National League Awards

Most Valuable Player - Ryan Braun (.332 AVG, 33 HR, 111 RBI, Milwaukee Brewers)

Ryan Braun also had a chance to win the batting title heading into the final game of the year. His numbers were outstanding across the board; he even stole 33 bases this year. Braun deserved this MVP trophy and was the complete player for the Milwaukee Brewers.


Clayton Kershaw (21 - 5, 2.28 ERA, 248 K's, Los Angeles Dodgers)

People involved in baseball all say that this pitcher reminds them of the great Sandy Koufax. I can certainly understand the comparison between the two because they are both left-handed and have a 12 -6 curveball that drops over a foot. This year was dominant for Kershaw, and he can shut down entire lineups.

Batting Champion - Jose Reyes (.337 AVG, 39 SB, 16 3B, New York Mets)

Jose Reyes was easily the most electrifying player in the major leagues and always had the potential to be this good. Unfortunately for Reyes and Mets fans, he hardly ever plays. When he is on the field, he is hard to stop because he has all the tools and is even spectacular defensively at shortstop. The Mets have to find a way to give him the contract offer that he wants but with incentives for him if he plays a certain number of games.

Rookie of the Year - Craig Kimbrel (2.10 ERA, 46 SV, 1.04 WHIP, Atlanta Braves)

Kimbrel set the rookie record for the number of saves in a year which is why he won the Rookie of the Year award. His WHIP was outstanding and exactly what you want from a closer. Someone who doesn't let people on base and doesn't blow saves for you when your team has the lead. Kimbrel was great in replacing Billy Wagner who also had a great year for the Braves previously.

American League Awards

Most Valuable Player - Justin Verlander (24 - 5, 2.40 ERA, 250 K's, Detroit Tigers)


Cy Young - Justin Verlander (24 - 5, 2.40 ERA, Detroit Tigers)

Verlander was simply amazing this year on the mound. Some people debated that a pitcher can't win the MVP award because they pitch only every fifth day, instead of playing every single day. I didn't believe that for a minute because when he pitched, he controlled an entire game. He took the mound, and you could pretty much guarantee a victory for the team. An MVP should a player who can take over an entire game and affect the outcome just because of his performance. That is exactly what Justin Verlander did this past season.

Batting Champion - Miguel Cabrera (.344 AVG., 30 HR, 105 RBI, Detroit Tigers)

Cabrera has been playing at such a high level for such a long time now. It seems like forever ago since he won his World Series ring when with the Florida (Now Miami) Marlins. The guy is only 28 years old and has everything you would like to have in a first basemen.


Rookie of the Year - Jeremy Hellickson (13 - 10, 2.95 ERA, 117 K's, Tampa Bay Rays)

Hellickson had the highest WAR (Wins Above Replacement) among any 2011 rookie this year. Hellickson will only continue to improve throughout his career and is projected by many to give the Rays yet another ace on their already good pitching staff.

Astros move to the American League

The Houston Astros were purchased by Jim Crane, but Major League Baseball was not going to approve the sale unless the Astros were willing to move to the American League. Which is exactly what happened. The Astros will now be part of the AL West along with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers. This move gives the American League 15 teams and the National League 15 teams. Based on records from last year, the Astros would have finished last in the division and 40 games behind the division leader.

The move will not be immediate, though. It will occur as soon as 2013, but things are always subject to change. That is just the original plan for the Houston Astros.

Jim Crane (On right) is announced as the new owner of the Astros.

Free Agency Begins - Pitcher's Edition

There is no denying that this class of free-agent pitchers is a weak one. Very few guys out there could be a team's best pitcher if they were to go to that organization. Sometimes, though, championships are won by the deepest team in the league, and the playoffs are always decided by which team has the better pitching. So even though these players are not the best in the league, they would definitely be able to help you win games.


Here is a list of the best pitcher's available:

1. C.J. Wilson - Wilson was easily the Rangers best pitcher during the course of the season and had an ERA under 3.00. By far the best pitcher on the market.

2. Mark Buehrle - He is now 32 years old, but he is still able to give a team a good outing and give them a chance to win. He might have several different teams interested in him this winter.


3. Francisco Rodriguez - K-Rod was traded away from the Mets at the trading deadline to the Brewers, and he was able to produce very well in the closer and set-up role for each team respectively. With the good, though, comes some very bad.

4. Chris Young - In my opinion, this pitcher is one of the most underrated in the game today. Young spent some time in San Diego before coming to New York, and he has always been able to produce. There is a slight injury risk, though.

5. Chris Capuano - This is another Mets pitcher that I believe the team needs to re-sign, along with Young. Both pitched very well, and with this being a weak free agency, they need to keep these two very good pitchers.

6. Bartolo Colon - Here is our fourth straight pitcher who pitched in the city of New York at some point. But Colon has bounced around from team to team and was a very important part of the Yankees pitching staff and helped them get to the playoffs this year.

7. Heath Bell - As always, you have to worry about age with pitchers, and Bell is 34. If a team were to give him a lengthy contract, they would be crazy. Bell is still a good closer, but he is up there in age.

8. Hiroki Kuroda - Kuroda has not been in the MLB very long, and that is because he pitched overseas for most of his career, but the transition has not been very difficult for him. Kuroda is 36 years old.

9. Edwin Jackson - Jackson, as you may remember, is the man who threw a no-hitter for the D-Backs before he was traded around. He is still 28 year's old and will get attention.


10. Joel Pineiro - When he was with the St. Louis Cardinals, he could be dominating for a stretch of games. It seemed though, that when he started to put it all together, he would suffer an injury and that has been the story of his career this far.

Foreign player to keep an eye on:

Yu Darvish - In the Japanese league, he has posted an ERA under 1.88 for five straight years now. For his career, his ERA is under 2.00. Many, many teams should be interested in this kid since some teams have had their eye on him since he was in high school.

Free Agency Begins - Batter's Edition

It's that time of year when teams start to make their move and start talking to free agents in the off season. There are a select few must-have players this year. The player pool is not very deep, but for the most part, the ones in it are must-have, big-name guys.

Here is a list of the best hitters available:


1. Jose Reyes - When he is healthy, he is simply one of the best hitters in the entire league. Electrifies a crowd and sells tickets as well. Teams will approach with caution here.

2.Albert Pujols - Regarded as the best all -around hitter in the game. Hits the ball with power to all parts of the field. The man will get paid.

3. Prince Fielder - Most powerful hitter in the market. Hit for a surprisingly high average this year, and he will get paid Pujol's money.

4. Aramis Ramirez - Easily the best 3rd baseman on the market. He still can hit for a decent amount of power and is still good defensively. You could do worse at 3rd.

5. Kelly Johnson - Underrated in the baseball world because he doesn't play for a major market team and doesn't have a big name, but he is a very good 2nd baseman.

6. Jimmy Rollins - Comes with the name and a good history, but the numbers aren't really there anymore because of the age factor.

7. Josh Willingham - The clock keeps ticking, and so does Willingham. The Hammer is still consistent with his power numbers and might be sought out by many teams.

8. Grady Sizemore - Sizemore is like Reyes. He will win your team games, but he is hard to keep on field due to numerous injuries. He has had far more than even Reyes has had. Still a great player when off the DL.

9. Carlos Beltran -  Although he is getting up there in age, he had a productive year in New York and then in San Francisco because of the trade. Will not get paid the big bucks, but teams will be asking for his service.

10. David Ortiz -  Another hitter that still produces, just not the monster numbers that he put up in his prime. He is one of those professional hitters you hear about (Synonym:  Jason Giambi or Matt Stairs). Will most likely be signed by a team this off season.

Foreign player to keep an eye on:


Yoennis Cespedes - Scouts are saying that this 26-year-old Cuban is full of talent and has the perfect balance of athleticism and power. Without his even taking a swing in the major leagues, scouts are also saying that the kid has 30 - 30 potential. Teams will definitely offer Cespedes a contract off season.

The Untouchable Record

Joe DiMaggio is the holder of what most people consider the unbreakable record. DiMaggio hit safely in 56 consectutive games. The streak began on May 15, 1941 against the Chicago White Sox. The streak continued up until July 16, 1941. During that time span though, DiMaggio went an amazing 91 - 223, which figures out to be a .409 batting average. For a career, if a player maintains a .320 batting average, they are talked about to be a hall of famer, just to put that batting average in perspective. Joe was even able to keep the streak going despite the death of Lou Gehrig on June 2 of that same year. The previous record was 44 straight games before DiMaggio went on an amazing run.

I personally find it more amazing what he did after the streak ended. He went on to start another streak, a much shorter one, but still spectacular. He hit safely in another 16 games before that small streak came to an end. That means that Joe DiMaggio got at least one hit in 72 of 73 games during the 1941 season. People say that records are made to be broken, but this one might last forever.

Tony LaRussa Retires

LaRussa won his third world championship and decided to call it quits. In his career, he has managed 5,097 games, winning 2,728 of them. Most people consider him one of the top 5 managers in all of baseball history and a sure hall of famer. He trails only Connie Mack and John McGraw in number of win in baseball history. Tony LaRussa was a one of a kind manger that was still able to mange in the ever changing game of baseball.

Game 7 of the World Series

The Cardinals are World Series Champions!

After coming off such an emotional loss, everyone was expecting the Rangers to come out and lose to the Cardinals. Tony LaRussa decided to pitch Chris Carpenter on three days rest. That proved to be the right decision as Carpenter was strong for as long as LaRussa let him pitch. When LaRussa went out to get Carpenter, you could see how upset he was to come out of the game, he wanted to finish the inning. If not the entire game. Only like Tony could, he used his bullpen to perfection and was able to finish out the game to win Game 7 of the World Series.