NL Reliever of the Year

1) 47 Points-Jonathan Papelbon - (7, 4, 0 / 11 ballots)
2) 24 Points-Bruce Sutter - (3, 3, 0 / 6 ballots)
3) 18 Points-Koji Uehera - (0, 5, 3 / 8 ballots)
4) 13 Points-Rafael Betancourt - (2, 0, 3 / 5 ballots)
5) 6 Points-JJ Putz - (1, 0, 1 / 2 ballots)
6) 4 Points-Cla Meredith - (0, 1, 1 / 2 ballots)
7) 3 Points-Joe Berry - (0, 0, 3 / 3 ballots)
8) 1 Points-Armando Benitez - (0, 0, 1 / 1 ballots)
9) 1 Points-Red Ryan - (0, 0, 1 / 1 ballots)

Plenty of great seasons to choose from for the National League Reliever of the Year Award, but in the end, Albuquerque's Jonathan Papelbon was a step above the competition.  Pap's went 7-2, with a 1.44 ERA, 33 Saves, 0.93 WHIP, and a 1.75 RCERA in 62 IP.  He struck out 39 and walked 17.

In a distant second was Bruce Sutter who didn't have elite rate stats, but did pitch about twice as much as any other reliever and voters liked him for it.

AL Reliever of the Year

1) 50 Points-Dennis Eckersley - (9, 1, 2 / 12 ballots)
2) 26 Points-Jeff Zimmerman - (1, 7, 0 / 8 ballots)
3) 14 Points-Joaquin Benoit - (1, 2, 3 / 6 ballots)
4) 11 Points-Eric Gagne - (2, 0, 1 / 3 ballots)
5) 9 Points-Rob Murphy - (0, 2, 3 / 5 ballots)
6) 4 Points-Tug McGraw - (0, 1, 1 / 2 ballots)
7) 2 Points-Tony Watson - (0, 0, 2 / 2 ballots)
8) 1 Points-Bill Henry - (0, 0, 1 / 1 ballots)

In another walk away win, Ankhana's Dennis Eckersley wins the AL Reliever of the year award.  Eck was masterful not only in his rate stats, but racked up incredible counting stats for a reliever too.  He pitched 155 innings over 88 games, racked up 25 saves and 13 wins.  He also had a 1.74 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 1.60 RCERA, 1.38 ERA, and -35.2 RSAA.  His RSAA was better than any American League starter.

However, not all where that impressed as he was left off one ballot and also secured three third place votes.

Not to be overlooked was Jeff Zimmerman's incredible 1.01 ERA in 80 innings pitched.  His sabermetric stats didn't quite match up to Eckersley's, but voters recognized his brilliance and gave him second.

NL Cy Young Award

1) 65 Points-Pedro Martinez - (13, 0, 0 / 13 ballots)
2) 16 Points-Bill Bernhard - (0, 4, 4 / 8 ballots)
3) 10 Points-Christy Mathewson - (0, 3, 1 / 4 ballots)
4) 9 Points-Justin Verlander - (0, 2, 3 / 5 ballots)
5) 9 Points-Joe Wood - (0, 3, 0 / 3 ballots)
6) 5 Points-Walter Johnson - (0, 1, 2 / 3 ballots)
7) 3 Points-Noodles Hahn - (0, 1, 0 / 1 ballots)
8) 2 Points-Randy Jones - (0, 0, 2 / 2 ballots)

No surprises here as Pedro Martinez of Sparta likely put together the best season of all time for a starting pitcher.  Martinez's final line was a beauty:

21-6, 1.21 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 258 IP, 153 H, 276 K, 1.58 RCERA.

He basically led every stat category that holds much meaning:

• ERA
• W
• CG
• ShO
• K
• K/9
• K/BB
• WHIP
• Opp OPS
• RCERA
• CERA
• RSAA

Most of these were by very large margins.

AL Cy Young Award

1) 36 Points-Harvey Haddix - (6, 1, 3 / 10 ballots)
2) 30 Points-Brett Saberhagen - (4, 3, 1 / 8 ballots)
3) 18 Points-Dennis Eckersley - (3, 1, 0 / 4 ballots)
4) 11 Points-Chris Carpenter - (0, 2, 5 / 7 ballots)
5) 10 Points-Addie Joss - (0, 3, 1 / 4 ballots)
6)  7 Points-Mike Cuellar - (0, 2, 1 / 3 ballots)
7)  5 Points-Randy Johnson - (0, 1, 2 / 3 ballots)

In another close race, Harvey Haddix of Willets Point bests Brett Saberhagen.  Haddix appeared on more ballots and garnered more first place votes than Saberhagen so there is no controversy here.  Haddix went 17-5 with a 1.17 WHIP, 3.31 RCERA, -28.6 RSAA in 230 IP.  Haddix didn't lead the league in any one category, though, was 4th worst in home runs given up.  Voters seemingly respected the win total and he was the best with a high wins and good rate stats.

Also of note, reliever Dennis Eckersley stole some votes from Haddix and Sabe's, coming in third.

National League MVP

1) 45 Points-Babe Ruth - (7, 3, 1 / 11 ballots)
2) 44 Points-Ted Williams - (5, 6, 1 / 12 ballots)
3) 18 Points-Oscar Charleston - (1, 3, 4 / 8 ballots)
4) 6 Points-Tip O'Neill - (0, 1, 3 / 4 ballots)
5) 2 Points-Dan Brouthers - (0, 0, 2 / 2 ballots)
6) 1 Points-John McGraw - (0, 0, 1 / 1 ballots)
7) 1 Points-Mike Schmidt - (0, 0, 1 / 1 ballots)

It doesn't get any closer than that.  Babe Ruth of Flin Flon takes home the NL MVP hardware.  He was left off more ballots than send place finisher Ted Williams (Lakeview) but secured more first place votes than the Splendid Splinter to narrowly win.

Ruth was a powerhouse, batting .278 / .422 / .653 with a 1.076 OPS, 46 2B, 54 HR, 134 R, and 129 RBI.  Overall, he led the NL in ATB Value, ATB Value+, SLG, OPS, RC, RC/27, HR, EBH, TB, R, and RBI.  Not a bad year!

American League MVP

1) 51 Points-Lou Gehrig - (10, 0, 1 / 11 ballots)
2) 20 Points-Fred Dunlap - (2, 3, 1 / 6 ballots)
3) 16 Points-Ross Barnes - (0, 4, 4 / 8 ballots)
4) 9 Points-Rogers Hornsby - (1, 1, 1 / 3 ballots)
5) 7 Points-Barry Bonds - (0, 1, 4 / 5 ballots)
6) 4 Points-Bill Terry - (0, 1, 1 / 2 ballots)
7) 9 Points-George Brett - (0, 3, 0 / 3 ballots)
8) 1 Points-Willie Wells - (0, 0, 1 / 1 ballots)

Lou Gehrig of Ankhana handily wins the American League MVP.  The Designated Hitter was easily the best hitter in the league, batting .325 / .408 / .631 with a 1.039 OPS, 56 2B, 39 HR, 126 R, and 129 RBI.  He led the league in ATB Value +, SLG, OPS, RC, RC27, R, and RBI.

He was left off two ballots because he didn't play the field and some voters found that to be a differentiator for overall value.

Six of the remaining seven vote getters were infielders.  It doesn't mean anything, but found it interesting.

NL MVP Winner

1) 80 Points-Charleston, Oscar (SPB) - (16, 0, 0 / 16 ballots)
1) 24 Points-Griffey Jr, Ken (BS) - (1, 6, 1 / 8 ballots)
1) 18 Points-Mantle, Mickey (HH) - (0, 5, 3 / 8 ballots)
1) 13 Points-Barnes, Ross (DCC) - (0, 3, 4 / 7 ballots)
1) 11 Points-Gehrig, Lou (BS) - (0, 2, 5 / 7 ballots)
1) 3 Points-Mays, Willie (SM) - (0, 1, 0 / 1 ballots)
1) 2 Points-Vaughan, Arky (SM) - (0, 0, 2 / 2 ballots)
1) 1 Points-Lajoie, Nap (NFB) - (0, 0, 1 / 1 ballots)
1) 1 Points-Browning, Pete (NVB) - (0, 0, 1 / 1 ballots)

Well, to each his own.  Not Charleston winning, but the fact Charleston was left off 1 ballot completely.  Hard to believe but true.  Charleston won handily nonetheless, picking up 80 of a possible 85 points.

In second was Ken Griffey Jr who hung with Charleston for most of the 1st half before slowing down.  A third center fielder, Mickey Mantle, takes third as well.

AL Cy Young Award Winner

1) 85 Points-Maddux, Greg (SH) ---- (17, 0, 0 / 17 ballots)
2) 29 Points-Blanton, Cy (TWW) ---- (0, 7, 8 / 15 ballots)
3) 17 Points-Podres, Johnny (MRE) - (0, 3, 8 / 11 ballots)
4) 13 Points-Hubbell, Carl (TWW) -- (0, 4, 1 / 5 ballots)
5) 6 Points-Ryan, Red (WPM) ------- (0, 2, 0 / 2 ballots)
6) 3 Points-Jenks, Bobby (SH) ----- (0, 1, 0 / 1 ballots)

Maddux was the clear favorite coming in, and ATB owners didn't disappoint  naming the Hoplite starter on all 17 ballots.  The real race was for 2nd place and owners here too were clear, with Cy Blanton garnering the same number of 2nd place votes as the next two best candidates.

Relievers got there fair share in the AL too, with both Red Ryan and Bobby Jenks receiving 2nd place votes.

AL Reliever of the Year

Parentheses at end are (1st Place Votes, 2nd Place Votes, 3rd Place Votes / Total Ballots)

1) 70 Points-Eric Gagne, SH ---------(11, 5, 0 / 16 ballots)
2) 22 Points-Bobby Jenks, SH -------- (3, 1, 4 / 8 ballots)
3) 14 Points-Joaquin Benoit, WPM ---- (0, 3, 5 / 8 ballots)
4) 13 Points-Red Ryan, WPM ---------- (2, 1, 0 / 3 ballots)
5) 11 Points-Rafael Betancourt, PRL - (1, 2, 0 / 3 ballots)
6) 5 Points-Fernando Rodney, MRE ---- (0, 1, 2 / 3 ballots)
7) 5 Points-Porter Charleston, MRE -- (0, 1, 2 / 3 ballots)
8) 4 Points-Mariano Rivera, BF ------ (0, 1, 1 / 2 ballots)
9) 4 Points-Joe Nathan, RKA --------- (0, 1, 1 / 2 ballots)
10) 3 Points-Billy Wagner, TWW ------ (0, 1, 0 / 1 ballots)
11) 2 Points-Greg Holland, TWW ------ (0, 0, 2 / 2 ballots)

Really no surprise here.  Gagne was a closer with the 2nd most saves in the league and a 0.80 ERA.  He had to win.

Interestingly, teammate Bobby Jenks grabs second (with 3 first place votes) and the 3rd/4th place relievers are also from the AL East.

American League MVP

There was no doubt Babe Ruth of the DC Chips was the most valuable batter in the American League this year.  Ruth led in ATB Value, OBP, SLG, OPS, RC/27, RC, HR, and EBH.  Somehow he was completely omitted from one ballot preventing a clean sweep in first place votes.

Teammate Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi finishing 2nd and 3rd.

(# Ballots) Total Points (1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Votes)
(14)70 - Babe Ruth, DC (14, 0, 0)
(10)30 - Barry Bonds, BS (1, 8, 1)
(5) 9 - Jason Giambi, BS (0, 2, 3)
(3) 7 - Willie Mays, IBS (0, 2, 1)
(2) 6 - Tris Speaker, GCG (0, 2, 0)
(6) 6 - Fred Dunlap, SPB (0, 0, 6)
(1) 3 - Arky Vaughan, SH (0, 1, 0)
(2) 2 - Nap Lajoie, IBS (0, 0, 2)
(1) 1 - Norm Cash, TWP (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Ed Delahanty, SH (0, 0, 1)

National League MVP

In a landslide win, center fielder Mickey Mantle wins his second consecutive MVP award.  The Fanclub outfielder batted .342 / .453 / .521 with 56 extra base hits and 124 runs scored.  He played Vg/101 defense and had league high ATB Value score of .387

Ted Williams received two first place votes and finished a distant second.

(# Ballots) Total Points (1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Votes)
(14)58 - Mickey Mantle, JMF (10, 2, 2)
(12)30 - Ted Williams, RKA (2, 5, 5)
(6) 16 - Ross Barnes, NOT (1, 3, 2)
(3) 9 - Stan Musial, HH (1, 1, 1)
(3) 7 - Willie McCovey, HH (0, 2, 1)
(1) 5 - Reggie Jackson, NPB (1, 0, 0)
(1) 3 - Josh Gibson, SWR (0, 1, 0)
(1) 1 - Hank Aaron, OFB (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Albert Belle, JMF (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Honus Wagner, OFB (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Mike Schmidt, NOT (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Lou Gehrig, HT (0, 0, 1)

American League Cy Young Award

Carl Hubbell of the Gold Country Gossamers wins the AL Cy Young Award.  With 17 wins and a 2.80 ERA, Hubbell beat Carnies teammates Curt Schilling and Danny Haren who came in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Hubbell received 8 of 15 possible first place votes, but was oddly left off 4 ballots completely.  Perhaps more surprisingly, Danny Haren who led the league in ERA, WHIP, RCERA, and CERA receive 5 first place votes but no others, having been left off of 10 ballots in all.  This allowed Curt Schilling with just two first place votes, to sneak into second.

Tex Hughson finished fourth giving the ALCS contenders a clean sweep of the first four places.

(# Ballots) Total Points (1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Votes)
(11)47 - Carl Hubbell, GCG (8, 2, 0)
(10)26 - Curt Schilling, BIC (2, 4, 1)
(5) 25 - Danny Haren, BIC (5, 0, 0)
(7) 15 - Tex Hughson, GCG (0, 4, 3)
(3) 9 - Babe Adams, SPB (0, 3, 0)
(3) 7 - Johnny Podres, DCC (0, 2, 1)
(3) 3 - Jerry Reuss, BIC (0, 0, 3)
(1) 1 - Garland Braxton, WPM (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Bob Ojeda, DCC (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Kevin Brown, SH (0, 0, 1)

National League Cy Young Award

The Otherton Fishbiscuits' Addie Joss is the National League Cy Young Award winner.  Joss outpaced Pedro Martinez by receiving 8 of 15 first place votes and only missing a vote on 1 ballot.  Joss not only had a stellar W-L record at 23-14 and a superb ERA of 2.60, he led both leagues in innings pitched at 294.  Voters took that into consideration when comparing to Martinez, who may have had slightly better rate stats but threw 40 less innings.

Cy Blanton came in third and was on more ballots than Martinez.

(# Ballots) Total Points (1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Votes)
(14)56 - Addie Joss, OFB (8, 5, 1)
(13)37 - Pedro Martinez, EYO (4, 4, 5)
(14)30 - Cy Blanton, HT (2, 4, 8)
(2) 8 - Walter Johnson, HH (1,1,0)
(2) 4 - Jesse Tannehill, NPB (0, 1, 1)

American League Reliever of the Year

In one of the closest votes in league history, Dennis Eckersley narrowly defeats Robb Nen for the AL Reliever of the Year Award.  Eckersley had few saves (17) but was a crucial part of the DC Chip bullpen throwing 149 innings with a 1.99 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. Nen was used in a classic closer role, amassing 34 saves in 58 innings and holding down a 2.33 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.

Billy Wagner finished a close 3rd and had just as many 1st place votes as Nen.

(# Ballots) Total Points (1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Votes)
(11)41 - Dennis Eckersley, DCC (5, 5, 1)
(12)38 - Robb Nen, BS (4, 5, 3)
(12)34 - Billy Wagner, PRL (4, 3, 5)
(4) 14 - Tim Burke, URB (2, 1, 1)
(2) 4 - Buddy Groom, GCG (0, 1, 1)
(2) 2 - Steve Howe, BIC (0, 0, 2)
(1) 1 - Rafael Soriano, SH (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Takashi Saito, IBS (0, 0, 1)

National League Reliever of the Year

The NL Reliever of the Year is Jonathan Papelbon of the Haven Tommyknockers.  Papelbon had one of the best years in ATB history with a 1.23 ERA and 0.95 WHIP and 41 saves.  Papelbon received 8 of 15 votes for first place and was left off one ballot.

Cla Meredith, Mariano Rivera, and Kent Tekulve also received 1st place votes.

(# Ballots) Total Points (1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Votes)
(14)56 - Jonathan Papelbon, HT (8, 3, 1)
(9) 33 - Cla Meredith, JMF (4, 4, 1)
(6) 20 - Mariano Rivera, NOT (2, 3, 1)
(8) 12 - JJ Putz, RKA (0, 2, 6)
(2) 6 - Kent Tekulve, OFB (1, 0, 0)
(1) 3 - Dick Hall, JMF (0, 1, 0)
(2) 2 - Mike Myers, EYO (0, 0, 2)
(1) 1 - Joakim Soria, OFB (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Rafael Betancourt, EYO (0, 0, 1)
(1) 1 - Joe Neale, NOT (0, 0, 1)

Regular Season Awards - MVP

Greenhorn
(6,1,2)-35 Pts-Lou Gehrig (PR) --- 1.028 OPS, 44 HR, 110 RBI
(2,5,2)-27 Pts-Mickey Mantle (HH)- 0.925 OPS, 42 HR, 141 RBI
(2,4,2)-24 Pts-Tip O'Neill (DC) -- 0.983 OPS, 45 2B, 93 R
(0,0,3)-3 Pts-Duke Snider (DC)
(0,0,1)-1 Pts-Joe DiMaggio (EPL)

The Greenhorn MVP award goes to Lou Gehrig, who, despite playing for the 66 win Potomac Rage, picked up 6 of the 10 possible first place votes. Close behind Gehrig was Helena's Mickey Mantle (2 first, 5 second, 2 third) and DC's Tip O'Neill (2 first, 4 second, 2 third)

Mossback
(4,3,1)-30 Pts-Ted Williams (LDS):.913 OPS, 30 HR, 136 RBI
(3,3,4)-28 Pts-Jimmy Foxx (DB): - .957 OPS, 52 HR, 123 RBI
(1,4,2)-19 Pts-King Kelly (LDS) - .894 OPS, 29 2B, 101 R
(2,0,1)-11 Pts-Norm Cash (JMF)
(0,0,1)-1 Pts-Stan Musial (DWO)
(0,0,1)-1 Pts-Joe Morgan (OFB)

In the closest vote of all time, Ted Williams narrowly defeats Jimmy Foxx 30 points to 28 for the Mossback MVP. Williams was on the division winning Death Speaker squad and while he had a tremendous year, lost some votes to teammate King Kelly, who finished 3rd. The Brews Foxx led the league in home runs but lost a few votes since he played on team out of post season contention.

Norm Cash finished 4th, but had more first place votes than Kelly.

All voting and statistics can be found here.

Regular Season Awards - Cy Young

Greenhorn
(5,5,0)-40 Pts-B Sanders (DC) - 17-5, 2.30 ERA, 1.14 WHIP
(5,3,2)-36 Pts-L Baldwin (SBD)- 19-7, 3.49 ERA, 1.13 WHIP
(0,2,5)-11 Pts-W Johnson (RBB)- 14-13, 3.53 ERA, 1.12 WHIP
(0,0,1)-1 Pts-Dean Chance (EPL)
(0,0,1)-1 Pts-Derek Lowe (HH)
(0,0,1)-1 Pts-Mike Scott (DCC)

The Greenhorn Cy Young award is the only regular season award this season where the winner did not win with a majority of first place votes. DC's Ben Sanders and the Black Diamonds Lady Baldwin split the 10 first place votes. Sanders remaining votes all ended up being for 2nd place, while Baldwin split his remaining votes between 2nd and 3rd. The result was a 40 to 36 Sanders victory.

Walter Johnson (RBB) received 11 points and finished 3rd.

Mossback
(8,1,0)-43 Pts-B Adams (DWO): -- 21-7, 2.76 ERA, 1.05 WHIP
(2,7,1)-32 Pts-T Hughson (JMF)-- 18-8, 2.67 ERA, 1.01 WHIP
(0,1,3)-6 Pts-P Martinez (JMF) - 15-10, 2.70 ERA.,0.99 WHIP
(0,1,3)-6 Pts-Harry Brecheen (DWO)
(0,0,2)-2 Pts-Mort Cooper (SDP)

In the Mossback, despite one owner leaving him off the ballot completely, Babe Adams (DWO) bested Tex Hughson (JMF) 43 points to 32. Adams received 8 first place votes against Hughson's 2. Third place was a tie between starters on the same teams - Pedro Martinez (JMF) and Harry Brecheen (DWO).

Regular Season Awards - Reliever of the Year

Greenhorn
(9,1,0)-48 Pts-Cla Meredith (SBD)-1.28 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 47 Sv
(1,5,2)-22 Pts-Joe Neale (DC) ----2.58 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 171 IP
(0,2,4)-10 Pts-Frank Killen (DC) -2.47 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 175 IP
(0,1,0)-3 Pts-BJ Ryan (RBB)
(0,1,0)-3 Pts-Chris Hammond (HH)
(0,0,2)-2 Pts-John Smoltz (RKA)
(0,0,2)-2 Pts-Rafael Perez (BMS)

The Black Diamonds Cla Meredith easily wins the Reliever of the Year award for the Greenhorn Division. Meredith secured 9 of 10 first place votes, accumulating 48 points (awarded on a 5, 3, 1 scoring system). The DC Chips Joe Neale and Frank Killen placed 2nd and 3rd, in large part due to their extreme amount of playing time - over 350 innings combined.

Mossback
(9,1,0)-48 Pts-J Zimmerman (LDS) -1.39 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 41 Sv
(0,9,1)-28 Pts-D Eckersley (SDP) -2.37 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 39 Sv
(1,0,1)-6 Pts-Bruce Sutter (DWO)--1.77 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 92 IP
(0,0,4)-4 Pts-Huston Street (LDS)
(0,0,3)-3 Pts-Gabe White (PGB)
(0,0,1)-1 Pts-Rollie Fingers (CS)

In similar story over in the Mossback Division, the Death Speakers Jeff Zimmerman received 90% of the first place votes too, easily besting Dennis Eckersley for the award. Bruce Sutter (DWO), the third place finisher, received the remaining first place vote.

ATB XII Manager of the Year Award

Congratulations to Steve C, owner and operator of the DC Chips, who has been named our ATB XII Manager of the Year. We've instituted a new vetting process this season, rewarding the owner who tallied more wins than the generic AI would have done.

To do this, the ATB XII database was recently duplicated, with the season restarted and lineups and rotations 100% turned over the the DMB game engine. 10 seasons were auto simmed, with just the standings being recorded.

The results (those in green did better than the AI, those in red worse):


Steve truly does deserve the award. He's a hands on owner (16 lineup submissions this year!) and while others may have worked as hard, no one worked any harder at managing his team. Aside from the frequency of lineup changes, Steve also utilized all of his Free Agent moves plus worked through a myriad of injuries piloting his team to 100 victories, best in his division.