From
Kevin Kennedy's blog:
Ryan Zimmerman, the Rookie of the Year third baseman for the Washington Nationals, is experiencing his first preseason caravan and enjoying it. Zimmerman hit .287 in 2006 with 20 homers and 110 runs batted in. That's what impressed me. It showed that he not only maximized his homers, but had other big hits as well. I've seen players hit 25 or 28 homers with only 72 or 76 RBIs to show for it.The nerve of them -- waiting until there are no runners on base to hit their HR so they get all the glory to themselves.
Not like good old Ryan, who "maximized" his homers -- like, I guess, he was allotted 20 homers at the beginning of the year and spent them wisely -- and "had other big hits." Not like those selfish other players who hit 28 homers and only have 76 RsBi. Those types are assholes. That's why they never get any RsBi -- they're dicks, and their teammates hate them, so their teammates deliberately fail to get on base for them, so they never get any RsBI chances.
It's a vicious cycle. Or maybe Kevin Kennedy's just a dummy.
Edit: He most certainly is, in fact, a dummy, as several people have already pointed out: Zimmerman lost the ROY voting to Hanley Ramirez.Labels: kevin kennedy, r.o.y. award, rbi
Come on, people. It's November 6. The hot stove is but a flickering pilot light. Pitchers and catchers don't report for three and a half months. But that doesn't mean we can't snarkily attack various baseball-inclined sportswriters! We can do this! Let's go!
For example. Who was the best rookie in the A.L. last year? Let's ask
Scott Miller of CBS SportsLine. I bet he has a good answer.
Huston Street, Oakland. His numbers were nearly impeccable -- 23 saves in 27 opportunities, a 1.72 ERA and a .194 opponents' batting average -- and there was enough buzz about him that I think he will win.I agree. He was great.
In my postseason awards column, I gave the nod to Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, based on the fact that he played every day, did a very good job and was one of the key reasons why the Yankees ended up winning another AL East crown. Keep an eye on Tampa Bay's Jonny Gomes, too.Oh boy.
In 522 AB, Cano walked 16 times. He had a .320 OBP, hitting for a lot of that time in the 2-hole. Yes, he scored 78 runs, with -- wait for it -- ARod, Sheffield, Matsui, Giambi, and Posada hitting behind him. His 34 doubles and 14 HR are nice, but it is a massive stretch to say that he was "one of the key reasons" the Yankees won the A.L. East. This is only true in as much as his very presence allowed Joe Torre finally to sit Tony Womack. (Of course, Torre did no such thing, moving Womack to CF and LF for way too many AB. Manager of the Year! Best Job He's Every Done!)
Now, let's take Scott Miller's advice and keep an eye on Jonny Gomes. Jonny Gomes struck out an absurd 113 times in 348 AB. Wow. What a terrible player...who also walked 39 times and hit 21 HR. 50% more HR than Cano in 174 fewer AB. His OBP was .372. His SLG was .534. He had straight-up better numbers than Robby Cano in 60% of the playing time.
Jonny Gomes's RC27: 6.93.
Robby Cano's RC27: 4.80.
Street is a great choice. Gomes is a great choice. Cano is not a good choice. (Not an indefensible choice, but not a good choice.)
See? We can still do this stuff in November! March on!
Labels: r.o.y. award, scott miller
