The Award Winners

Before I dive in to this, I want to reflect on last night's events just a bit. Last night was truly one of those nights, where you can say you are proud to be a fan of baseball. The games somehow exceeded our expectations and delivered one of the best final day of games in the history of baseball. We have never seen a night like that, and we probably never will again. Man that was awesome. (BTW, my March World Series picks went in the toilet last night too!)

So here I am going to do some Twins awards and then dive into the MLB awards as well.

Twins Awards

MVP: Michael Cuddyer-Cuddy was the most consistent player on the Twins this year. He also was one of a rare few that didn't make a trip to the disabled list. Cuddy proved his worth this year by playing in 5 different positions (RF, 1B, 2B, DH, P) in the lineup. Cuddy posted his best batting average this year (.284), since 2006 (Also .284), and finally made his first all star appearance, as the Twins lone representative in Phoenix.

Cy Young: Glen Perkins-On April 1, we were trying to figure out why manager Ron Gardenhire gave a roster spot to Perkins, who seemingly couldn't get it together on the mound. But, instead of starting, the skipper had Perkins try his hand at relief pitching. And the Stillwater native did not disappoint. Perkins quickly became the most reliable reliever in the Twins bullpen, and earned the 8th inning role. His fastball was often seen in the 95-97 area, and he had effectively used his breaking ball to compliment that fastball. Perk finished the year with a 2.48 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 61.2 innings pitched.

Rookie of the Year: Ben Revere-The Twins used many rookies in 2011, but none did as well and had the impact that Ben Revere had. Ben hit .267, and lead the team with 34 stolen bases, while mostly hitting leadoff this year. Ben was also was a human highlight reel in the outfield this year, making insane catch after insane catch. As he goes on in his career, he should be able to hit .300, steal 50 bases, and be a valuable asset in the outfield with his speed. He will be pretty valuable, hitting behind Denard Span and in front of Joe Mauer in the years to come.

MLB Award Winners

AL MVP-Justin Verlander (DET)
NL MVP-Ryan Braun (MIL)
AL CY YOUNG-Justin Verlander (DET)
NL CY YOUNG-Clayton Kershaw (LAD)
AL ROY-Jeremy Hellickson (TB)
NL ROY-Craig Kimbrel (ATL)
AL MOY-Joe Maddon (TB)

NL MOY-Kirk Gibson (ARZ)

All of these guys should be locks to win their awards, with the exception of NL Cy Young. It will be a close one between Roy Halladay and Kershaw, but I give the vote to Kershaw and I hope the writers do too. Justin Verlander was so good this year, he should be a lock for MVP in addition to Cy Young. And there is no doubt that Joe Maddon and Kirk Gibson should win manager of the year. Look at what they've done. Enjoy the playoffs everyone!

Also, North Dakota Twins Fan took a look at the Twins awards today too. Check them out here.