Pete Paguaga, Sports Editor:
With the MLB season starting last week, predictions are always appropriate and appreciated by baseball fans. So with that in mind, I will give you guys my predictions for AL and NL MVP as well as AL and NL Cy Young award winners.
AL MVP – Robinson Cano
I have no doubt that Cano will be able to match and surpass the numbers he put up last season. Last season, Cano saw some time in the clean up spot for the Yankees, because of Alex Rodriguez’s injury, and he flourished. Another reason why it will be Cano is because he plays at Yankee Stadium where even I think I could put one out in right field, and he will bat fifth behind Mark Teixeira and Rodriguez. Who are you going to pitch around? You can’t pitch around all three of them. Cano also has showed that he is maturing on and off the baseball field, if he wants the MVP there shouldn’t be any reason he doesn’t win it.
NL MVP – Albert Pujols
Pujols is in a contract year, and basing this off previous players, players perform better in their contract year. Pujols, year in and year out since his rookie season, has hit over 30 homeruns and 100 RBIs in a season. And with his contract up at the end of the year, he will force the Cardinals to open their checkbooks and, in the words of fictional character Rod Tidwell, “SHOW ME THE MONEY!”
AL Cy Young – Trevor Cahill
Who? You might ask. The guy that won 18 games for the A’s last season, yea that guy. He is only 23 years old, which means he is going to get better, and he already is the A’s ace. And with the voters for the award, voting for guys who don’t get run support and have good ERAs, he is right up their alley. Billy Beane knows how to draft or trade for young arms. Think Zito, Hudson, Mulder, Haren, Harang, Harden; all guys Beane drafted or traded for, who made their name with the A’s, and Cahill will follow in their footsteps.
NL Cy Young – Tim Lincecum
The NL Cy Young award winner will not be any of the Big Four pitchers on the Phillies. The guy that will win the award will be, for the third time, Tim Lincecum. The Freak, as he is called, is, well, a freak, and this season won’t be any different. Lincecum slowed down a bit last season, but was back at it dominating hitters during the playoffs. Lincecum is one of the, if not the best and most dominate pitchers in baseball for the last three years. And for a second year in a row, will have a good time around him, scoring runs and earning more wins to top his ridiculous strikeout totals.