Season Five Awards Recap

For those of you who are new to 23Mattingly23, or for the others who just didn't care to look, a recap of the regular season award winners from last year.

American League MVP -- Albert O’Neill, RF, Durham Bombers
Screw the electric car, screw natural gas, the only power needed in Durham is the bat of five-time all-star outfielder Albert O’Neill. En route to claiming his first-ever MVP award O’Neill was the catalyst behind the Bombers’ vaunted offense and the American League’s second best regular season record. A slugger in every sense of the word, O’Neill pounded 75 homeruns in season five and narrowly missed breaking his single season record of 79. He finished with a career high 212 RBIs and 159 runs scored while hitting .340 in 160 games. Signed through season 10, O’Neill should continue to be the bane of 23Mattingly23 pitchers for quite some time.

National League MVP – Johan Chouinard, 1B, Dover Destroyers
At 23 years old most players are looking for the chance to break into a major league lineup. Johan Chouinard, however, has loftier expectations after becoming the National League’s second back-to-back MVP winner. Chouinard raked to a .351 batting average and stole a career-high 54 bases while leading Dover to 118 regular season wins and its first-ever trip to the World Series. Despite a dip in power, the first baseman still ripped 31 homers and 33 doubles while slugging .671 in 131 games. He also scored 137 runs and drove in 123 men, and worked 95 base on balls, his third straight season with at least 90 walks.

American League Cy Young – Ray Peterson, RHP, Nashville Karma
As a 33-year old Peterson turned in one of the finest pitching seasons on record in 23Mattingly23, compiling 22 wins while losing only one time in 34 starts. His ERA of 2.19 ranks him second all-time for a single season, trailing only the immortal Benji Guerrero’s 1.87 ERA in season 4. Behind the strength of his sinker-slider combination Peterson posted a career high 164 strikeouts against 71 walks a season ago, and held opposing hitters to a .204 batting average. The righty also won his only post-season appearance for the 118-win Karma, throwing six innings of one-run ball in a win versus Texas in the Divisional Championship round.

National League Cy Young – Clay Stoops, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
In his second full season in the bigs the Jays’ Clay Stoops learned to stand tall, racking up 22 wins and a paltry 3.21 ERA in 33 starts. Although he does not boast a power arm, Stoops still managed to post a 3 to 1 K/BB ratio in 244 innings pitched while holding opposing hitters to a .246 avg. At just 27, the Jays’ ace makes next to nothing, and should be the face of the franchise as Toronto pushes Dover for the NL North crown in years to come.

American League Rookie of the Year – Carl Abercrombie, RHP, Vancouver Steelhead, (tie) Gus Dong, 1B, Texas Half-Shell Possums
What’s better than having one Rookie of the Year? How about two. The sportswriters of 23Mattingly23 handed out a split decision following the season, voting pitcher Carl “I buy pre-ripped jeans for $100” Abercrombie and first baseman Gus “home of the long” Dong co-winners.

Abercrombie emerged from Vancouver’s bullpen with a 1.87 ERA and locked down 41 of 43 save tries in his first campaign; impressive, considering the club won just 72 games a season ago. The righty also limited opposing hitters to a .166 average and walked just 11 men, while striking out 48 in 57.2 innings pitched.

Dong, who admitted to growing tired of the jokes referencing male genitalia by the All-Star break, certainly never tired of dropping bombs (57 of them, to be exact) for the Half-Shell Possums. After terrorizing minor league pitching for four seasons, diminutive slugger hit .275 and drove in 154 runs in 144 regular season games and led the upstart Texas club to its first-ever ALCS appearance. At 5’9” and 222 pounds Dong is certainly built like a Possum, so it’s fitting that he’ll be leading the Texas attack for the foreseeable future.

National League Rookie of the Year – Alberto Moreno, RHP, Tacoma Rolling Rocks
Lying in wait while Edge Granger’s career ran its course, Moreno finally seized the opportunity to anchor the Rocks’ bullpen in season Five and made the most of his time. In 73 games he racked up 43 saves in 57 chances (.754%) and also totaled six wins while striking out 83 batters in 95.2 innings. Despite giving up 17 big-flies, he maintained a 3.57 ERA and limited opposing batters to a .235 average.