Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Season 34 Wrap Up - Atlanta wins again!

Atlanta
Atlanta Smackdown (NL)
Lightman
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Atlanta is your Season 34 champion!

Atlanta has done it again, winning another World Series crown in Season 34, making it 4 in 5 seasons.  In a rematch of the Season 32 World Series against Tacoma, Atlanta conquered the Jerry Gang once again in 5 games, after making it past Rochester and Chicago in the NL playoffs.  Atlanta's pitching led the way to another title, posting an impressive 2.93 playoff ERA with 4-time Cy Young winner Gill Cochrane shouldering the load making 6 of Atlanta's 13 playoff starts and posting a 4-1 record.  The offense was solid, led by youngster Miguel Infante who was clutch in the playoffs with a .500 AVG, 5 HR, 18 RBI and an OPS of 1.496.  Congratulations to Atlanta and Lightman on the World Series win.

Here's a look at Season 34's major award winners!

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
American League -  Santo Estrada, Montreal - .301 AVG 37 HR 115 RBI
In a tight AL MVP race, it was Estrada from Montreal who pulled out the win with an impressive stat line this past season.   The 30-year-old has put solid, consistent numbers throughout his career without many accolades before being awarded the AL MVP this season.  He also won his first Silver Slugger award and made his 3rd All-Star team in Season 34.

National League - Tony Koh, Omaha - .356 AVG 63 HR 169 RBI
Koh was the runaway winner of the NL MVP, and looking at his ridiculous stat line, it's easy to see why.  He not only won the NL triple crown, but led all of the Majors in Home Runs, RBI and Batting Average, a feat you don't see too often.  This is Koh's 3rd consecutive NL MVP win, further solidifying his place in Cobb history.  He also made his 10th All-Star team and won his 8th Silver Slugger award this season.  All we can say is, Wow!

CY YOUNG AWARD
American League - Pat Nakajima, Tacoma - 18-5 2.80 ERA 206 K
The staff ace of the AL Champion Tacoma Jerry Gang took home his 2nd AL Cy Young Award this past season, as he also won the trophy in Season 31.  In addition to the stat line noted above, he also posted a microscopic 0.96 WHIP.  Nakajima also made his 2nd All-Star team this season.  At just 25 years of age, Nakajima is sure to be a contender to keep racking up Cy Young awards for many seasons to come.

National League - Ivan Fernandez, Atlanta - 19-4 1.71 ERA 176 K
While not the dominant pitcher in Atlanta's latest World Series run, due to injury, Fernandez sure dominated the regular season in taking home his 1st Cy Young Award.  His 1.71 ERA is the 4th best in Cobb world history.  In a most epic season for Fernandez, he also made his 1st All-Star team, and perhaps more importantly, picked up his 2nd World Series ring.  Fernandez will be only 27 years old next season, so it will be interesting to see what else he will accomplish for a dominant Atlanta squad.

That concludes this season's wrap up!  Looking forward to a great Season 35 after a hopefully quick rollover!