Wednesday, June 3, 2009

From Worst to First: Last-Place Ballclubs Take Home MVP; Also, Shea, Pena Win Second Cy Young

By KYLE KEOUGH
DOUBLE DAY DAILY

In rather belated news, a pair of players on last-place teams (which, as a disclaimer, also happened to be rather good teams stranded in Double Day's two most competitive divisions) have won the AL and NL Most Valuable Player awards.

Lefty Moore, the oft-chronicled wunderkind of the Seminoles (82-80), dispatched of frontrunner Vic Silva with 18 first-place votes.

The surprising Albert O'Brien similarly routed the AL voting ballots, taking home 17 first-place votes. O'Brien (.300, 53 HR, 153 RBI) was perhaps the biggest reason why the New York Highlanders (86-76) enjoyed their best season to date.

Bruce Shea (16 votes) edged out Cristobal Velasquez (10 votes) to win his second American League Cy Young award in one of the ballot's most competitive categories. Likewise, Shea wasn't the only second-timer, as Rafael Pena, coming off a 17-2 mark with a 1.80 ERA, won his second-straight NL Cy Young. In two seasons, Pena is now 35-4 with a 1.78 ERA.

Moore, the expected NL Rookie of the Year, was joined by Charlie Hitchcock and his 16 wins for the Salt Lake City Trappers, as the two Rookies of the Year.

And Raul Barajas, who went 46-for-50 in save opportunities on the season for the Montreal Shamrocks, took AL Fireman of the Year. Diego Sosa's 42-for-47 save season likewise earned him NL Fireman of the Year for the Wichita White Stockings.

Congratulations to all of the year's award winners, and their respective owners.

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