Now that Season 3 is in the books, it's time to hand out the awards! Here we go...
Position Player MVP: Cap Anson, Haymakers
In a crowded field, the captain stood out for his remarkable consistency. Anson led his team to a record 13 regular-season wins with stellar on-base skills, clutch game-winning hits during his team's hottest streak, and flawless defense at first base. It was a very close race, however, so I should give honorable mention to strong contenders like Nap Lajoie of the Blue Legs and Ed Delahanty, Hugh Duffy, and Buck Ewing of the Canaries.
Pitcher MVP: Tim Keefe, Canaries
Surprise! When I ran the numbers, I was astonished to find that the best season didn't belong to Old Hoss Radbourn, Cy Young, or Pud Galvin. It belonged to Tim Keefe. Young had the gaudy 5-1 record, Radbourn was the unquestioned ace of a lousy club, and Galvin bounced back to stardom after a rocky Season 2, but at the end of the day, Keefe provided the most value for his team in a season of quiet excellence.
Playoff MVP: Old Hoss Radbourn, Blue Legs
Thinking solely about the championship game, there were a lot of standout players. Deacon White had the big two-run homer -- easily the signature moment of this postseason -- but this iron-gloved slugger also committed two of the Haymakers' three playoff errors in the field. Cy Young, meanwhile, cruised through seven scoreless innings but gave up three runs in the eighth to make the game a lot closer than it should've been. I gave some consideration also to outfielder Joe Kelley, who had a couple base knocks and drove in a couple of runs, and I even looked strongly at the Legs' captain, Nap Lajoie, who had an astonishing four hits in the losing effort.
But which player was truly the most valuable in the postseason? The most impactful performance actually didn't occur in the championship game -- it was Radbourn's absolutely dominant complete-game victory in the play-in. No single player was more valuable to his team's success than Radbourn, who put the lowly Blue Legs on his back and carried them to the championship game. They ended up losing that game, of course, but they would not have gone as far as they did without the Old Hoss. So, for the first time in the short history of this league, the Playoff MVP award goes to a player whose team did not win the championship. I'm convinced it's the best choice.
Position Player MVP: Cap Anson, Haymakers
In a crowded field, the captain stood out for his remarkable consistency. Anson led his team to a record 13 regular-season wins with stellar on-base skills, clutch game-winning hits during his team's hottest streak, and flawless defense at first base. It was a very close race, however, so I should give honorable mention to strong contenders like Nap Lajoie of the Blue Legs and Ed Delahanty, Hugh Duffy, and Buck Ewing of the Canaries.
Pitcher MVP: Tim Keefe, Canaries
Surprise! When I ran the numbers, I was astonished to find that the best season didn't belong to Old Hoss Radbourn, Cy Young, or Pud Galvin. It belonged to Tim Keefe. Young had the gaudy 5-1 record, Radbourn was the unquestioned ace of a lousy club, and Galvin bounced back to stardom after a rocky Season 2, but at the end of the day, Keefe provided the most value for his team in a season of quiet excellence.
Playoff MVP: Old Hoss Radbourn, Blue Legs
Thinking solely about the championship game, there were a lot of standout players. Deacon White had the big two-run homer -- easily the signature moment of this postseason -- but this iron-gloved slugger also committed two of the Haymakers' three playoff errors in the field. Cy Young, meanwhile, cruised through seven scoreless innings but gave up three runs in the eighth to make the game a lot closer than it should've been. I gave some consideration also to outfielder Joe Kelley, who had a couple base knocks and drove in a couple of runs, and I even looked strongly at the Legs' captain, Nap Lajoie, who had an astonishing four hits in the losing effort.
But which player was truly the most valuable in the postseason? The most impactful performance actually didn't occur in the championship game -- it was Radbourn's absolutely dominant complete-game victory in the play-in. No single player was more valuable to his team's success than Radbourn, who put the lowly Blue Legs on his back and carried them to the championship game. They ended up losing that game, of course, but they would not have gone as far as they did without the Old Hoss. So, for the first time in the short history of this league, the Playoff MVP award goes to a player whose team did not win the championship. I'm convinced it's the best choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment