First Wave of Awards Finalists Announced

By KYLE KEOUGH
Double Day AP

The Double Day league office announced recently preliminary Awards Finalists for the end-of-the-year awards. Leading the balloting is the team with the best record in the league, Durham.

The Tobacconists currently have both the top two NL Most Valuable Player choices--Dan Hudler and Keith Lee--as well as the top two NL Cy Young choices in Rafael Mercado and Rafael Pena.

In the AL, the picture is more clouded, with four players from Boston and Albuquerque dominating the Most Valuable Player finalists. Spike Logan from Albuquerque is the current favorite, with Philip Maxwell, last season's winner with Montreal, currently fifth in balloting.

Joining them are Beaneaters Jocko Sexson (second) and Philip Parrish (third), who, ironically enough, endured an offseason migration which began in Albuquerque and ended in Boston.

In the NL, the most shocking omission for Most Valuable Player was Louisville's Les Cloud, who is instead only currently balloted for NL Rookie of the Year. Instead, Fritz Neugebauer (Oakland) makes a return appearance to the finalists' list, and joining him is All-Star game MVP Derek McDermott (Chicago) and Rico Mateo of the Toledo Maumees.

And now, let's beak down the awards finalists, starting in the AL:

AL Fireman of the Year Award:
1. Christopher Champion (Huntington): 33 Saves, 2.50 ERA, .210 OAV
2. Larry Hart (Philadelphia): 31 Saves, 3.82 ERA, .226 OAV
3. Teddy Collier (El Paso): 30 for 35 in Saves, 4.31 ERA, 1.34 WHIP
4. Shooter Johnson (Anaheim): 24 for 25 in Saves, 2.90 ERA, 4 HR allowed
5. Ichiro Suzuki (St. Louis): 28 for 33 in Saves, 1.98 ERA, .210

Chris Champion appears to be on the inside track for AL Fireman of the Year, the only main award not voted upon. Larry Hart has been solid, whereas Collier has rebounded from a slow start, but Champion leads the AL in saves. Shooter Johnson has only one blown saves on the season, and Ichiro Suzuki, the surprising rookie from St. Louis, posts the lowest ERA of the bunch.

Prediction: Christopher Champion over Ichiro Suzuki

AL Rookie of the Year Award:
1. Ichiro Suzuki (St. Louis): 28 for 33 in Saves, 1.98 ERA, .210
2. Abraham Inge (Huntington): .286, 30 HR, 84 RBI
3. Vic Moya (New York): .290, 27 SB, 90 R
4. Dingo Randall (New York) : .319, 17 HR, 88 RBI
5. Robinson Dreifort (New York) 13-6, 4.57 ERA, 132 SO

Suzuki currently leads a loaded race for AL Rookie of the Year. Inge, the preseason favorite, has looked mortal at times in his first Major League season. And a trio of New Yorkers--as, if I might remind you, this columnist successfully predicted just 36 hours ago--rank among the top five. Speedy leadoff man Moya, middle-of-the-order hitter Randall, and ace Dreifort have all had tremendous first efforts for the Highlanders.

Prediction: Abraham Inge over Ichiro Suzuki

AL Cy Young Award:
1. Cory Glynn (St. Louis): 16-6, 2.43 ERA, .216 OAV
2. Tom Lofton (Jackson): 14-6, 2.31 ERA, 0.95 WHIP
3. Christopher Champion (Huntington) 33 Saves, 2.50 ERA, .210 OAV
4. Darron Becker (Boston): 14-4, 4.22 ERA, .273 OAV
5. John Nakamura (Boston): 13-4, 3.92 ERA, .259 OAV

Starters Glynn and Lofton lead the race for AL Cy Young. Glynn has 16 wins and a 2.43 ERA; Lofton's 2.31 ERA has earned him 14 wins. Fireman of the Year finalist Chris Champion is also being recognized on the balloting for Cy Young, and a pair of Boston hurlers--Darron Becker and John Nakamura--make for surprising additions.

Prediction: Cory Glynn over Tom Lofton

AL Most Valuable Player Award:

1. Spike Logan, Albuquerque Dukes:
109 Runs | 178 Hits | 29 Doubles | 34 HR | 103 RBI | 66:48 BB:K | 17 SB | .376 AVG | 1.105 OPS

Logan has been the definition of a consummate complete player for the Albuquerque Dukes this season. His .376 average leads finalists; he gets on base at an extremely high rate; he's one of the best run-scorers in the ML, with serious power to boot. Everything the Dukes needed in Maxwell's supposed Robin to his Batman, Logan has been.

2. Jocko Sexson, Boston Beaneaters:
111 Runs | 169 Hits | 30 Doubles | 41 HR | 109 RBI | 45:109 BB:K | 23 SB | .328 AVG | 1.026 OPS

Sexson has been a production machine and a breakout player for the Beaneaters, who are just one win behind their total from last season (78-48; 79-83 in season two) with over a month to go. Sandwiched between Parrish and season two AL Rookie of the Year Oswaldo Navarro, Sexson has become one of the AL's most dynamic offensive players.

3. Philip Parrish, Boston Beaneaters:
112 Runs | 134 Hits | 23 Doubles | 43 HR | 98 RBI | 37:39 BB:K | 20 SB | .307 AVG | 1.059 OPS

Parrish has perhaps the best per-game statline, considering he leads the ML with 112 Runs in only 99 games played. He hardly strikes out, is a rare slugger for a leadoff hitter, and is one of the best Triples hitters in Double Day. However, he will likely appear in only 120-130 games this season.

4. William Webster, St. Louis Maroons:
101 Runs | 147 Hits | 37 Doubles | 18 HR | 59 RBI | 43:111 BB:K | 68 SB | .298 AVG | .872 OPS

Webster is a surprise edition to the finalist balloting, but his remarkable season as a leadoff hitter could perhaps sway voters if he leads the Maroons to a division title or a Wild Card slot, considering Webster doesn't play on a high-powered offense like the other current finalists. A supreme base-stealer, Webster has raised his OBP to a respectable level and is a great extra-base hitter; he creates offense for the Maroons.

5. Philip Maxwell, Albuquerque Dukes:
102 Runs | 160 Hits | 22 Doubles | 47 HR | 123 RBI | 49:49 BB:K | 9 SB | .342 AVG | 1.104 OPS

Maxwell, the reigning Most Valuable Player, is almost a shoe-in to move up the board as the season continues. He is perhaps even better than his MVP campaign of season two; he continues to rarely strike out, hit for power and average, and has set a career high in stolen bases already. Fatigue could play a role in how much action he sees down the stretch, but Maxwell seems prepared to play almost every day for the Dukes.

Prediction: Philip Maxwell over Jocko Sexson. The #1 seed in the AL might get a leg up in the MVP balloting, but as of now, Maxwell's production as a power hitter trumps the field. His reign as MVP will also be present in voters' minds; it is possible that Parrish and Sexson will split votes, but Sexson, who will likely see more games, will probably have the edge. Voters could be swayed towards Spike Logan if he breaks the single-season record for batting average, and Webster remains a wild card for MVP IF the Maroons make the postseason. Voters might see Webster, who is having a career year, as more valuable to the Maroons' offense than the other four hitters are to theirs, which have far more firepower. If voters decide that Albuquerque or Boston would still be contenders without any one of the players in the running, then Webster could garner support.