The journey through the National League has drawn to a close, and now the Cleveland Indians get back to playing their league-mates. From Houston they come to the Big Apple to face the New York Yankees, and boy do they have their work cut out for them. (more…)

In the past, I’ve been a strong proponent of people who vote for these kinds of awards making their choices public. This might not have been as serious as the real BBWAA awards, but the principle stands. So it’s only fair that I be upfront about how I cast my ballot. Here’s who I voted for and why.

1. Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox. Crazy as it sounds, Papelbon has become one of the most underrated players in baseball. Lost in the madness of the Red Sox’ disappointing season was the fact that Papelbon had one of the best years of his career. Most will dismiss him for his superficial stats—his 31 saves and 2.94 ERA were the worst and second-worst of his career, respectively—but don’t forget he struck out over 12 strikeouts per nine innings while allowing only 1.4 BB/9. His 8.7 K/BB ratio was second in the league, and he finished first in all the major defense-neutral pitching stats, posting an insane 1.53 FIP and 1.58 SIERA. He also paced all AL relievers with 3.0 fWAR. (more…)