[mikev]

2012 Regular Season Awards

So, we'll do an end of year award thingy I guess. I'm still a little on the fence about this team, it's a pretty solid mix of youth and a couple of key vets here and there, but the pitching was a big disappointment for me.

Hitter Of The Year



1B Jakob Forest

.309/.414/.550, 33 hr, 137 RBI (MBBA leader), 37 doubles, 105 walks, 76.1 VORP.
Pretty obvious choice here. Forest is the key to the offense, and it was no coincidence that his bad playoff series led to the team's early exit.

Pitcher Of The Year



Ken McKain

22-7, 2.37 ERA, 285 IP, 263 K, 53 BB, 1.02 WHIP, 79.9 VORP (MBBA leader)
Another easy choice. McKain anchored the California staff all season after injury took last year's ace Jorge Enriquez down a notch for most of the season. McKain should be getting a good amount of consideration for the Golden Arm award this year, but he's not quite a name as sexy as Ware, Hasegawa, or Arias.

Reliever Of The Year



Angel "Dog" Sandoval

7-5, 3.10 ERA, 3 SV, 104.2 IP, 85 K, 15 BB, 1.16 WHIP, 20.4 VORP

With the closer role on the team split between Jin and Vargas all season, Sandoval didn't complain and instead just went out and pitched over 100 innings and bridged the gap between the starters and the closing tandem with remarkable efficiency. The 24 year old is likely to get a pretty big pay raise via arbitration, and the team is planning on an long term extension during the offseason.

Rookie Of The Year



2B Robinson Leyva

.343/.370/.466, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 10 2B, 15 SB, 26.5 VORP

Leyva was called up shortly after the all star break, due to a career ending injury to incumbent second baseman Pedro Vargas. Leyva had spent most of the season in Triple A Oakland preparing to switch to third base, but plans changed and he was thrown into the fire at his natural position. He didn't disappoint, and would have finished second in the MBBA in hitting if he would have qualified. While losing Vargas hurt, Leyva softened the blow pretty significantly. Rumor has it that the team may even give him a Crusaders jersey for next season.

Biggest Surprise



OF Vincente Gonzalez

.310/.378/.477, 21 HR, 112 RBI, 34 2B, 65 BB, 52.0 VORP

Gonzalez, the 36 year old veteran brought in as a bit of a flyer, was nothing short of outstanding for the Crusaders. He provided stability in the lineup, protection for Jakob Forest, and was a legit power threat. For just a tick under $5M, he's got to be one of the highest ROI free agents from the last offseason.

Biggest Disappointment



SP Arturo Fernandez

11-9, 5.04 ERA, 24 GS, 168 IP, 106 K, 38 BB, -5.3 VORP

"Big Time" obviously did something to piss off the OOTP gods last offseason. After averaging about 240 innings of 3.40 ERA pitching for his first couple big league seasons, Fernandez lumped and regressed horribly to the point of being a fringe starter at best. His 3/4/4 talents are now 2/3/3, he lost velocity on his fastball, and basically just isn't good anymore. Thanks OOTP. I didn't need a 24 year old #2 starter or anything.

Season Review

I'm on the fence. I'm half tempted to tear **** down and start over. The minor league system is horrible, but I look at it and realize it's because all the youngsters are on the big league team. The infield ages are 24 (C), 30 (1B), 24 (2B), 26 (SS), and 35 (3B) with Gallegos at 3B the only guy past his prime. Mendez (31) and Takahashi (27) should be fine in the outfield for at least 2 or 3 more years, leaving just one starting OF slot to be filled by a free agent - and not even until 2014 because Gonzalez is signed through next year anyway.

With a ton of money available, I may just look to go for one or two big name free agents for short term deals and see where it takes me. Who knows. I'm just tired of making the playoffs and losing.