So there was this guy once, and he pitched so well they named an award after him.

So let’s talk about the Cy Young Award in the American League for a bit here.

The three nominees on the junior circuit this season are people whose names are frequently bandied about when it comes to this award – although only one of them has won it before. Whether that man, Justin Verlander, will win the award again this season remains to be seen, as he’s got some awfully good competition.

That being said, however, let’s look at Verlander first, as he’s the reigning champion.

Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers: Verlander is a perennial Cy Young candidate due to being insanely good at baseball. The man seriously knows how to pitch. This year was no different – he went 17-8 with a 2.64 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He started 33 games and finished 6 of them, with one of those being a shutout. He walked 239 whilst only walking 60 over his 238.1 innings pitched.

Basically, Justin Verlander is a good pitcher. We know this, so the BBWAA decided that he should be a finalist, which happens nearly every year anyway. Somehow, he’s only won once, which was last year. This is because he’s often up against competition like this…

David Price, Tampa Bay Rays: Price is stiff competition. Over 211 innings he racked up 205 strikeouts whilst walking 59 batters and ended the year with a 2.56 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He started 31 games, completing two of them (with one shutout), pitching his way to a 20-5 record over 211 innings.

This may surprise you, but Price has never won the Cy Young before even though he’s now been around for a few years and has pitched well for pretty much all of them. He has a pretty good chance of winning this season, however, since he measures up well enough to Verlander. (Really, that’s how to win the Cy Young if Verlander is nominated – you have to basically equal him or beat him. There’s no option for not being as good.)

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: The dark horse candidate of sorts, namely because not too many people pay attention to the Angels on the East Coast and there’s this apocryphal thing called East Coast Bias which might actually be real. Weaver, too, went 20-5 this season, notching an ERA of 2.81, a WHIP of 1.02, and 142 strikeouts. He walked 45 batters over the 30 games he started, completing 3 of those games (2 shutouts). He totaled 188.1 innings pitched, which is the smallest amount out of the three nominees this season – but it puts his numbers in perspective, making him a strong candidate as well.

This race is pretty tight – there’s no clear winner yet. You’ll just have to wait and see when the Cy Young Awards are announced at 6 pm tonight!

Angels ace Jered Weaver threw the tenth no-hitter in franchise history this evening, in a 9-0 victory over the Twins.

He was actually just two baserunners away from a perfect game. Chris Parmelee reached base on a dropped third strike by catcher Chris Iannetta in the second, and Josh Willingham drew a walk in the seventh. Otherwise, Weaver dominated the Minnesota lineup, striking out nine.

Weaver got some help from his teammates, both on defense and in the form of a pair of home runs from Kendrys Morales and Howie Kendrick.

Congratulations to Weaver on his first career no-hitter, and to Angels fans!

In less that two weeks, the long-awaited spring will be over! But for now, teams are really starting to shape up, find a rhythm, and get a sense for what they have to work with. Here’s what people were saying this week.

Angels

You may have heard that this new guy Albert Pujols is supposed to be pretty good. But he’s not the only one — the Halos are dripping in young talent, and they’re well aware of just how the newbies could impact their club.

You also might have heard something about C.J. Wilson. No, I’m not talking about his funny-but-not-funny “prank” on former teammate Mike Napoli! I’m talking about his game, and how good he’s looked this spring. But, so has Jered Weaver who is pretty good in his own right!

The reports have been pretty clear. The Angels are built to impress on the field in 2012. But it’s guys like veteran Tori Hunter who are most impressive in the clubhouse. Even in a contract year, Hunter is focused on one thing only: winning.

Brewers

Ryan Braun hasn’t exactly has it easy this spring. This week it was made know that he’s been struggling with a groin injury, on top of the overturned suspension earlier in the spring. And manager Ron Roenicke doesn’t think it’s quite over yet, saying his MVP is going to have a “hard season.” » Continue reading “Weekly Wrap Up: Teams Developing Identities”

‘Twas the week after Christmas and all through the land,
Not a deal was breaking, not much news to be had.

But the players were working, some in the gym,
Some hanging with family, some playing with friends.

All celebrations, filled with good cheer
And memories to cherish, year after year.

(And now, in a nutshell, we’ve brought them right here!)

Angels

Jered Weaver has had quite the off season thus far. An extension to his contract, a wedding to his long-time girlfriend, and a duo-of-the-century signing in Anaheim. But he did take time to celebrate the holidays.

• His family fixin’s are pretty standard — turkey, ham, stuffing.
• He told 180 kids at Disney’s ESPN Zone that he didn’t need a Christmas gift — he already got Pujols and Wilson.
• Oh, and he thinks the Angels’ rotation is now comparable to any starting five in baseball. Do you agree?

Indians

Rookie reliever Vinnie Pestano shared some details about his new place in Arizona, Christmas memories, and what was on his wish list this year.

The highlights:

• His version of holiday decorations involve light-up penguins (that stay up year-round!),
• He can name seven of Santa’s reindeer.
• He doesn’t have a blender … or didn’t. Maybe we should follow up on that Christmas list.

Diamondbacks

Daniel Hudson also got married this November (that seems a popular month for baseball player weddings!). While he’s back to working out regularly, Hudson has had time to build a wishlist of his own for 2012.

• Better first innings
• Better two-strike pitches
• Better than a first-round playoff appearance

Just over two weeks ago, the Texas Rangers had a commanding 6-game lead in the AL’s Western division. At this point in the season, being six games out feels pretty good. But thanks to the pesky LA Angels, no lead feels safe.

These Angels don’t lead the league in a single offensive category. In fact, 6th is the closest they get in a few places.  But take a look at their pitching stats and it’s no surprise they’re making the Rangers sweat a little bit.

A 3.62 team ERA is complimented by 11 complete games. They’re the number three team in getting their opponent to ground into double plays, and their creeping toward the leaders in earned runs allowed. Of course, this is all highlighted by Ervin Santana’s no-hitter back on July 27.

Even Joel Pinero is getting in on the stellar starting action for the Angels. Photo by Flicker user Keith Allison

These days, it’s the starting pitching getting some attention. Haren, Weaver, Santana, Pinero … they’re all doing their thing without a lot of spectacle attached. Closer Jordan Walden is approaching 30 saves. Reliever Scott Downs is having the year of his baseball career with an ERA of just 1.37.

Pitching keeps struggling teams alive. The Angels have struggled this year. They were nearly demoralized by the injury bug early on, struggling at times to even field a healthy team. But with guys like 20-year-old Mike Trout healthy and giving their all, things have started to look up.

Tori Hunter, of course, isn’t a bad mentor for young Trout. And that opportunity doesn’t go unnoticed by the young Angel.

“Tori came right up and had a big talk with me. He said that anything I needed, just ask him — anytime. It seems like every inning, almost every pitch, I’m next to him, asking questions. And he’s giving me the right answers.”

Answers that are turning him into an every day player. Answers that are helping his team make a late run at the guys ahead of them in the West. » Continue reading “Angels Making Miracles In LA”

AL West Standings as 8-19-11

Things are getting interesting in the AL West so let’s take a look at what’s been happening, shall we?

Last night, the first place Texas Rangers (72-53) and second place Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (66-59) played the final game of a four series. After the Rangers took the first three games, the Angels won the finale on a dramatic walk off home run by rookie Mark Trumbo.

The win was as big as it was dramatic because instead of ending the series eight games out of first place the Angels are now a more manageable six game off the lead. And with only six weeks left in the season, the Angels showed that they are not dead yet.

» Continue reading “A Glance Out West: American League Style”