what's up, Brantley fans? i've got a quick post for you because today, on December 2, it was publicized that Michael had been nominated for the 2018 Frank Gibbons-Steve Olin Good Guy Award. unfortunately, he didn't win. instead, Cleveland's franchise leader in saves, former Indians closer/now free agent Cody Allen was named the winner of this annual award for his assistance off the field. congrats, Cody!👏
the Good Guy Award has been given out by the Cleveland chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America since 1968. it is bestowed upon the Indians' player, coach, manager, or team employee who understands the media's job when it comes to covering a baseball team, per Paul Hoynes' article on cleveland.com. more specifically, the recipients of this honor are known for always being accommodating and reliable with the local media, as well as accountable, approachable, and insightful whether after having a good game or bad game. (source: Anthony Castrovince's mlb.com article.) that absolutely described Allen this year, as he never shied away from reporters when he was going through tough times. his selection was well-deserved.👍
the naming of this particular award comes from columnist Frank Gibbons, who
Showing posts with label Baseball Writers' Association of America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baseball Writers' Association of America. Show all posts
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Corey Kluber Wins BBWAA's 2017 AL Cy Young Award!
it's week two of the baseball awards and the Indians have yet
another winner in their midst. this evening, on November 15, it was announced that Corey Kluber won Baseball Writers' Association of America's 2017 American League Cy Young Award!
this is Kluber's second Cy Young of his career, having previously won it in 2014. congratulations, Klubes!👏
this year, Kluber was a Cy Young finalist along with Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox and Luis Severino of the New York Yankees. he finished with
 |
| photo courtesy of @MLB on twitter |
this year, Kluber was a Cy Young finalist along with Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox and Luis Severino of the New York Yankees. he finished with
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Terry Francona Wins BBWAA's 2016 AL Manager of the Year Award!
 |
| photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
Francona was a finalist this year along with Jeff Banister of the Texas Rangers (who won the award last season) and Buck Showalter of the Baltimore Orioles. he finished with
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Brantley Finishes T28th For BBWAA's 2015 AL MVP Award
today, on November 19, MLB Network revealed who won Baseball Writers' Association of America's 2015 American League Most Valuable Player Award. while Michael Brantley was not a finalist this time, he did finish tied for 28th place overall. congratulations! that Michael is even in the conversation for 2015 Most Valuable Player, after all the injuries he suffered and games he missed, is amazing and i am so proud of him.
this year's AL MVP winner is Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays with 385 points. he had 184 hits, 41 doubles, 41 home runs, 123 RBI, 122 runs, 73 walks, 133 strikeouts, .297 batting average, .371 OBP, and .568 SLG in 158 games in 2015. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels came in 2nd behind Donaldson with 304 points, and Lorenzo Cain of the Kansas City Royals finished 3rd with 225 points.
the MVP ballot contains 10 spots and no player is ineligible. two writers from each American League city vote for AL MVP and these writers of the BBWAA submit their picks prior to the postseason. once they do, BBWAA's secretary/treasurer, Jack O'Connell, tallies the votes before the finalists and winners are later announced in November.
each spot on the ballot equals a certain number of points. a 1st place MVP vote is worth
this year's AL MVP winner is Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays with 385 points. he had 184 hits, 41 doubles, 41 home runs, 123 RBI, 122 runs, 73 walks, 133 strikeouts, .297 batting average, .371 OBP, and .568 SLG in 158 games in 2015. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels came in 2nd behind Donaldson with 304 points, and Lorenzo Cain of the Kansas City Royals finished 3rd with 225 points.
the MVP ballot contains 10 spots and no player is ineligible. two writers from each American League city vote for AL MVP and these writers of the BBWAA submit their picks prior to the postseason. once they do, BBWAA's secretary/treasurer, Jack O'Connell, tallies the votes before the finalists and winners are later announced in November.
each spot on the ballot equals a certain number of points. a 1st place MVP vote is worth
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Brantley Wins 2015 Bob Feller Man Of The Year Award
hello, Brantley fans! it's been a rough week for Michael, his loved ones, and his fans between the shoulder surgery and losing out on the Silver Slugger Award, but today i have some happy news! on November 12, the Cleveland chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America honored Michael Brantley with the 2015 Bob Feller Man of the Year Award, although the formal public announcement of this career first didn't come until this morning on November 15. congratulations, Michael! you deserve it, especially after the year you had!
the Bob Feller Award is a local Indians MVP award. some form of Man of the Year has been given out since 1937, when Johnny Allen was selected by Cleveland BBWAA writers as the first winner. the award title started as Most Valuable Player (1937-1943), then changed to Indians Man of the Year (1944-2009), before it became Bob Feller Man of the Year (2010-present).
Michael has been nominated for the Man of the Year Award for four consecutive years. he lost to Corey Kluber in 2014, Justin Masterson in 2013, and Vinnie Pestano in 2012. this year, he was up against
the Bob Feller Award is a local Indians MVP award. some form of Man of the Year has been given out since 1937, when Johnny Allen was selected by Cleveland BBWAA writers as the first winner. the award title started as Most Valuable Player (1937-1943), then changed to Indians Man of the Year (1944-2009), before it became Bob Feller Man of the Year (2010-present).
Michael has been nominated for the Man of the Year Award for four consecutive years. he lost to Corey Kluber in 2014, Justin Masterson in 2013, and Vinnie Pestano in 2012. this year, he was up against
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Brantley Nominated For 2014 Bob Feller Man Of The Year
but he did not win =(
today, on November 23, the Cleveland chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America honored Corey Kluber with the 2014 Bob Feller Man of the Year Award. basically what that is is a local Indians MVP award. some form of Man of the Year has been given out since 1937, when Cleveland BBWAA writers selected Johnny Allen as the first winner. the award title evolved from Most Valuable Player (1937-1943), to Indians Man of the Year (1944-2009), to Bob Feller Man of the Year (2010-present).
aside from that news, the nominees for the award were also revealed today. the lucky three players included Kluber, Michael Brantley, and Yan Gomes. additionally, there was a co-winner award option for both Kluber and Brantley. it took 3 ballots and a lot of discussion between the writers, but ultimately Kluber won outright. his Cy Young win less than 2 weeks ago weighed heavily on the decision. congrats to Kluber!
now it's time to express my disappointment lol of course i'm saddened to hear that Michael didn't win. he had a career year, setting career highs for himself in 20 categories as well as 3 new franchise records. he doubled his home run total from a year ago, drove in 97 runs, had 200 hits, bat .376 with runners in scoring position, and finished with a .327 batting average, 3rd highest in baseball. and they couldn't even give him the co-win? come on!
this is the 3rd straight year Michael's been nominated for this award, losing to Justin Masterson in 2013 and Vinnie Pestano in 2012. if he couldn't even win it this time after his extraordinary season, then shit, he may never win it. he's irrefutably due, and he better be taking home the title next year. because if there's one thing we know about Michael, he's consistent. i expect more of the same production in 2015 and then he'll have to be the favorite to win. i won't accept otherwise lol ;D
today, on November 23, the Cleveland chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America honored Corey Kluber with the 2014 Bob Feller Man of the Year Award. basically what that is is a local Indians MVP award. some form of Man of the Year has been given out since 1937, when Cleveland BBWAA writers selected Johnny Allen as the first winner. the award title evolved from Most Valuable Player (1937-1943), to Indians Man of the Year (1944-2009), to Bob Feller Man of the Year (2010-present).
aside from that news, the nominees for the award were also revealed today. the lucky three players included Kluber, Michael Brantley, and Yan Gomes. additionally, there was a co-winner award option for both Kluber and Brantley. it took 3 ballots and a lot of discussion between the writers, but ultimately Kluber won outright. his Cy Young win less than 2 weeks ago weighed heavily on the decision. congrats to Kluber!
now it's time to express my disappointment lol of course i'm saddened to hear that Michael didn't win. he had a career year, setting career highs for himself in 20 categories as well as 3 new franchise records. he doubled his home run total from a year ago, drove in 97 runs, had 200 hits, bat .376 with runners in scoring position, and finished with a .327 batting average, 3rd highest in baseball. and they couldn't even give him the co-win? come on!
this is the 3rd straight year Michael's been nominated for this award, losing to Justin Masterson in 2013 and Vinnie Pestano in 2012. if he couldn't even win it this time after his extraordinary season, then shit, he may never win it. he's irrefutably due, and he better be taking home the title next year. because if there's one thing we know about Michael, he's consistent. i expect more of the same production in 2015 and then he'll have to be the favorite to win. i won't accept otherwise lol ;D
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Brantley Finishes 3rd For BBWAA's 2014 AL MVP Award
it was revealed today, on November 13, at about 6:17 pm on MLB Network, that Michael Brantley finished in 3rd place for Baseball Writers' Association of America's 2014 American League Most Valuable Player Award! this has to be my most favorite offseason career first of them all of his.
**BBWAA made an error in the initial tabulations that were showed on TV during the live show and posted on their website. it was corrected about an hour later online, taking one 5th place vote away from Bautista and rightfully giving it to Brantley. that pushed Bautista down to 6th place overall and moved Cano up to 5th. the chart included below is accurate.
as expected, the AL MVP winner this year is Mike Trout, with his .287 batting average and 184 strikeouts lol =P i kid, i kid. however, he is the first position player to win this award for a season in which he had a higher number of strikeouts than hits (173).
Michael has never placed in MVP voting in his career before, let alone been a finalist. this is an extraordinary honor, and the honor comes with some perks. first, he earns a $150,000 bonus for this year. additionally, because he finished in the top 5, he's earned an increase of $1 million to his base salary for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. sweet! (look for an updated Brantley contract post on my blog tomorrow.)
here are the complete AL MVP results:
*chart copy and pasted from BBWAA's website
Trout won in a unanimous vote. the 2 voters from Cleveland were Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer and Chris Assenheimer of The Chronicle-Telegram. while Hoynsie gave Michael a 3rd place vote, Chris decided that Michael's season was good enough for a 2nd place vote. all the individual ballots can be found here, and it's worth a look.
in total, Michael finished with 191 points. he received 27 votes overall--8 votes for 2nd place, 6 votes for 3rd, 5 votes for 4th, 4 votes for 5th, 1 vote for 6th, 1 vote for 7th, 1 vote for 9th, and 1 vote for 10th place. i gotta say, the people who voted Michael 9th and 10th are straight up nuts. look at his numbers again. i think Toronto and Oakland are just jealous. and don't get me started on the 3 voters who didn't even have Michael in the top 10. you know what they say...haters gonna hate =P
let me also give a quick shout out and congrats to Michael's teammate, Corey Kluber, for finishing just shy of the top 10. Kluber received 11 total votes, ranging between 10th place and all the way up to 3rd place. oddly enough, the 2 media representatives from Cleveland did not vote Kluber in their top 10. (so nobody can accuse them of being homers lol)
Michael was named an MVP finalist along with Trout and Victor Martinez on November 4 and he briefly spoke about it in an interview on November 7. "really, it's just an honor to be mentioned. that's not something you take lightly. it's a lot of hard work. obviously, your peers and voters and everybody have their say as well. i'm just honored to be mentioned in that category of guys that i'm in. i just think it's a good tribute to a lot of hard work paying off."
today the finalists had a chance to say a few words on MLB Network's award show before the MVP was announced. (no, Victor Martinez was not there.) Michael's interview is here.
looking sharp, Michael!
on his move from leadoff man to 3 hole slugger: "in the beginning of my career, that's all i knew, was how to hit leadoff, how to set the tone, get on base for my teammates. and now hitting in the 3 hole, it's about driving in runs, getting a good pitch early and trying to get that guy in from 2nd or 1st or wherever he's at, 3rd base, and do the best you can for your team."
on how he's evolved against left-handed pitchers as a left-handed hitter: "just really trying to stay on the ball. and doing a lot of homework. the best thing about being in the major leagues is that you have a chance to, you know, have scouting reports and do video work and try to figure out what they're gonna do to you. left-handed pitchers are not easy, especially when you don't see them as much and especially how good they are on the major league level. so i just try to get a good pitch, put a good swing on it, and then whatever happens from there happens."
how important is it for him to put the ball in play? "well, it's very important. the more times you put the ball in play, the better chance you're gonna get a hit. it's no secret. it's not always easy. major league arms, they're just getting better and better. guys are throwing harder, better out pitches. you just gotta come to the park every day prepared and do the best you can for your team."
Michael also spoke with the Cleveland media after the MVP special concluded. here is some of what he had to say.
"there's no disappointment at all. i was honored and blessed to even be mentioned in that category. my whole goal is wins and losses. i don't look at stats. i don't care where i finish in the MVP. i care about getting that World Series ring." (omg, i hope that's not what he'll say if he ever wins this award LOL jk)
"this game is team-oriented and as long as you keep thinking like that, it keeps you motivated to keep playing hard and always working to get better."
"the day before i left for spring training, my father sat me down and asked me to do something. he said, 'i want you to get ready to hit every pitch.' that means from the first time i stepped in the batter's box, the first pitch the pitcher threw to me, that i was ready to hit.
my father told me, 'listen son, your numbers will not go down, they'll go up.' i thought if i swung at the first pitch more often, i'd get out more often because i'd never done it before. he's been trying to get me to do it for the last few years, but i never bought into it. i had that leadoff hitter mentality. this year i told him i'd accept the challenge and try it in spring training. the key word was try.
in years past, i hit like a leadoff hitter. i wanted to make sure i got a perfect pitch. i wanted to make sure that i had, you know, a deep at bat, make sure i saw some pitches. this year, if i got a first pitch fastball early, i put a good swing on it, i didn't care where it went. it worked for me in spring training, so i decided to keep that mentality during the season and it worked out."
"i want to improve in every category. i want to strike out less. i want to make more plays defensively. i want to do whatever i can to help the team get farther."
"when your teammates start respecting how hard you work, respecting how you carry yourself, respecting how, you know, you care for one another on the field, and they see that, i believe that everybody kind of draws to you or wants to talk to you or kind of leans on you. me personally, i just go out there and try to lead by example. i don't say too much, i'm kind of quiet, but i play hard each and every day. i try to be the best teammate and pick up my teammate when he's down or who needs help, and they do the same for me."
on 2nd place MVP candidate, Victor Martinez:
on the Indians' future:
this full interview, including some of his thoughts about CyKluber, can be found here.
i agree with what Michael said after he learned he was a finalist, about being honored to be in this position. this is one of those times where it truly is just an honor to be nominated. no doubt Michael had the numbers to win MVP this season but there is no animosity from me here about him placing 3rd. that's outstanding and this recognition is very deserved. he's such a selfless player, always putting the team first no matter what and without complaint. his leadership and work ethic are invaluable to all the players on the team, especially the young kids. much like Michael's consistency on the field, he prepares the same way each and every day and he trains so hard. hopefully one day all his relentless work will result in an MVP award.
i feel like i've been saying this a million times over the last month and a half but, congratulations, Michael! i am so proud of you! =D
 | |
| photo courtesy of @Indians twitter |
 |
| photo courtesy of @dmansworld474 twitter** |
**BBWAA made an error in the initial tabulations that were showed on TV during the live show and posted on their website. it was corrected about an hour later online, taking one 5th place vote away from Bautista and rightfully giving it to Brantley. that pushed Bautista down to 6th place overall and moved Cano up to 5th. the chart included below is accurate.
as expected, the AL MVP winner this year is Mike Trout, with his .287 batting average and 184 strikeouts lol =P i kid, i kid. however, he is the first position player to win this award for a season in which he had a higher number of strikeouts than hits (173).
Michael has never placed in MVP voting in his career before, let alone been a finalist. this is an extraordinary honor, and the honor comes with some perks. first, he earns a $150,000 bonus for this year. additionally, because he finished in the top 5, he's earned an increase of $1 million to his base salary for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. sweet! (look for an updated Brantley contract post on my blog tomorrow.)
here are the complete AL MVP results:
Player, Team
|
1st
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
4th
|
5th
|
6th
|
7th
|
8th
|
9th
|
10th
|
Points
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Trout, Angels | 30 | 420 | |||||||||
| Victor Martinez, Tigers | 16 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 229 | ||||
| Michael Brantley, Indians | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 191 | ||
| Jose Abreu, White Sox | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 145 | |
| Robinson Cano, Mariners | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 124 | |
| Jose Bautista, Blue Jays | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 122 | ||
| Nelson Cruz, Orioles | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 102 | |||
| Josh Donaldson, Athletics | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 96 | ||
| Miguel Cabrera, Tigers | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 82 | ||
| Felix Hernandez, Mariners | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 48 | ||
| Corey Kluber, Indians | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 45 | ||||
| Alex Gordon, Royals | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 44 | |||
| Jose Altuve, Astros | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 41 | |||||
| Adam Jones, Orioles | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 34 | ||||
| Adrian Beltre, Rangers | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 22 | ||||||
| Greg Holland, Royals | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | |||||||
| Albert Pujols, Angels | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
| Howie Kendrick, Angels | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| James Shields, Royals | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| Kyle Seager, Mariners | 1 | 1 |
Trout won in a unanimous vote. the 2 voters from Cleveland were Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer and Chris Assenheimer of The Chronicle-Telegram. while Hoynsie gave Michael a 3rd place vote, Chris decided that Michael's season was good enough for a 2nd place vote. all the individual ballots can be found here, and it's worth a look.
in total, Michael finished with 191 points. he received 27 votes overall--8 votes for 2nd place, 6 votes for 3rd, 5 votes for 4th, 4 votes for 5th, 1 vote for 6th, 1 vote for 7th, 1 vote for 9th, and 1 vote for 10th place. i gotta say, the people who voted Michael 9th and 10th are straight up nuts. look at his numbers again. i think Toronto and Oakland are just jealous. and don't get me started on the 3 voters who didn't even have Michael in the top 10. you know what they say...haters gonna hate =P
 |
| photo courtesy of @dmansworld474 |
 |
| photo courtesy of @MLB twitter |
 |
| photo courtesy of @Indians twitter |
let me also give a quick shout out and congrats to Michael's teammate, Corey Kluber, for finishing just shy of the top 10. Kluber received 11 total votes, ranging between 10th place and all the way up to 3rd place. oddly enough, the 2 media representatives from Cleveland did not vote Kluber in their top 10. (so nobody can accuse them of being homers lol)
Michael was named an MVP finalist along with Trout and Victor Martinez on November 4 and he briefly spoke about it in an interview on November 7. "really, it's just an honor to be mentioned. that's not something you take lightly. it's a lot of hard work. obviously, your peers and voters and everybody have their say as well. i'm just honored to be mentioned in that category of guys that i'm in. i just think it's a good tribute to a lot of hard work paying off."
 |
| photo courtesy of @Indians twitter |
today the finalists had a chance to say a few words on MLB Network's award show before the MVP was announced. (no, Victor Martinez was not there.) Michael's interview is here.
 |
| photos cropped from a video on Indians.com |
looking sharp, Michael!
on his move from leadoff man to 3 hole slugger: "in the beginning of my career, that's all i knew, was how to hit leadoff, how to set the tone, get on base for my teammates. and now hitting in the 3 hole, it's about driving in runs, getting a good pitch early and trying to get that guy in from 2nd or 1st or wherever he's at, 3rd base, and do the best you can for your team."
on how he's evolved against left-handed pitchers as a left-handed hitter: "just really trying to stay on the ball. and doing a lot of homework. the best thing about being in the major leagues is that you have a chance to, you know, have scouting reports and do video work and try to figure out what they're gonna do to you. left-handed pitchers are not easy, especially when you don't see them as much and especially how good they are on the major league level. so i just try to get a good pitch, put a good swing on it, and then whatever happens from there happens."
how important is it for him to put the ball in play? "well, it's very important. the more times you put the ball in play, the better chance you're gonna get a hit. it's no secret. it's not always easy. major league arms, they're just getting better and better. guys are throwing harder, better out pitches. you just gotta come to the park every day prepared and do the best you can for your team."
Michael also spoke with the Cleveland media after the MVP special concluded. here is some of what he had to say.
"there's no disappointment at all. i was honored and blessed to even be mentioned in that category. my whole goal is wins and losses. i don't look at stats. i don't care where i finish in the MVP. i care about getting that World Series ring." (omg, i hope that's not what he'll say if he ever wins this award LOL jk)
"this game is team-oriented and as long as you keep thinking like that, it keeps you motivated to keep playing hard and always working to get better."
"the day before i left for spring training, my father sat me down and asked me to do something. he said, 'i want you to get ready to hit every pitch.' that means from the first time i stepped in the batter's box, the first pitch the pitcher threw to me, that i was ready to hit.
my father told me, 'listen son, your numbers will not go down, they'll go up.' i thought if i swung at the first pitch more often, i'd get out more often because i'd never done it before. he's been trying to get me to do it for the last few years, but i never bought into it. i had that leadoff hitter mentality. this year i told him i'd accept the challenge and try it in spring training. the key word was try.
in years past, i hit like a leadoff hitter. i wanted to make sure i got a perfect pitch. i wanted to make sure that i had, you know, a deep at bat, make sure i saw some pitches. this year, if i got a first pitch fastball early, i put a good swing on it, i didn't care where it went. it worked for me in spring training, so i decided to keep that mentality during the season and it worked out."
"i want to improve in every category. i want to strike out less. i want to make more plays defensively. i want to do whatever i can to help the team get farther."
"when your teammates start respecting how hard you work, respecting how you carry yourself, respecting how, you know, you care for one another on the field, and they see that, i believe that everybody kind of draws to you or wants to talk to you or kind of leans on you. me personally, i just go out there and try to lead by example. i don't say too much, i'm kind of quiet, but i play hard each and every day. i try to be the best teammate and pick up my teammate when he's down or who needs help, and they do the same for me."
on 2nd place MVP candidate, Victor Martinez:
 |
on the Indians' future:
 |
| transcription photos courtesy of @MLBastian twitter |
this full interview, including some of his thoughts about CyKluber, can be found here.
i agree with what Michael said after he learned he was a finalist, about being honored to be in this position. this is one of those times where it truly is just an honor to be nominated. no doubt Michael had the numbers to win MVP this season but there is no animosity from me here about him placing 3rd. that's outstanding and this recognition is very deserved. he's such a selfless player, always putting the team first no matter what and without complaint. his leadership and work ethic are invaluable to all the players on the team, especially the young kids. much like Michael's consistency on the field, he prepares the same way each and every day and he trains so hard. hopefully one day all his relentless work will result in an MVP award.
i feel like i've been saying this a million times over the last month and a half but, congratulations, Michael! i am so proud of you! =D
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Corey Kluber Wins BBWAA's 2014 AL Cy Young Award!
way to go, CyKluber! today, on November 12, it was announced that Corey Kluber won Baseball Writers' Association of America's 2014 American League Cy Young Award! this is Kluber's first career Cy Young. he was a finalist along with Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners and Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox, and he won the award by 10 points.
after he was revealed as the winner, in typical stoic Klubot fashion, he looked off camera to his wife, Amanda, and gave her the thumbs up lol
two writers in each American League city cast their ballots for this award before the conclusion of the regular season. a 1st place vote is worth 7 points, 2nd place is worth 4, 3rd place is worth 3, 4th place is worth 2, and 5th place is worth 1.
here are the complete AL Cy Young voting results:
*chart copy and pasted from BBWAA's website
Kluber and Hernandez were the only 2 players to appear on every individual ballot. Dennis Manoloff of The Plain Dealer and Jim Ingraham of The News-Herald were Cleveland's media voters for this award and, of course, they voted for our boy. to see all the individual ballots, click here.
now let's take a quick look back at some of Kluber's final #s for the 2014 season:
18-9 record
235.2 IP
269 K
51 BB
64 ER
2.44 ERA
2.35 FIP
34 G, 3 CG, 1 SHO
he also
--worked into the 7th inning in 26 of his 34 starts
--struck out 8 or more batters in 21 games
--struck out 10 or more batters in 11 games
--struck out a season-high 14 batters in a single game 2 times
**thanks to Hoynsie for these tidbits
and he did all that in his first full season in the big leagues and on a $514,000 salary. the bonus he received for winning this award is reportedly between just $10,000 and $25,000. hey, Cor, ask for a BIG raise in a long-term deal ;D
Kluber had this say about his first Cy Young: "yeah, it's pretty awesome. i definitely didn't expect it, so it's a pleasant surprise. i'm definitely surprised. it's a credit to all the hard work and stuff that i've put in through the past. a lot of people have helped me out along the way. a lot of things had to come together at the right time."
"when i switched to that [sinker] pitch instead of a four-seam fastball it really allowed me to command my fastball better, and that in turn made all my other pitches more effective. it all came together at the right time this year i guess."
has that slurve always been his go-to offspeed pitch? "uh yeah. it's kind of evolved over time. there's been, for the most part, the same grip since college, tweaking things here and there. because it's a pitch i've thrown for so long, it's something that i'm pretty comfortable with."
so what does he plan to work on to get better? "i think there's always room for improvement and i think you can improve every pitch, become more consistent with them. me personally, i think my biggest pitch that i can improve on is the changeup."
and how is he going to celebrate this momentous occasion? "probably go home and give my daughters a bath or something boring like that." well, Kendall and Kennedy are lucky little girls to have a father like him lol =D
Kluber did another interview with MLB Tonight to talk about his award and his season. you can watch that one here.
prior to Kluber, the last Indians player to win the Cy Young Award was Cliff Lee in 2008. C.C. Sabathia and Gaylord Perry are the only other Indians to win Cy Youngs (2007 and 1972) in franchise history.
Kluber became the ace of the Indians' pitching staff long before the Justin Masterson trade to the Cardinals on July 30. he's a true team leader and had one hell of an outstanding season. congratulations, Corey! well-deserved! =D
 |
| photo courtesy of @Indians twitter |
 |
| photo courtesy of @MLBastian twitter |
after he was revealed as the winner, in typical stoic Klubot fashion, he looked off camera to his wife, Amanda, and gave her the thumbs up lol
 |
| photo cropped from a video on Indians.com |
two writers in each American League city cast their ballots for this award before the conclusion of the regular season. a 1st place vote is worth 7 points, 2nd place is worth 4, 3rd place is worth 3, 4th place is worth 2, and 5th place is worth 1.
here are the complete AL Cy Young voting results:
Player, Team
|
1st
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
4th
|
5th
|
Points
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Kluber, Indians | 17 | 11 | 2 | 169 | |||
| Felix Hernandez, Mariners | 13 | 17 | 159 | ||||
| Chris Sale, White Sox | 2 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 78 | ||
| Jon Lester, Red Sox/Athletics | 3 | 15 | 7 | 46 | |||
| Max Scherzer, Tigers | 4 | 6 | 8 | 32 | |||
| David Price, Rays/Tigers | 2 | 3 | 4 | 16 | |||
| Phil Hughes, Twins | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||||
| Wade Davis, Royals | 3 | 3 | |||||
| Greg Holland, Royals | 1 | 1 |
Kluber and Hernandez were the only 2 players to appear on every individual ballot. Dennis Manoloff of The Plain Dealer and Jim Ingraham of The News-Herald were Cleveland's media voters for this award and, of course, they voted for our boy. to see all the individual ballots, click here.
now let's take a quick look back at some of Kluber's final #s for the 2014 season:
18-9 record
235.2 IP
269 K
51 BB
64 ER
2.44 ERA
2.35 FIP
34 G, 3 CG, 1 SHO
he also
--worked into the 7th inning in 26 of his 34 starts
--struck out 8 or more batters in 21 games
--struck out 10 or more batters in 11 games
--struck out a season-high 14 batters in a single game 2 times
**thanks to Hoynsie for these tidbits
 |
| photo courtesy of @ESPNStatsInfo twitter |
and he did all that in his first full season in the big leagues and on a $514,000 salary. the bonus he received for winning this award is reportedly between just $10,000 and $25,000. hey, Cor, ask for a BIG raise in a long-term deal ;D
Kluber had this say about his first Cy Young: "yeah, it's pretty awesome. i definitely didn't expect it, so it's a pleasant surprise. i'm definitely surprised. it's a credit to all the hard work and stuff that i've put in through the past. a lot of people have helped me out along the way. a lot of things had to come together at the right time."
"when i switched to that [sinker] pitch instead of a four-seam fastball it really allowed me to command my fastball better, and that in turn made all my other pitches more effective. it all came together at the right time this year i guess."
has that slurve always been his go-to offspeed pitch? "uh yeah. it's kind of evolved over time. there's been, for the most part, the same grip since college, tweaking things here and there. because it's a pitch i've thrown for so long, it's something that i'm pretty comfortable with."
so what does he plan to work on to get better? "i think there's always room for improvement and i think you can improve every pitch, become more consistent with them. me personally, i think my biggest pitch that i can improve on is the changeup."
and how is he going to celebrate this momentous occasion? "probably go home and give my daughters a bath or something boring like that." well, Kendall and Kennedy are lucky little girls to have a father like him lol =D
 |
| photo courtesy of @AmandaKluber twitter |
Kluber did another interview with MLB Tonight to talk about his award and his season. you can watch that one here.
prior to Kluber, the last Indians player to win the Cy Young Award was Cliff Lee in 2008. C.C. Sabathia and Gaylord Perry are the only other Indians to win Cy Youngs (2007 and 1972) in franchise history.
 |
| photo courtesy of @dmansworld474 twitter |
Kluber became the ace of the Indians' pitching staff long before the Justin Masterson trade to the Cardinals on July 30. he's a true team leader and had one hell of an outstanding season. congratulations, Corey! well-deserved! =D
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Brantley Named Finalist For Baseball Writers' Association Of America's 2014 AL MVP Award
i've been waiting for this announcement since before the season even ended.
this evening, on November 4, it was revealed that the Baseball Writers' Association of America named Michael Brantley as one of three finalists for the 2014 American League Most Valuable Player Award! this MVP nod is the first of his career! he's nominated along with Mike Trout of the Angels and Victor Martinez of the Tigers. congratulations!
if you're unsure how MVP candidates are chosen, let me provide a brief explanation. two writers from each American League city vote for AL MVP, totaling 30 votes overall. there are 10 spots on the MVP ballot and the finalists are the players who finished in the top 3. all players, including designated hitters and pitchers, may be chosen for most valuable player. writers of the BBWAA submit their picks before the postseason begins.
each spot on the ballot equals a certain number of points. a 1st place MVP vote is worth 14 points. the rest of the ballot spots are worth 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points from 2nd place down to 10th. BBWAA's secretary/treasurer, Jack O'Connell, tallies the votes before the finalists are revealed in November. the full results will be posted on the BBWAA website after the winner is announced.
as a general rule of thumb, writers define the MVP in terms of 1. the value a player has to his team, offensively and defensively, 2. the number of games he played, and 3. the player's general character, disposition, loyalty, and effort.
Michael certainly put up MVP type stats this year. to refresh everyone's memory, here are some of his tremendous #s:
.327 batting average
.385 OBP
.506 SLG
.890 OPS
200 hits
45 doubles
20 home runs
97 RBI
94 runs scored
52 walks
23 stolen bases
56 strikeouts
309 total bases
12 outfield assists
7.0 WAR
156 games
everything minus the walks and strikeouts was a career high for him this season. Michael also led the American League with his .376 BA with RISP, .346 BA with runners on base, and .337 BA against right-handed pitchers.
now let's look at the other 2 finalists' numbers:
Mike Trout: 173 hits, 39 doubles, 36 HR, 111 RBI, 115 R*, 83 BB, 16 SB, 184 SO**, 338 TB*, 7.9 WAR, 157 games, .287 BA/.377 OBP/.561 SLG/.939 OPS
Victor Martinez: 188 hits, 38 doubles, 32 HR, 103 RBI, 87 R, 70 BB, 3 SB, 42 SO, 317 TB, 5.3 WAR, 151 games, .335 BA/.409 OBP/.565 SLG/.974 OPS*
*MLB lead
**AL high
Michael's up against some tough competition and it would be a huge surprise if he won. the MVP frontrunner is Mike Trout, especially since he lost out on the award the previous 2 years. however, Michael just being a candidate for an AL most valuable player award is outstanding. to be recognized as a potential league MVP, that really is a hell of an honor. i am so freakin' proud of Michael! [insert happy tears here lol]
no Tribe player has been named MVP since 1953 when Al Rosen won the award. before him, Lou Boudreau won it in 1948 and George Burns was MVP in 1926. and that's it. only those 3 players have won MVP in the history of the Indians.
if Cleveland fans had their way, Michael would be the 4th. during Michael's final game of the season on September 27, fans started "M-V-P!" chants every time he came to the plate. when the media told Michael about this after the game, he was humbled and appreciative. "that's a remarkable feeling. i want to thank the fans for that. it's not something you hear very often. it's not something that's just thrown around. my hat's off to them. i can't thank them enough."
the winner will be announced on November 13 at 6 pm EST on MLB Network and you can count on me to write a follow up blog with all the details. congrats again, Michael! you're definitely my MVP! =D
 |
| photo courtesy of @Indians twitter |
if you're unsure how MVP candidates are chosen, let me provide a brief explanation. two writers from each American League city vote for AL MVP, totaling 30 votes overall. there are 10 spots on the MVP ballot and the finalists are the players who finished in the top 3. all players, including designated hitters and pitchers, may be chosen for most valuable player. writers of the BBWAA submit their picks before the postseason begins.
each spot on the ballot equals a certain number of points. a 1st place MVP vote is worth 14 points. the rest of the ballot spots are worth 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points from 2nd place down to 10th. BBWAA's secretary/treasurer, Jack O'Connell, tallies the votes before the finalists are revealed in November. the full results will be posted on the BBWAA website after the winner is announced.
as a general rule of thumb, writers define the MVP in terms of 1. the value a player has to his team, offensively and defensively, 2. the number of games he played, and 3. the player's general character, disposition, loyalty, and effort.
Michael certainly put up MVP type stats this year. to refresh everyone's memory, here are some of his tremendous #s:
.327 batting average
.385 OBP
.506 SLG
.890 OPS
200 hits
45 doubles
20 home runs
97 RBI
94 runs scored
52 walks
23 stolen bases
56 strikeouts
309 total bases
12 outfield assists
7.0 WAR
156 games
everything minus the walks and strikeouts was a career high for him this season. Michael also led the American League with his .376 BA with RISP, .346 BA with runners on base, and .337 BA against right-handed pitchers.
now let's look at the other 2 finalists' numbers:
Mike Trout: 173 hits, 39 doubles, 36 HR, 111 RBI, 115 R*, 83 BB, 16 SB, 184 SO**, 338 TB*, 7.9 WAR, 157 games, .287 BA/.377 OBP/.561 SLG/.939 OPS
Victor Martinez: 188 hits, 38 doubles, 32 HR, 103 RBI, 87 R, 70 BB, 3 SB, 42 SO, 317 TB, 5.3 WAR, 151 games, .335 BA/.409 OBP/.565 SLG/.974 OPS*
*MLB lead
**AL high
Michael's up against some tough competition and it would be a huge surprise if he won. the MVP frontrunner is Mike Trout, especially since he lost out on the award the previous 2 years. however, Michael just being a candidate for an AL most valuable player award is outstanding. to be recognized as a potential league MVP, that really is a hell of an honor. i am so freakin' proud of Michael! [insert happy tears here lol]
no Tribe player has been named MVP since 1953 when Al Rosen won the award. before him, Lou Boudreau won it in 1948 and George Burns was MVP in 1926. and that's it. only those 3 players have won MVP in the history of the Indians.
if Cleveland fans had their way, Michael would be the 4th. during Michael's final game of the season on September 27, fans started "M-V-P!" chants every time he came to the plate. when the media told Michael about this after the game, he was humbled and appreciative. "that's a remarkable feeling. i want to thank the fans for that. it's not something you hear very often. it's not something that's just thrown around. my hat's off to them. i can't thank them enough."
the winner will be announced on November 13 at 6 pm EST on MLB Network and you can count on me to write a follow up blog with all the details. congrats again, Michael! you're definitely my MVP! =D
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