2003 MLB Awards -- My picks

These are my picks for Major League Baseball's major post-season awards.

When making my selections, I used a stat called Win Shares (WS), which most of you probably know about.

For those of you who don't, Bill James invented Win Shares, which are essentially "wins created."

One Win Share is equal to precisely one-third of a win.

James dedicated a whole book to the subject and explains the Win Shares method in detail in that book.

You also can find info on Win Shares on the Internet.

You all probably know about other stats I used, so onto the picks.

AL MVP

1. Carlos Delgado, Toronto 2. Alex Rodriguez, Texas 3. Manny Ramirez, Boston

Delgado and Rodriguez tied for the league lead with 32 WS. I give Delgado a slight edge because he had a higher OPS (1.019 to A-Rod's .995) in a tougher hitter's park. Ramirez finished with 28 WS and led the league's best offense and one of the best in history.

NL MVP

1. Barry Bonds, San Francisco 2. Albert Pujols, St. Louis 3. Gary Sheffield, Atlanta

Bonds and Pujols were almost exactly equal. Bonds had 39 WS to Pujols's 41. Bonds missed some time because of his father's illness and death, but led the majors in OPS by a large margin despite playing in one of baseball's most favorable parks for pitchers. Bonds also hit 45 homers despite missing all the time he missed and all the walks he received. Pujols's numbers are remarkable, but I think Bonds's are more remarkable with a closer look. Sheffield, like Manny Ramirez, led the league's best offense. Perhaps the most remarkable stat for a MVP candidate: Gary Sheffield quietly stole 18 bases.

AL Cy Young

1. Roy Halladay, Toronto 2. Esteban Loaiza, Chicago 3. Tim Hudson, Oakland

Halladay won 15 games in a row for a non-contending team. He threw about 20 more innings than Hudson and 40 more than Loaiza. Halladay's ERA wasn't as low, but his strikeouts were right with Loaiza's (204 for Halladay and 207 for Loaiza). Hudson's ERA was lower than Halladay's or Loaiza's but he pitched his home games in a very good park for pitchers. Still, he gets credit for going 16-7 with 162 strikeouts and 240 innings.

NL Cy Young

1. Eric Gagne, Los Angeles 2. Mark Prior, Chicago 3. Jason Schmidt, San Francisco

What's better: a dominant relief ace or a great starter? We'll find out what the voters think soon enough. The Win Shares system says Gagne was the most valuable pitcher in the league. I tend to agree. Sure, Gagne only threw 82.1 innings to Prior's 211.1, but Gagne was nearly unhittable and didn't blow a save all season (except for the All-Star Game and that obviously didn't matter to the Marlins). Gagne struck out 137 hitters in only 82.1 innings! I give Prior the edge of Schmidt because of his edge in strikeouts and innings. Plus Prior won one more game than Schmidt.

AL Rookie of the Year

1. Angel Berroa, Kansas City 2. Hideki Matsui, New York 3. Jody Gerut, Cleveland

Matsui had more WS, but Berroa played a tougher position. And, while I think Matsui should be eligible for the ROY, I do think his career in Japan should be taken into account when voting. Berroa's numbers look better when taking Matsui's experience into consideration. That said, Matsui was awesome and deserves to finish second. Jody Gerut was solid, leading all AL rookies in OPS, but didn't play in enough games to be as valuable as Berroa or Matsui.

NL Rookie of the Year

1. Scott Podsednik, Milwaukee 2. Brandon Webb, Arizona 3. Dontrell Willis, Florida

This could be one of the closest Rookie of the Year races in history. Podsednik dominated with 22 WS to Webb's 17 and Willis's 14. Podsednik simply had more impressive stats, in my opinion, than Webb or Willis, so he deserves the award. His OPS was .822 and he hit .314 with 100 runs scored and 43 steals. Webb won "only" 10 games, but struck out 172 in 180.2 innings and had a 2.84 ERA. Willis won 14 games and that, along with his style and the attention he got during the season, will probably get him the award. He did post impressive numbers (a 3.30 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 160.2 innings), but I think Podsednik was the best rookie in baseball this season, and the Win Shares method agrees.