By Ryne Sandberg, Yahoo! Sports
March 31, 2005
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I was fortunate enough to win the National League's Most Valuable Player award in 1984. It was an award that did not come easy. It required me to play at a higher level, and that effort, for the first time in my career, took a Cubs team to the postseason.
Consistency for a full season is very hard to come by. You have to stay healthy, you have to be consistent, and you have to produce on a daily basis. With all of the All-Star players in the league, to be singled out as the MVP was very gratifying to me. After winning an award like that, I felt I needed to maintain that type of contribution every year.
Here are my predictions for Major League Baseball's individual awards in 2005.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Most Valuable Player: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals.
It's his turn to be the MVP. He could be the NL's best hitter, and he's right in the middle of the NL's best lineup. He'll have guys ahead of him getting on base, and he'll have protection behind him. He's a hitter who can use the whole field as well as anybody. It seems like the league still doesn't know how to pitch him because he adjusts to everything that's thrown to him. To win this award, all he has to do is stay healthy.
Cy Young: Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs.
He's probably the most talented pitcher on a team that features Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. He was 16-8 with a 2.75 ERA last season, and he was Pitcher of the Month last September with a 4-0 record. He's a very intense pitcher but benefits from that intensity in the right way. He'll be asked to pick up the pitching staff early in the season with Prior out for two to three weeks.
Rookie of the Year: J.J. Hardy, Milwaukee Brewers.
The shortstop will get a lot of playing time on the Brewers, enabling him to gain experience and work on his game. He's known for his great defense. Offensively, he's a right-handed hitter who showed a lot of promise in the minors, but he will have to adapt to facing big-league pitching. Hardy might be the first of many Rookies of the Year for Milwaukee, which has Prince Fielder, a power-hitting first baseman, and Rickie Weeks, a promising second baseman, coming up through the system.
Manager of the Year: Willie Randolph, New York Mets.
In his rookie season as a manager, Randolph has an improved Mets team that has a lot of possibilities. He comes from a winning organization in the Bronx and that'll help his cause. Being a coach under Joe Torre the last few years with the Yankees definitely will be a plus for Randolph. I think he knows how to perform and survive on New York's stage.
Comeback Player of the Year: Troy Glaus, Arizona Diamondbacks.
He brings a much-needed power bat to the Diamondbacks' lineup. He's surrounded by Luis Gonzalez and Shawn Green in the order, so I think he can get back to 35 to 40 home runs this season playing at Bank One Ballpark, where hitters seem to see the ball well. All of this is under the assumption that he can stay healthy for the entire season, and I think he will.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Most Valuable Player: Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox.
Coming off a world championship season, there'll be less pressure on Ramirez. He's playing on a good team that has a chance to win again, and he has good protection in the lineup in David Ortiz. He has developed a good eye at the plate, taking more walks, and he uses all fields, especially left field and the Green Monster at Fenway Park.
Cy Young: Randy Johnson, New York Yankees.
He pitched good enough to win the Cy Young last year in the NL, but he was playing on a bad Arizona Diamondbacks team. Now he's on a great Yankees team that a lot of people are picking to go to the World Series. Johnson has great presence on the mound, and I think that he's excited being in New York and pitching against his former teammate Curt Schilling in the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry. He didn't get off to such a good start handling the New York media, but I think he knew what he was getting into when he signed with the Yanks. His fastball and slider will make more favorable headlines.
Rookie of the Year: Nick Swisher, Oakland Athletics.
The outfielder is a good left-handed hitter. He'll have a chance to play every day with no pressure on a team that isn't supposed to win this year. He'll have plenty of at-bats to find his hitting stroke in the major leagues. Last year, he had good power numbers in Triple-A, and the A's expect to get a solid average, home runs and RBIs from this young slugger.
Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
He's managing a very good team that has a chance to go far in the postseason. He won a world championship three seasons ago when he won his first Manager of the Year award. He's an experienced manager who knows the league and has all the pieces in place for his team to win its division and make a run for the World Series. If the Angels have a stellar season and go into the playoffs as one of the favorites, people will look at him as the league's best manager.
Comeback Player of the Year: Jason Giambi, New York Yankees.
He goes into the season healthy and possibly has a lot of things off his mind. He's on a good team with a big contract, and I know he'll want to get back to his old All-Star and MVP form this season. I think the fans will allow him a chance to do that since he came clean about his steroid use (which he reportedly told a grand jury in 2003). He could hit 35 to 40 home runs with 90-plus RBIs.
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