MLB April Awards

MLB April Awards

AL

MVP – Josh Hamilton, CF, Texas Rangers

• Surprised? The once fabled number one prospect, who is now tearing it up for the Texas Rangers, has 6 home runs, leading the MLB in RBI’s with 32, 4^th in the AL in batting average at .330 and a staggering OPS of .970

Cy Young – Joe Saunders, SP, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

• This Virginia Tech alum is leading the AL with 5 wins on the month, 3^rd in the AL with an ERA of 2.08 and opponents are batting only .204 against him.

Rookie of the Month – Jacoby Ellsbury, CF, Boston Red Sox

• I did not pick him just because of him being from Oregon State, but rather by the numbers he is putting up in the MLB’s hardest division, the AL East. Ellsbury is leading all rookies with 8 stolen Bases, 20 Runs, an OPS of .836, and is tied for first with 3 home runs. He is also second to all AL Rookies with a batting average of .280

Relief Man of the Month – Joe Nathan, RP, Minnesota Twins

• At this current pace, he will save 52 games this year. While he may not maintain this pace, he still ended the month with 9 saves, which is third in the American League. He also possesses an 0.82 ERA, a WHIP of 1.00, and has yet to blow a save this year for the Minnesota Twins.

Manager of the Month – Dave Trembley, Baltimore Orioles

• This team was picked to finish in the cellar of the AL East, but he has fought the odds and achieved an April record of 15-12. In his first full year, he has lead the Orioles to their first real shot at an AL Wild Card in years.

NL

MVP –Chipper Jones, 3B, Atlanta Braves

• The numbers Chipper is putting up right now are just plain disgusting. After one month, he is batting .410 with 8 home runs, 21 RBI’s, 41 Hits, and an OPS of 1.145. Chase Utley can make a strong case with his 11 home runs and a batting average of .360, and he would be the runner-up, but Chipper Jones in on a tear.

Cy Young – Brandon Webb, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

• This is a clear favorite. He is the ace on the team with the best record in the Major Leagues. He has yet to lose a game, posting 6 wins in each game he started, which puts him on pace to win 35 games this year (highly unlikely). Webb is 4^th in the NL in ERA with a cool 1.98, and batters are only hitting .192 against him.

Rookie of the Month – Geovany Soto, C, Chicago Cubs

• This isn’t  the rookie for the Chicago Cubs that is supposed to be leading the NL Rookie of the Year chase. Soto is leading all rookies with a batting average of .333, 5 home runs, and 20 RBI’s.

Relief Man of the Month – Brad Lidge, RP, Philadelphia Phillies

• While Lidge is not leading the NL in saves, with 6, Lidge is the only pitcher of the top 5 relief pitchers in saves to not blow a save. He has yet to give up an earned run in his 11 appearances, and has a WHIP of 1.00.

Manager of the Month – Bob Melvin, Arizona Diamondbacks

• He has a team that many did not expect to put up very good offensive numbers, and has turned this into an offense on pace to score 955 runs after only scoring 712 in 2007. Oh yeah, and he manages the team with the best record in the MLB with 20 wins, and only 8 losses.