In concordance with the Cooperative Cardinal Blogger Project (How about Cardinals Bloggers United, in the likeness of the soccer hooligan firms in England?), I am unveiling Rockin' the Red's winners of the 2007 Cardinal Blogger Award Ballot, which can be found here at C70 at the Bat. This first annual ballot was the brainchild of C70, who received the idea from his time at CardsClubhouse. The results of all the blogs will be posted at C70's place as well as here once all the votes are tallied. Special thanks to C70 for getting this all together; this won't be the last of the CCBP (or the CBU, or whatever you want to call it) - we have a few more ideas up our collective sleeve. So, without further ado, here it is:
1.) Cardinal Pitcher of the Year
The award goes to Adam Wainwright, who shouldered an entire pitching staff for the majority of the year. I don't think there's much debate over this one, but a case could be made for Jason Isringhausen. Adam had a 1.27 WPA (Win Probability Added) in 202 IP for 2007, the highest of the starters, but Izzy had a 2.75 WPA in 65.1 IP. While Izzy had the better year statistically, he did it in a position that historically has been overvalued. Wainwright was basically forced into the ace role and subsequently played like one - in the final two months of the season, Adam compiled a 2.53 ERA, 0.48 HR/9, and a 2.29 K/BB. In a year that had a revolving door of a 5th rotation spot, Adam brought stability and a glimmer of hope that we weren't wasting our time watching this team after all.
2.) Cardinal Player of the Year
As much of a down year as it was for Albert Pujols, there's no way El Hombre doesn't take home this award. The slugger easily had the highest VORP on the team in 2007, besting David Eckstein (20.7) and Chris Duncan (17.3) with a 72.1 total. Of course VORP doesn't tell all, but it gives us an accurate representation of how much he means to this team. By the way, in a down year Albert still posted the 9th highest VORP in the MLB. Not to mention defense - where Albert was named the best defender at his position.
3.) Game of the Year
I don't think there's any describing the feeling we all had when, on August 9th, Rick Ankiel homered in his first game. The fact that he did in his first game back and in Busch Stadium makes it that much more incredible. It's such a rare occurrence to see that I don't know if there will be ever be a moment as unique as that was.
4.) Cardinal Rookie of the Year
Oh how I envy the day I'll be able to write Colby Rasmus here, but for now Brendan Ryan wins virtually by default. Brendan had a stellar rookie campaign, but one can only wonder if he'll be able to replicate it over the course of a full season.
5.) Surprise of the Year
I'm going to go with a write-in ballot for this one -Dave Duncan's decision to insert Braden Looper into the starting rotation and the subsequent year Braden had. Maybe it's because of the predisposed attitude I had before the season began, but Braden's finish absolutely shocked me. Although the Walt Jocketty firing made me raise an eyebrow and La Russa's return proved equally captivating, Braden more than doubled his career high in innings pitched (175) in his age 32 season. Dave Duncan's hypothesis that Braden could be a serviceable starter left me gasping for air in Spring Training; however, Looper posted comparable numbers to ex-Card Jason Marquis and was a heck of a lot better than Jeff Weaver for significantly less cost. By the way, Bill James has Braden at a 3.98 ERA and a 4.35 FIP for 2008.
6.) Cardinal Blog of the Year
I don't know how much easier this pick can get, but Viva El Birdos takes home the award for best Cardinal blog. The amount of information, discussion, and analysis one can find there makes it the leader in the Cardinal Nation blogdome. Future Redbirds is a well-done and informed site as well, and Cardinals Diaspora deserves an honorable mention.
7.) Surprise Player of the Year
Rick Ankiel not only surprised us with his switch to the outfield, his unbelievable minor league stint, and his home run in his first game back with the Cardinals, but also by the fact that he continued to hit throughout the rest of the year. His emergence placed him fifth among the Cardinals with a 10.9 VORP, and that was in limited playing time. Just look at Tony's reaction when Rick hit that first home run and you know Rick's play was something nobody was expecting. Aside from a stretch in mid-September (following reports of HGH), Rick was a monster at the plate and in the field, displaying phenomenal power and excellent defense. He definitely needs to work on plate discipline, but he has the tools to be an above-average outfielder. Ryan Franklin deserves some mention as well.
8.) Disappointing Player of the Year
Although Anthony Reyes was a letdown after a terrific World Series showing, nobody disappointed me more than Adam Kennedy. Kennedy was recruited to be the solution to a revolving door problem at second base, and the signing earned my applause as well as the applause of many in Cardinal Nation. It's not so much that he had a bad year - which he definitely did - but rather it was the fact that he was supposed to complete this offense and horribly failed to do so. Kennedy was, in fact, the least valuable player on the team. His -2.06 WPA meant that he actually made the team worse by being on it. A far cry from solving second base.
9.) New Cardinal Acquisition of the Year
Joel Pineiro and Todd Wellemeyer are the only real candidates for this award, and I'm going to go with Joel Pineiro ever-so-slightly ahead of Todd. Wellemeyer compiled a 3.11 ERA with the Cardinals in 63.2 innings pitched but had a flukishly low .259 BABIP. Joel had a 3.96 ERA in exactly the same number of innings with the Cardinals and has more potential to improve on that, in my opinion. Pineiro has had some great seasons in the American League, and his success with the Cardinals hinted that he still has those abilities in him. Both Todd and Joel should be important parts of the pitching staff, and I'm beginning to think that Wellemeyer should be given a shot to start again.
10.) Most Anticipated Cardinal
While there are several "baby birds" that I am anxious to see given a shot, none are of the caliber and potential of Colby Rasmus. Really, if he's not the most anticipated Cardinal then this organization is toast come 2009. I can't wait to see him with the big boys.
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