Center fielder Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees was named the AL’s outstanding player while center fielder Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers won honor in the National League. Verlander said the award is more special to him since it’s voted on by his peers, including his teammates and opponents.
Verlander had an excellent season with 24 victories, 250 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.40, all tops in the AL. His triple-crown winning performance for the most wins, best ERA and most strikeouts was the first in the AL since 2006 when Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins achieved it. He also becomes the first pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 1999 to take home the Player of the Year Award.
James Shields of the Tampa Bay Rays and Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels were also nominated for the AL’s pitching award while Adrian Gonzalez of the Boston Red Sox and Granderson were up for the league’s player of the year trophy. Granderson said it was an honor winning his award especially considering the excellent players in the league this season.
Michael Young, designated hitter for the Texas Rangers, won the Marvin Miller Man of The Year Award for his charity work off of the diamond. Young has won the award twice now in the past four years. Young and Cristina Barbosa, his wife, are actively involved in charity work in the Dallas area and recently opened a foundation in support of children’s health.
In addition, Young has been nominated three years in a row for the Roberto Clemente Award, which is for community involvement and sportsmanship. Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox and Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals were also nominated for the Marvin Miller award.
Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel was named the NL’s outstanding rookie. He beat out fellow nominees starting pitcher Vance Worley of the Philadelphia Phillies and Freddie Freeman, his Braves teammate. Kimbrel set a rookie record with 46 saves this season.
In the AL, first baseman Mark Trumbo of the Angels took the top rookie honors over Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals and Jeremy Hellickson of Tampa Bay. Triple-crown winner Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers took the outstanding pitcher award in the NL. The left-hander recorded 21 wins, 248 strikeouts and had an ERA of 2.28. Roy Halladay of the Phillies and Ian Kennedy of the Arizona Diamondbacks also earned nominations.
Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox won the Comeback Player of the Year award for the AL while outfielder Lance Berkman of the Cardinals took the honor in the NL. Berkman had a .248 average in 2010 when he hit 14 homers and added 58 RBIs. He batted .301 this season and belted 31 homers along with 94 RBIs. Ellsbury only played in 18 games last year and batted .192. he rebounded this year with a .321 average.
