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San Jose completed a dominate run through the playoffs by sweeping AL powerhouse Richmond to take home the franchise's first World Series title. San Jose went 11-1 in the playoffs, suffering only a single loss in the NLCS to Trenton on their way to the crown. Solid all-around offense and tremendous pitching was the key to their postseason success. The pitching staff posted a 2.41 ERA in the playoffs, led by all-time Cobb ERA leader Al Osoria, who gave up only a single run in 4 starts. Hats off to tomcecil on leading his team to one of the most dominant playoff runs in recent Cobb history.
Now, let's take a look at this season's major award winners!
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
American League - Parker Counsell, Salt Lake City - .278 AVG 51 HR 151 RBI 40 SB
The 22 year-old phenom out of SLC took home the AL MVP trophy by a single vote. Counsell has a rare combination of power, speed and baserunning prowess that you don't see too often, that enabled him to put together a 50/40 season on his way to an AL MVP win. He also won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award and also made the All-Star team. Counsell is a rare talent, and should be in the conversation for MVP for many seasons to come.
National League - Julio Ogando, Chicago - .335 AVG 44 HR 129 RBI
The NL MVP race ended up being a blowout, with the 26 year-old Chicago Slugger, Ogando, winning in a landslide. Ogando had his best season yet, earning career highs in multiple categories to help lead Chicago to the NL's best record. Similar to his AL counterpart, Ogando also won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, and made the All-Star team. This is Ogando's first MVP win.
CY YOUNG AWARD
American League - Arismendy Trinidad, Seattle - 20-4 2.57 ERA 142 K
Similar to the MVP voting, the AL Cy Young Award was decided by a single vote and it was Seattle's Trinidad that came out on top. After coming over from Chicago two seasons again, Trinidad had made a home for himself in Seattle with back-to-back outstanding seasons. The righty from the Dominican doesn't throw a lot of heat, but knows how to get batters out with outstanding control and pitch command. This is Trinidad's first Cy Young win.
National League - Ismael Campos, Chicago - 22-5 3.22 ERA 206 K
The 22 year-old hard throwing righty out of Chicago edged out all-time ERA leader Osoria to bring him the Cy Young Award, his first win. After a solid rookie campaign, Campos came back for his 2nd season even better, anchoring Chicago's solid pitching staff that helped the team reach 103 wins. Campos has pretty outstanding ratings across the board, so he should be in contention to get a 2nd trophy, although the NL is filled with solid hurlers for sure. Campos also made the All-Star team this season.
That's a wrap for Season 42, thanks to all for playing, see you back soon for Season 43!
