed a .300 batting average and his stolen base numbers (80 combined in three seasons) are way down from his monster numbers that he had in Boston before leaving for New York. Without Ellsbury the Yankees could have more room for players like Ben Gamel (who was traded to Seattle due to the outfield logjam), Mason Williams who impressed in another short stint in the Major Leagues and others. This Ellsbury contract is going to hurt in my opinion sooner rather than later, especially when you consider his no-trade clause.

Speaking of no-trade clauses one of these men who also got one but could still be traded as early as this winter, Brian McCann. McCann has been just as good as advertised and maybe better since coming to New York and he has been an absolute asset to the pitching staff. McCann, nor the Yankees, couldn’t have expected or predicted the emergence of Gary Sanchez coming onto the scene and exploding though which leaves both parties in a bit of a predicament. The McCann deal was a good deal and likely will be a good deal if he sees it till the end in New York.

Masahiro Tanaka and his deal has also been good thus far in my opinion and will remain good as long as he can avoid the dread TJS word that we won’t say here just in case. Tanaka has been consistent and he has been getting better and better as he adjusts to Major League Baseball. The Japanese-born right-hander has an opt-out clause upcoming into his contract after this season so that will likely be the true indicator of whether this deal worked or didn’t work for the Yankees.

The final piece of the puzzle may very well be the hardest to judge, the Carlos Beltran signing. Beltran’s beginning to his tenure in pinstripes was not a good one as an elbow injury limited his time in the field and his ability to hit the ball but it ended with him being one of the most consistent and possibly the best hitter in the Yankees lineup. Beltran is gone now, traded away to the Texas Rangers this winter for Dillon Tate, so this may be water under the bridge but to get the production out of him that the team did plus Dillon Tate seems like a big win to me.

So there you have it, what if the 2014 offseason never happened? The Yankees wouldn’t have enjoyed great production out of the catcher position, they wouldn’t have had a 25-year old ace join the fold and they would have missed out on some great moments and games from Carlos Beltran. McCann will likely be traded this offseason bringing in fresh prospects to join Dillon Tate who was acquired in the Beltran trade so all-in-all I believe the Yankees benefited from the 2014 offseason as a whole. Now if they could just get out from under that Ellsbury contract….

IBWAA SELECTS SEAGER, FULMER IN ROOKIE AWARDS VOTE

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its rookie category Monday, with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Seager winning the 2016 IBWAA National League Rookie of the Year award, and Michael Fulmer, of the Detroit Tigers, being selected as the 2016 IBWAA American League Rookie winner.

 

Seager received 173 first-place votes (97.74%) and 875 points while being named on all 177 ballots. Others receiving first-place votes include Trevor Story (2) and Trea Turner (1).

 

Fulmer received 101 first-place votes (57.39%) and 662 points while being named on 156 of 176 ballots (88.14%). Others receiving first-place votes include Gary Sanchez (58), Nomar Mazara (7) and Tyler Naquin (5).

 

Election results are as follows:

 

NL Rookie:

 

1^st Place:                  Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers – 875 points
2^nd Place:                 Trea Turner, Washington Nationals – 255 
3^rd Place :                  Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies – 159

 

AL Rookie:

 

1^st Place:                  Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers – 662 points
2^nd Place:                 Gary Sanchez, New York Yankees – 543
3^rd Place:                  Tyler Naquin, Cleveland Indians – 162

 

Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.

 

The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.

 
Among approximately 460 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Jon Heyman, Today’s Knuckleball; Danny Knobler, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs and Jesse Spector, Sporting News.

 

Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a lifetime fee of $75. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.

 

For more information please visit www.ibwaa.com.

Weekly AFL Check In: Miguel Andujar

The New York Yankees face an interesting offseason before the 2017 season. Do they use some of their new top prospects to fetch what they need in order to make a run at the postseason next year or do they continue the youth movement and see it through until the end? That is still yet to be determined but either way the Yankees decide to go in their GM Brian Cashman has options.

One of those options is third base prospect Miguel Andujar who has generated a ton of interest this winter down in the Arizona Fall League. Cashman told reporters last week that he has already received calls on Andujar and his availability so stay tuned for that.

Here is what other GM’s want to add to their farm systems right now in Andujar: