Aurilia named team MVP, Arroyo pitcher of the year

[savafan]

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/16438833.htm

CINCINNATI - Bronson Arroyo won two of three honors awarded to Cincinnati Reds players Thursday.

In a vote by the Cincinnati chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Arroyo won the Johnny Vander Meer Pitcher of the Year Award, as well as the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award.

Infielder Rich Aurilia took the Ernie Lombardi Award as the Reds' Most Valuable Player.

Arroyo edged last year's winner, Aaron Harang, with 91/2 of 14 votes for Pitcher of the Year. The right-hander led the staff with 35 starts and 2402/3 innings pitched. He finished with a 14-11 record and 3.29 ERA, with 184 strikeouts to 64 walks.

Nine players got at least one vote for being a "Good Guy" with the writers. Arroyo won with three votes, one more than Adam Dunn, Todd Coffey and Kent Mercker.

Aurilia, who played all four infield positions, drew eight votes for MVP, followed by Arroyo and Dunn with two each.

Over 122 games, Aurilia hit .300 with 23 homers and 70 RBI. He also had 25 doubles, a .349 on-base percentage and .518 slugging percentage.

Aurilia declined the Reds' post-season offer of salary arbitration and last month signed a free-agent contract with the San Francisco Giants.

Ken Griffey Jr. won the Lombardi and Nuxhall awards last year.

[noskill27]

I can think of about dozen Reds more valuable then Aurilia was...

[jbran1114]

I can think of about dozen Reds more valuable then Aurilia was...

I believe that would be rather difficult.

[Ron Madden]

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/16438833.htm

CINCINNATI - Bronson Arroyo won two of three honors awarded to Cincinnati Reds players Thursday.

In a vote by the Cincinnati chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Arroyo won the Johnny Vander Meer Pitcher of the Year Award, as well as the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award.

Infielder Rich Aurilia took the Ernie Lombardi Award as the Reds' Most Valuable Player.

Arroyo edged last year's winner, Aaron Harang, with 91/2 of 14 votes for Pitcher of the Year. The right-hander led the staff with 35 starts and 2402/3 innings pitched. He finished with a 14-11 record and 3.29 ERA, with 184 strikeouts to 64 walks.

Nine players got at least one vote for being a "Good Guy" with the writers. Arroyo won with three votes, one more than Adam Dunn, Todd Coffey and Kent Mercker.

Aurilia, who played all four infield positions, drew eight votes for MVP, followed by Arroyo and Dunn with two each.

Over 122 games, Aurilia hit .300 with 23 homers and 70 RBI. He also had 25 doubles, a .349 on-base percentage and .518 slugging percentage.

Aurilia declined the Reds' post-season offer of salary arbitration and last month signed a free-agent contract with the San Francisco Giants.

Ken Griffey Jr. won the Lombardi and Nuxhall awards last year.

Arroyo had a very good season, let's hope he can do it again.

After Bronson's first two starts against the Cubs he became a Fan Favorite and a Media Darling. IMHO Arron Harang was just as deserving as Arroyo or Aurilia for eighther award.

[RedsBaron]

Arroyo and Harang definitely were more deserving of the team MVP award than was Aurilia.

[Degenerate39]

I don't think Aurilia should have gotten the award. Harang and Arroyo were better choices for MVP in my opinion. Then again I don't like Aurilia so my opinion is biased

[Highlifeman21]

1. Always good to see the team MVP leave town...
2. How can the team consider said player to be the MVP if they allow him to leave town?
3. Harang or Arroyo should have been considered over Aurilia
4. Adam Dunn had a better year than Rich Aurilia

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Now commence this thread derailed into how Aurilia had a better season than Adam Dunn....

[oneupper]

Don't know what this says about Aurilia, but IMO it doesn't say much about the Cincinnati chapter of the BBWAA.

[dabvu2498]

4. Adam Dunn had a better year than Rich Aurilia

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Now commence this thread derailed into how Aurilia had a better season than Adam Dunn....

Well, by some measures, he actually did.

Aurilia vs. Dunn
OPS .867 vs .855
RC/G 6.5 vs 6.2
VORP 27.4 vs 23.5
WARP 4.1 vs 3.7

Who was more valuable in 2006? Aurilia

Who would I rather have on my team in 2007-future? Dunn

But to the original point, I'd take Harang or Arroyo as team MVP over either of the above two.

[Spring~Fields]

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/16438833.htm

CINCINNATI - Bronson Arroyo won two of three honors awarded to Cincinnati Reds players Thursday.

In a vote by the Cincinnati chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Arroyo won the Johnny Vander Meer Pitcher of the Year Award, as well as the Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award.

I am happy for him, he seems like a very decent person.

[redsmetz]

2. How can the team consider said player to be the MVP if they allow him to leave town?

I think some have noted that it's the baseball writers who choose this award, but it's not unprecedented for the team's MVP to be shown the door.

1971 Lee May - traded in offseason
1986 Dave Parker - traded in offseason

1997 Willie Greene - traded mid-season the following year
1998 Bret Boone - traded in offseason
1999 Greg Vaughn - left for Free Agency

2001 Dmitri Young - trade in offseason
2002 Aaron Boone - traded mid-season the following year
2003 Jose Guillen - traded mid-season the same year he won the award!
2006 Rich Aurilia - left for Free Agency

What's telling and speaks to the woeful shape of our club is that seven of the last ten MVP's were gone the following season. Yikes!

(BTW, I'm not saying we should have kept Rich - I don't think he had a spot on this club for how he wanted to be used).

[TeamSelig]

I think Harang had a better year than Arroyo... Harang was solid all year long, while it took Arroyo 10 times to get his 10th win if i remember correctly

[TOBTTReds]

I think Harang had a better year than Arroyo... Harang was solid all year long, while it took Arroyo 10 times to get his 10th win if i remember correctly

Time to remind people wins are not an individual stat.

In those 10 games that Arroyo was "searching" for his 10th win, he had games of:

6 ip, 3 runs
7 ip, 2 runs
7 ip, 0 runs
8 ip, 2 runs
7 ip, 4 earned

That is 4 quality starts, including 3 great ones resulting in zero wins. I'll take 7 ip, 2 runs every single day, but some days that isn't good enough for a win (He did that or better 3 times in that stretch). Not the pitchers fault.

[TOBTTReds]

Arroyo's no-decision games:

5 ip, 5 er
8 ip, 0 er
6 ip, 4 er
7 ip, 2 er
7 ip, 0 er
8 ip, 2 er
6 ip, 4 er
5.2, 5 er
6 ip, 2 er
7 ip, 0 er

65 2/3 ip, 24 er = 3.28 era in no decisions. I have no idea what others' era's are like in no decision games, but to me, this is very low.

There were 10 games that he got no decisions on the entire season, and he pitched 6.6 inn per game, giving up 2.4 earned runs per game (not 9 ip).

So even the games he didn't get a W or L for, he was pitching very well. I would take 6 2/3 inn and 2-3 runs per game. Pretty good. (Don't have time to do Harang's, but someone else can if they want).

[Roy Tucker]

So who are the writers that consist the Cincinnati BBWAA? If I count correctly, there are 12.