Back From the Abyss...

NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum
AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke



So, we took a couple of weeks off to re-charge batteries, get our affairs in order, and massage the literary muscles, so to speak. The free agency period has now officially begun, awards have been handed out, GM's and Owners have met to critique the previous season, so we certainly have a little fodder here to ponder over and about.... Let's start with the award winners...

Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia, AL... This was ABSOLUTELY the right choice here. After the tragic death of Nick Adenhart to start the season for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Scioscia had to play the role of comforter, father figure and psychiatrist, as well as keep his team together through a very rough time. Once again, Scioscia displayed why he is one of the truly great managers in the game. Guiding the Angels through a rough April, he was able to allow his players to get through their grieving process and get focused back on the task at hand, leading his team back to the ALCS. Kudos to Mike for a fabulous job.

Jim Tracy, NL... Tracy, promoted from bench coach after Clint Hurdle was fired in late May, guided the Rockies with a steady hand, leading the team to a 74-42 record during his tenure, and extending the NL West division race to the final weekend before settling for the wild card. Tracy was rewarded with a three year contract extension. Right choice here as well.

NL Cy Young- Tim Lincecum...Lincecum, 15-7 with 246 K's, won his second straight award in one of the tightest races in the history of the award, barely beating out both Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainright. My thought here is that Carpenter and Wainright pretty much cancelled each other out, giving Lincecum back to back trophies. There's no question he is a stud, with 2 Cy Youngs and 2 All-Star selections by the age of 25.

AL Cy Young- Zack Greinke- Greinke, 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA, easily beat out Mariners' pitcher Felix Hernandez for the honor. Greinke, soft spoken and not one to seek the limelight, was absolutely dominant for one of the worst teams in baseball, and if the Kansas City Royals can ever put together some decent teams and provide more support, Greinke will reap the benefits for years to come.

Free Agency: Free agency officially begun on Friday, with negotiating exclusivity having ended on Thursday. Some big names headline the list, most notably John Lackey, Matt Holliday and Jason Bay. Considering that Bud Selig recently acknowledged that several teams lost money in 2009, this offseason could see only a handful of teams fighting for the top tier of players, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Angels and Dodgers. Bay, who recently turned down a 4 year, $60 million contract offer from the Red Sox, is testing the free agency waters for the first time, and seems content to see how it plays out in terms of worth and interest. Holliday is drawing looks from several teams, including the Red Sox, who may look to go after Holliday if talks with Bay fall through. Lackey will have his pick of offers, as most teams would absolutely love to have him at the top of their rotation. Other interesting free agents on the market include Angels' 3B Chone Figgins, who will garner interest from several teams, including the White Sox, Cubs, Phillies and Mets...Seattle Mariners' 3B Adrian Beltre could also figure into the mix with several teams, including the Phillies, Angels, Orioles and Mariners. Only 30 years old and a veritable vacuum cleaner at the corner, Beltre could prove to be the right answer in the right stadium... Check out this list for the latest on several other free agents...

Later this weekend, we'll continue our "Also Ran" report, with the Boston Red Sox up next...

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Read The Full Article:
http://thepassionofbaseball.blogspot.com/2009/11/back-from-abyss.html

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