April Awards

This week I will give my April Awards. These are as if the season ended today, so the games on May 1st do count.

Rangers Awards:

MVP: Ian Kinsler, TEX (.323 AVG, 8 HR, 22 RBI): Ian is the runner-up for my AL MVP, and the person above him isn’t a Ranger, so that makes him my Rangers MVP. He has a very good batting average, is tied for second in the AL in home runs, and is tied for 5th in the AL in RBI’s.
Runner-up: Michael Young, TEX (.315 AVG, 6 HR, 13 RBI)

Cy Young: Kevin Millwood, TEX (2-2, 2.13 ERA, 22 K): Kevin is 4th in the league in ERA, and 1st on the Rangers starting pitching rotation, so he is the obvious choice here.
Runner-up: Brandon McCarthy, TEX (2-0, 5.32 ERA, 15 K)

Rookie of the Year: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.254 AVG, 1 HR, 4 RBI): Once again, Elvis was runner-up in my AL Rookie of the Year, and the person above him wasn’t a Ranger. He doesn’t have great stats, but he’s about the only rookie on the team so far this year that has played a lot. He’s doing a good job adjusting to the major leagues and showing us the potential that made him the Rangers’ new shortstop.
Runner-up: Derek Holland, TEX (0-1, 2.84 ERA, 4 K)

Reliever of the Year: Frank Francisco, TEX (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 SV): He is my AL Reliever of the Year, so obviously he is my Rangers Reliever of the Year.
Runner-up: Jason Jennings, TEX (0-1, 4.26 ERA, 9 K)

AL Awards:

MVP: Evan Longoria, TB (.368 AVG, 7 HR, 28 RBI): Evan has a batting average over .365, 8th in the AL, has 7 home runs, tied for 5th in the AL, and 28 RBI’s, 1st in the AL and 2nd in the entire major leagues. That is pretty good, and, in my opinion, he was the best player in April.
Runner-up: Ian Kinsler, TEX (.323 AVG, 8 HR, 22 RBI)

Cy Young: Zach Grienke, KC (5-0, 0.50 ERA, 44 K): He is the obvious choice for Cy Young so far. He is tied for the major league lead in wins, hasn’t lost a game, has allowed two earned runs in 36 innings pitched, and already has two complete games and one shutout.
Runner-up: Felix Hernandez, SEA (4-0, 2.38 ERA, 36 K)

Rookie of the Year: Koji Uehara, BAL (2-2, 4.50 ERA, 19 K): Normally he would not be the rookie of the year, but this year the competition is so weak, he is the ROY.
Runner-up: Elvis Andrus, TEX (.254 AVG, 1 HR, 4 RBI)

Reliever of the Year: Frank Francisco, TEX (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 SV): Frankie is tied for the league lead in saves, hasn’t blown a save, and hasn’t allowed a run yet this season. Plus, Francisco is fun to say.
Runner-up: Jonathon Papelbon, BOS (0-0, 1.74 ERA, 6 SV)

Manager of the Year: Cito Gaston, TOR (16-9, 1st place): Almost every player on his team is playing well and that is a pretty good sign.
Runner-up: Don Wakamatsu, SEA (14-9, 1st place): In his first year with the team, Don has the Mariners in first place even though they do not have much talent on their team.

NL Awards:

MVP: Albert Pujols, STL (.356 AVG, 9 HR, 29 RBI): Albert has a very good batting average, leads the NL in home runs, and leads the NL in RBI’s by 5. He is way out in front of everybody else, and he is an easy choice to make here.
Runner-up: Jorge Cantu, FLA (.358 AVG, 7 HR, 24 RBI)

Cy Young: Chad Billingsley, LAD (4-0, 2.14 ERA, 34 K): Chad is tied for the NL lead in wins, but he’s the only 4-game winner in the NL not to have lost a game. He also has a very good ERA and a good amount of strikeouts.
Runner-up: Kyle Lohse, STL (3-0, 1.97 ERA, 19 K)

Rookie of the Year: Joe Thurston, STL (.279 AVG, 1 HR, 12 RBI): Once again, there is just a lack of competition, and so that’s what got him ROY in my opinion. Even though Joe only has 1 HR, he is still in the top 50 in the NL in RBI’s.
Runner-up: Dexter Fowler, COL (.288 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 9 SB)

Reliever of the Year: Jonathon Broxton, LAD (3-0, 0.75 ERA, 7 SV): When you have seven saves and three wins as a closer in one month, that pretty much makes you a lock.
Runner-up: Heath Bell, SD (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 SV)

Manager of the Year: Joe Torre, LAD (16-8, 1st place): The Dodgers have a 3 and a half game lead in the division, the second best record in baseball, and an 8-0 record at home.
Runner-up: Tony LaRussa, STL (17-8, 1st place)

Come back next week for numbers 36-40 on my Top 50 All-Time Rangers List.