The awards season is over - How did I do?

<div style="text-align: justify;">Now that the MVPs have been announced and Twitter has been through a day of name-calling ("Stupid" and "Moron" the most common), we have our full slate of awards for the season. I wanted to take a second to look back at my choices and see how I came out next to the BBWAA and the BBA. So I took a look at <a href="http://passion4baseball.blogspot.com/2013/10/bba-post-season-awards-2013.html" target="_blank">my picks</a> and all in all, there was not a whole lot of disagreement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="http://baseballbloggersalliance.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">BBA</a> differed from the BBWAA in two areas. The BBA had <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=farrejo03,farrejo02,farrel010joh&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">John Farrell</a></strong> for its best manager in the American League for 2013 and had <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/troutmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Mike Trout</a></strong> as the best player in the American League. I differed from both organizations on two accounts each, which is sort of weird.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/puigya01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Yasiel Puig</a></strong> as my rookie in the National League and I had Mike Trout as the best AL player. But my manager picks both agreed with the BBWAA manager picks. Both the BBWAA and BBA had <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=fernajo01,fernajo02,fernan008jos,fernan015jos,fernan014jos&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Jose Fernandez</a></strong> as the NL's best rookie so there was a disconnect for me with both organizations. I differed on Trout with the BBWAA and on Farrell with the BBA.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There was some division caused by the NL rookie voting, but nothing like the vitriol caused by the Trout versus <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cabremi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Miguel Cabrera</a></strong> camps. The passion displayed by both sides is really heated and frankly, I find the name-calling distasteful. There is some disconnect out there on how to rate players that many have dubbed an old-school versus new-school debate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That is unfortunate because it is divisive. Yes, Trout has not received the ultimate recognition but he did win the Silver Slugger Award and came in second in the BBWAA voting, so that is hardly sheep dip. I believe he is the best player in the American League for the second season in a row. But the fact is that 99.8% of those who voted in either organization do so because they write about a sport they love. There are simply some who disagree on how to value players and what is important in doing so.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is one area of agreement and that is that Miguel Cabrera is the best offensive player of this generation. He might even be the best hitter I have seen in my lifetime. So the arguments have been about the best pure hitter in baseball versus the best all-around player in the game today. I worry a bit about Cabrera's rise in slugging since 2010 because of the times we live in and I have not forgotten his alcohol-related incidents earlier in his career. I still consider those egregious and thought he got a pass by baseball.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But those are side issues and do not take away the greatness of his offensive exploits. I find the argument an interesting one on how to value Cabrera versus Trout. I just hate the name calling.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We have our awards and we have our winners. They are etched in stone for the rest of baseball immortality. Debates about the winners have been going on forever. The tone is just different. I am glad my choices were made and stick with them and am somewhat pleased that I was dead on in most of them. Of course, neither the BBA or the BBWAA have come around to adopting the <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=meyerda02,meyerda01,meyer-004dan&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Dan Meyer</a></strong> and <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/davieky01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com" target="_blank">Kyle Davies</a></strong> Awards. That is there problem. Heh. </div>

The awards season is over - How did I do?

Now that the MVPs have been announced and Twitter has been through a day of name-calling ("Stupid" and "Moron" the most ...

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