...we have reached the postseason(almost). Just one more game to play when Colorado hosts the San Diego Padres tomorrow for the final playoff spot. Some decisions for seasonal awards are clear. Alex Rodriguez is the A.L. MVP, but the N.L. still has to decide whether Jimmy Rollins or Matt Holliday played more of a role for their respective teams playoff sprints. The A.L. Cy Young will fall to the Red Sox ace Josh Beckett, but in this biased chronicler's eye the N.L. crown still resides in the Valley of the Sun. The leading candidates for Rookie of the Year in the Americal League this year were Dustin Pedroia from the Sox or Delmon Young of the Tampa bay Devil Rays. Why not throw a bone to the sunshine state. The ROY race in the N.L. is more intriguing than any other award choice this year. The early pick was Ryan Braun(and early I mean after the All-Star break)who blasted on the scene on May 25th and ended the season with 34 longballs. His .324 average and 98 RBIs also blinded most folks from even looking elsewhere when asked about rising rookies. While just a little further out West the Rockies youth movement began to return dividends in a big way. Troy Tulowitzki began the season as the captain of the infield for the Blake Street Bombers(Yes we can dust off that moniker again) and after answering the bell for 154 of a possible 162 games it's clear the Rockies have that position filled for the better part of the next decade. Tulo's final numbers came in at .287, 24 HR, 98 RBIs and 101 Runs scored. It's true that Braun played in 41 less games and had almost 150 less at-bats, but there are other numbers that can jump out at you. Tulo played in 1,362 innings at SS with only 11 errors for a .987 fielding %. Braun got his 945 innings at 3rd base with 26 errors for a .894 fielding %. Either choice is going to be the right one. Since I ended up scoring a foul ball off Tulowitzki's bat in an early season game at PacBell Park this year I am pulling for the kid from the Rocky Mountains.
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