Spirit of St. Louis

More Sandberg: American League awards

In choosing this year's MVPs, I looked at many different factors. A lot had to do with where they ranked among the league leaders. Also, they had to be a well-rounded player and hit for power as well as average. The MVPs should also be on playoff-caliber teams.

When I won my NL MVP award in 1984, the entire year was a blur to me. I was still very young and just trying to gain acceptance within baseball. Hitting two home runs off Bruce Sutter on national TV in late June catapulted me into the spotlight. I was on a great team that got a lot of exposure, too.

That year, I only hit 19 home runs and drove in 84 runs (a small amount compared to today's numbers), but I led the league with 114 runs and 19 triples. I also batted a career-high .314.

MVP: Albert Pujols
It's about time this guy wins an MVP award. The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman has been one of baseball's most dominant hitters the last five years while improving his defense every season. Pujols is batting .330 with 39 home runs and 110 RBIs. Also, when Scott Rolen went down with a shoulder injury, Pujols picked up the slack for the Cardinals.

Cy Young: Chris Carpenter
The Cardinals right-hander ranks second in wins (21) and fourth in ERA (2.71), and is tied for first in complete games (seven) and tied for second in innings pitched (235⅔). It's surprising to me that he also has 207 strikeouts (third in the NL) because he's not that type of pitcher. He'll spot his fastball on the corners and change speeds as much as possible with sinkers down in the zone. Carpenter was impressive during a 13-game win streak from June 14 to Sept. 8, throwing at least seven innings and allowing fewer than three earned runs in every start.

Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox
There should no doubt who's the best manager in the majors. Cox won the franchise's 14th consecutive division crown, but this year was different with the Atlanta Braves. He has done it with a new core of players such as Jeff Francoeur, Brian McCann and Adam LaRoche. Chipper Jones was injured for parts of the year, but Cox found a way to keep his club focused on making the postseason.

Rookie of the Year: Jeff Francoeur
Even though he has played in just 68 games, he's still my choice. Francoeur ignited the Braves when they needed it, and he's currently batting .306 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs.

Comeback Player of the Year: Ken Griffey Jr.
He's currently injured, but Griffey improved dramatically in every offensive category. After playing just 83 games in 2004, Griffey played in 128 games this year while batting .301 (48 points higher than his 2004 total) with 35 home runs and 92 RBIs. If healthy, Griffey still has the ability to hit 40 home runs and drive in 100 runs, but I think it would have to be as a DH.