2012 Sports Mogul MLB Awards - Winners

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We received 9 ballots for the major awards this year. Thank you to all those that submitted ballots.

Next to the name of the award is the number of ballots received for that award.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (9)
For full AL results, click here.
For full NL results, click here.

American League – Rookie center fielder Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels took home the American League MVP award unanimously thanks to one of the greatest rookie seasons in history. He showed all five tools, hitting .326/.399/.564 (league-leading 171 OPS+) with 30 HR, 83 RBI, and 49 steals in 54 attempts while providing excellent defense in center and left field.

National League – Young Giants catcher Buster Posey nabbed the National League MVP award with an outstanding season in which he hit .336/.408/.549 with 24 HR and 103 RBI. He led the league with a 172 OPS+ while playing solid defense behind the plate and handling the strong Giants pitching staff.

CY YOUNG (9)
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American League – Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander won the American League Cy Young award unanimously for the second consecutive season. He nearly matched his 2011 season, leading the league in innings (238.1), strikeouts (239) and ERA+ (160).

National League – After losing a close race last season, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was named the National League Cy Young this season as he paced the league with a 2.53 ERA. Kershaw continued to prove that he is one of the top southpaws in the majors as his unhittable pitches stymied NL batters all season. In a fantastic story, aging Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey placed second with two of the nine first place votes.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (9)
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American League – The unanimous MVP, 20 year old Mike Trout, was also unanimously named Rookie of the Year in the American League.

National League – Pairing with Trout in a manner reminiscent of Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, Nationals phenom Bryce Harper was named National League Rookie of the Year as he hit .270/.340/.477 with 22 HR, 59 RBI and 18 SB. At just 19, Harper is a year younger than his AL counterpart and likewise has an incredibly bright future ahead of him.

RELIEF PITCHER OF THE YEAR (9)
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American League – The Rays dredged up the career of Fernando Rodney and he stunned everyone by posting one of the greatest relief seasons in history. Rodney narrowly edged out Dennis Eckersley’s relief ERA record 0.60 to 0.61 while posting an astounding 5.02 K/BB ratio. His previous career high in that category was 2.57 in 2007. His season for the ages got him named the American League Relief Pitcher of the Year.

National League – Braves closer Craig Kimbrel topped his stellar rookie season and nabbed his second straight National League Relief Pitcher of the Year award. Kimbrel was the definition of unhittable, allowing just 3.9 hits per nine innings while striking out an absurd 16.7 batters per nine innings.

HANK AARON AWARD (9)
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American League – Tigers third basemen Miguel Cabrera lost out in the MVP race due to defense and baserunning, but his premium bat and Triple Crown got him the Hank Aaron award this year in the American League. He hit .330/.393/.606 with 44 HR and 139 RBI.

National League – In the National League, Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun was the unanimous pick for the Hank Aaron award as he hit .319/.391/.595 with 41 HR and 112 RBI. The Hank Aaron award was added to the Sports Mogul Awards in 2009 and in each year since, the MVP in both leagues also took home this award. In 2012, the winners differed in both leagues, a first for the award.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR (7)
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American League – Two managers in the American League led teams that had been completely written off during the preseason to the playoffs this year, and Orioles manager Buck Showalter narrowly edged out Athletics manager Bob Melvin in the voting for Manager of the Year.

National League – In the National League, it was a unanimous decision to award Nationals manager Davey Johnson the Manager of the Year award. The Nationals were a team considered on the rise, but Johnson led them to the best record in the majors and definitely deserves this award.

GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR (7)
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American League – Athletics general manager Billy Beane was awarded the General Manager of the Year award as many of his shrewd offseason moves wound up paying huge dividends as the Athletics rode into the playoffs.

National League – The Washington Nationals claimed both managerial awards as Mike Rizzo was named the National League General Manager of the Year. Rizzo surrounded his stud youngsters with quality players and, as a consequence, the Nationals posted the best record in the bigs.

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COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR (9)
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American League – Despite getting fewer first place votes than teammate Adam Dunn, White Sox starter Jake Peavy narrowly won the American League Comeback Player of the Year award. Peavy hasn’t played more than half a season in the last three years as he’s struggled with injury. This year, he made 32 starts, going 11-12 with a 3.37 ERA and 3.96 K/BB ratio.

National League – The National League Comeback Player of the Year award goes to Giants catcher Buster Posey. After going down with injury early last year, Posey returned to win the MVP award as well.

BREAKOUT POSITION PLAYER OF THE YEAR (9)
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American League – Athletics outfielder Josh Reddick hit .242/.305/.463 with 32 HR, 85 RBI and strong right field defense in his first full season. At 25, Reddick is expected to be a mainstay in the Athletics outfield for the coming years.

National League – Padres third basemen Chase Headley overcame Petco’s offensive suppression to pace the National League with 115 RBI. His .286/.376/.498 line translated to a 144 OPS+. At 28, Headley really came into his own.

BREAKOUT PITCHER OF THE YEAR (8)
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American League – There was a dearth of options for this award in the American League, making White Sox pitcher Chris Sale the easy winner. He transitioned from the bullpen to a starting role, winning 17 games with a 3.05 ERA.

National League – The National League award voting was fragmented, but Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija edged out competitors. Despite an average 3.81 ERA, Samardzija showed great improvement in his control, walking 2.9 batters per 9 innings while striking out 9.3 per 9. His transition from the bullpen went well and hopes are high for him going forward.

ESTEBAN LOAIZA AWARD (9)
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Meant to recognize what amounts to a fluke-type season, this year’s Esteban Loaiza award was given to Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse. Lohse has always been a solid mid-rotation starter, but this year he took a step forward at the age of 33 and put up an ace-type season, going 16-3 with a 2.86 ERA.

BRADY ANDERSON AWARD (9)
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Same premise as the Esteban Loaiza award, except for position players. Blue Jays first basemen/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion has always failed to live up to expectations that were once had for him, but this year he broke out and topped even those formerly high expectations as he hit .280/.384/.557 with 42 HR and 110 RBI, shattering his previous career highs in HR, RBI, OBP and SLG.

DERRICK TURNBOW AWARD (8)
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Same premise as the above two awards, except for relief pitchers. As usual, a wide variety of relievers were named on ballots, but for the third consecutive season, a Rays reliever takes home the award. Fernando Rodney was the unanimous choice thanks to his historical season that literally came out of nowhere.

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GOLD GLOVES (6)
For full AL results, click here.
For full NL results, click here.

American League -
P – Ricky Romero (TOR)
C – Matt Wieters (BAL)
1B – Mark Teixeira (NYY)
2B – Robinson Cano (NYY)
3B – Mike Moustakas (KCR)
SS – Brendan Ryan (SEA)
LF – Alex Gordon (KCR)
CF – Mike Trout (LAA)
RF – Josh Reddick (OAK)

National League -
P – Mark Buerhle (MIA)
C – Yadier Molina (STL)
1B – Adam LaRoche (WSN)
2B – Darwin Barney (CHC)
3B – David Wright (NYY)
SS – Clint Barmes (PIT)
LF – Martin Prado (ATL)
CF – Michael Bourn (ATL)
RF – Jason Heyward (ATL)

SILVER SLUGGERS (6)
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For full NL results, click here.

American League -
DH – Billy Butler (KCR)
C – Joe Mauer (MIN)
1B – Prince Fielder (DET)
2B – Robinson Cano (NYY)
3B – Miguel Cabrera (DET)
SS – Derek Jeter (NYY)
LF – Josh Willingham (MIN)
CF – Mike Trout (LAA)
RF – Shin-Soo Choo (CLE)

National League -
P – Stephen Strasburg (WSN)
C – Buster Posey (SFG)
1B – Joey Votto (CIN)
2B – Aaron Hill (ARI)
3B – Chase Headley (SDP)
SS – Ian Desmond (WSN)
LF – Ryan Braun (MIL)
CF – Andrew McCutchen (PIT)
RF – Giancarlo Stanton (MIA)

TEAM MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS (4 AL, 3 NL)
No full voting results

Baltimore Orioles – Adam Jones
Boston Red Sox – Dustin Pedroia
New York Yankees – Robinson Cano
Tampa Bay Rays – David Price
Toronto Blue Jays – Edwin Encarnacion

Chicago White Sox – Chris Sale
Cleveland Indians – Carlos Santana
Detroit Tigers – Miguel Cabrera
Kansas City Royals – Alex Gordon
Minnesota Twins – Joe Mauer

Los Angeles Angels – Mike Trout
Oakland Athletics – Josh Reddick
Texas Rangers – Adrian Beltre
Seattle Mariners - Felix Hernandez

Atlanta Braves – Jason Heyward
Florida Marlins – Giancarlo Stanton
New York Mets – David Wright
Philadelphia Phillies – Cole Hamels
Washington Nationals – Gio Gonzalez

Chicago Cubs – Starlin Castro/Alfonso Soriano
Cincinnati Reds - Joey Votto
Houston Astros – Lucas Harrell
Milwaukee Brewers – Ryan Braun
Pittsburgh Pirates - Andrew McCutchen
St. Louis Cardinals – Yadier Molina

Arizona Diamondbacks – Aaron Hill
Colorado Rockies – Dexter Fowler
Los Angeles Dodgers – Clayton Kershaw
San Diego Padres – Chase Headley
San Francisco Giants – Buster Posey

[filihok]

Rookie center fielder Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels took home the American League MVP award unanimously thanks to one of the greatest rookie seasons in history. He showed all five tools