Although only one team can be crowned champion at the end of the year, it would be unfair not to recognize the excellence of several players and managers whose efforts greatly impacted the course of the 2011 Major League Baseball season.
Many individuals were considered for the year’s top accolades, but a few people separated themselves as the best of the best in 2011.
National League Most Valuable Player — Matt Kemp, Dodgers (Honorable mention: Ryan Braun, Brewers)
Many people believe that the league’s most valuable player should come from the league’s most successful team, but that would just be unfair. A player cannot control his supporting cast, and often the player that arguably performs the best does not have the best numbers. For example, he might lack the opportunity to beef up gaudy statistics like runs and runs batted in if people around him cannot get on base or knock him in.
But Matt Kemp not only outperformed the competition in the areas he could control. He also managed to produce, despite playing for a Dodgers team that was out of contention for most of the year and the top three in all the National League’s major traditional statistical categories, finishing with a .324 batting average (putting him in third place), 39 home runs (first), 126 runs batted in (first), 115 runs (first) and 40 stolen bases (tied for second). Runner-up Ryan Braun had an impressive year as well. In other seasons, his performance might have brought him the award, as he edged Kemp in average (.332) and finished first in OPS (.994), but Kemp’s year proved superior.
American League Most Valuable Player — Jose Bautista, Blue Jays (Honorable Mention: JacobyEllsbury, Red Sox)
Like Kemp, Bautista found himself trapped on a team that limited his opportunities to produce and rack up RBIs. Nonetheless, Bautista’s torrid 33-homer first half enabled the former journeyman to lead the entire league with 43 home runs and a 1.056 OPS.
The Red Sox’s Jacoby Ellsbury and Yankees’ Curtis Granderson also garnered consideration based on their power and speed combination (Ellsbury had 32 homeruns and 39 stolen bases; Granderson, 41 and 25, respectively), as did the Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera after winning the batting title (.344). Bautista’s record, however, stood out the most.
National League Cy Young Award — Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (Honorable Mention: Roy Halladay, Phillies)
In just three and a half years, Kershaw has established himself as the best lefty in the game. Like the AL’s Justin Verlander (see below), Kershaw was an easy choice, eclipsing the hallowed 20-win plateau with 21, along with a Major League-leading 2.28 ERA. He also finished second only to Verlander in strikeouts (248) and WHIP (0.98). It’s really a shame the Dodgers wasted Kemp and Kershaw’s magnificent seasons; without them, the team very well could have finished at the bottom of the league.
American League Cy Young Award — Justin Verlander, Tigers (Honorable Mention: Jered Weaver, Angels)
Verlander is the easiest choice on this list, as he led the league in wins (24), ERA (2.40), strikeouts (250) and WHIP (0.92). Jered Weaver had an excellent season in his own right (18 wins, 2.41 ERA, 198 strikeouts, 1.01 WHIP) but Verlander’s year was historic.
National League Rookie of the Year — Craig Kimbrel, Braves (Honorable Mention: Vance Worley, Phillies)
It’s rare that a closer would earn such a distinction, but Atlanta’s Craig Kimbrel deserves it after a year that ranks among the best of all closers in the game. Kimbrel’s league-leading 46 saves were accompanied by a sparkling 2.10 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Perhaps most impressive, however, was his tremendous strikeout rate, sending down 127 batters in just 77 innings. The Phillies’ Vance Worley (11-3, 3.01 ERA) and Kimbrel’s teammate Freddie Freeman (.282 average, 21 home runs) were also considered.
American League Rookie of the Year — Jeremy Hellickson, Rays (Honorable Mention: Eric Hosmer, Royals)
Many players were worthy of consideration, but “Hell Boy,” with a pristine 2.95 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, topped them all as a key member of the Rays’ historic march to the playoffs. After being called up after the first month of the year, runner-up Eric Hosmer’s campaign featured 19 home runs, 78 RBIs and a .293 average. Mark Trumbo’s 29 home runs were also impressive, but Hellickson’s numbers were terrific for a rookie pitcher in the brutal AL East.
And with that, it’s time to close the book on the 2011 season. Congratulations are once again in order to the Cardinals, but beginning next week, the focus will be on next year. Free agency has begun and changes will be plentiful, as teams look to make 2012 their year.
