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Season 29 saw two first time World Series participants go head to head for the Cobb World Series title, which would give us our first new champion since season 22. In the end, it was Montreal who erased an early 2-0 deficit by winning the next 4 to take a tight World Series victory. Montreal battled through the playoffs playing 22 games out of a maximum of 24 as the #3 seed in the AL. Every series was close, but in the end they came through, thanks in large part to an offense that crushed 59 homers during the post season, and a pitching staff that held its own throughout. Fresno has a nice run as the #2 seed in the NL, winning a tight divisional series and then cruising through the NLCS. They gave Montreal a good battle, but in the end couldn't stop the powerful Montreal bats.
In other news, the Season 29 award winners were crowned and they are:
Most Valuable Player
American League - Orlando Gabriel, Durham - .353 AVG 24 HR 102 RBI 22 SB
At age 30, Gabriel had his best season yet and was rewarded with the Most Valuable Player award and his first Silver Slugger award. Gabriel sported a stellar .443 OBP to go along with his .353 AVG and slugged an impressive .578. He topped his career best OPS by 168 points. If only he had been playing in Durham sooner, who knows what his career numbers would look like.
National League - Keith Wilkins, Omaha -.337 AVG 36 HR 104 RBI 25 SB
Although Wilkins could not lead Omaha to a repeat championship, he gets the NL MVP as a consolation prize. He flat out crushed the ball this season in a pitcher's park, no less. Now if this guy was in Durham, the numbers would be down right scary. He still managed ridiculous numbers like .430 OBP and .658 SLG to take home his first MVP trophy. At age 27, it would be a surprise if Wilkins didn't rack up a few more MVPs before his career is done.
Cy Young Award
American League - Jamie Hayashi, Memphis - 2.18 ERA 17-4 146 K
Hayashi showed this season that he is an ageless wonder, taking home the Cy Young Award at age 37 with a stellar season for Memphis. This is his first AL Cy Young Award, however, it should be mentioned that he took home 4 Cy Young Awards in the NL, now putting him amongst Cobb's all time greats with 5 Cy Young Awards. Hayashi is surely Hall of Fame bounds, although it looks like he still has a couple of good seasons left in the tank, and who knows, maybe a 6th Cy Young?
National League - Gil Elster, Charleston - 2.36 ERA 18-5 147 K
Elster took home the NL Cy Young Award, his first, in an extremely close race. It's hard to argue that he wasn't deserving though, with his microscopic ERA and WHIP and a great win-loss record. Elster is a crafty lefty who is only 26 years old, and looks to be a sure fire stud pitcher for the next several seasons. Certainly, he should contend for the Cy Young regularly for the foreseeable future.
That's a wrap on Season 29! Don't forget to renew your teams for next season to make it a quick rollover! Thanks to all the owners for another great season.
