The Official "Two Weeks Into the Season" Awards

By Rob LaBrie

Although we are only a little over two weeks into a very long baseball season, I feel compelled to write about what has happened so far just because there’s been so much going on.  We’ve seen an established superstar hit 9 jacks in 13 games and a guy with 19 career homers before this year hit 9 of his own through 13 games.  We’ve seen a guy come close to breaking Joe DiMaggio’s timeless hitting streak record.  We’ve seen a 40-year-old, “washed up” Mad Dog win his first three games in dominating fashion.  We’ve also seen a pair of Sox, one young and one old, win their first three games.  Oh yeah, we’ve also seen perjury charges and a homer-less 10 games for the guy with the biggest head in the game, literally.  What better way to sum up the season than with the first annual TWIS Awards?  
AL MVP – Chris Shelton
Shelton gets the nod on the first TWISie.  He’s been absolutely amazing so far.  He’s bombed 9 homers and is hitting at a .471 clip.  Now remember, these are not predictions for the final awards and I don’t believe Shelton will be there in the end.  However, there’s no denying that he’s been number one in the AL so far.

NL MVP – Albert Pujols
Pujols has been nuts this season since Opening Day when he jacked 2.  He’s up to 9 as of 4/17, but my sources have just told me that he has hit another one tonight, bringing him up to 10.  Not too shabby.  I believe this guy will stick around for the whole season.  My predictions are 60+ homers and an MVP award.

AL Cy Young – Curt Schilling
This one came down to three Sox: Schilling, Beckett and Papelbon.  In the end, it had to be Schilling getting the TWIS.  He leads the AL in wins, WHIP, IP, and BA against.  He’s also 6th in Ks and 3rd in ERA.  Schill looks very strong out of the gates and hopefully he can stay healthy for the duration.

NL Cy Young – Greg Maddux
The senior citizens sweep the Cy Young races so far this year.  Maddux has three wins in three starts and is second in the NL in ERA.  He has also helped lead the Cubs to a surprising 8-4 start, perhaps the most amazing feat of all.  The Cubs need Maddux to stay healthy and on top of his game all year with the many question marks surrounding Wood and Prior.

Surprise Player – Jonathan Papelbon
Papelbon barely beat out Chris Shelton in this race.  Papelbon has had an incredible year, recording 6 saves and an ERA of 0.00.  That’s right, in 7 appearances, Boston’s new favorite 25-year-old hasn’t allowed a single run.  Many people have called for Papelbon to join the rotation, but why fix what ain’t broke?  Papelbon’s 96 MPH fastball is perfect in the 9th inning… he throws it wicked hahd.

Disappointing Player – Barry Bonds
This one was a no-brainer.  Barry has a grand total of 0 home runs and 1 RBI.  Put that next to his .192 average and you have an abysmal two weeks for the guy set to pass Ruth and Aaron.

Surprise Team – Detroit Tigers
Yes, they haven’t been great over their past few games and Jim Leyland may not agree with this TWIS, but you can’t ignore the Tigers great start in the first week.  They won their first 5 games by a total score of 39-12.  Lead by Chris Shelton, this is a team that could possibly challenge Cleveland and Chicago in the AL Central.

Disappointing Team – New York Yankees
The Yankees and their $200,000,000 payroll haven’t gotten off to the start they wanted.  While their record stands at a respectable 6-6, you have to take into account the fact that 3 of those games came against the Royals.  They’ve lost the other three series’ they’ve played.  The worst news of the year has been Mo’s blown save on Sunday… hopefully for the Yanks, this isn’t a sign of things to come.

Best Moment of the Season – Mark Loretta and Kevin Youkilis
While this is more of a team award, Mark Loretta and Kevin Youkilis will be accepting the TWISie.  The moment came Monday against the Seattle Mariners with two out in the bottom of the ninth and nobody on.  The Sox were down 6-5.  Youkilis came up to bat and hit a hard grounder to second base.  Jose Lopez dove to grab the ball.  He reeled it in and threw from the ground.  Youkilis, hustling the whole way, beat it out in highly improbable fashion.  Next up was Mark Loretta.  On a 2-0 count, Loretta jacked one into the Monster seats to seal a 7-6 victory.  Loretta only hit 3 homers last year and hadn’t hit any in a Boston uniform before this.  The best way to win over Boston fans is with a nice walk-off.

Terrell Owens Memorial Award (the player that the media won’t stop talking about) – Barry Bonds
Bonds easily takes home his second TWISie in this category.  Barry took steroids and we all know it.  Now he’s being investigated for perjury and ESPN loves to make sure we don’t forget about it.  It seems like every time you switch on the TV, they’re talking about Barry Bonds and how he’s killed the game of baseball.  They even have a reality show about it.  That’s just a little overboard if you ask me.  I’m tired of these people beating a dead horse.  With any luck, he’ll decide to just leave the game before he breaks the record and we can get away from all the crap.

Player Ready to Breakout – Scott Podsednik
I’m predicting a .300 average and over 60 steals.  I know, Podsednik has been absolutely dreadful so far this year.  However, he’s now recorded two straight two-hit games and grabbed his first of many steals to come on Sunday.  Podsednik has begun his break out and once he gets into full swing, look for the White Sox to really take control of a crowded AL Central, leaving Cleveland, Detroit, and Minnesota fighting for the Wild Card.  

So those are the TWISies.  You really can’t put too much value into the first two weeks because there’s still so much baseball left to be played.  However, these games, and the numbers these guys put up now count just as much as they do in September.  This action packed start to the season is only the tip of the iceberg.  We could be in for a good season, folks.