SB Nation - J.A. Happ

THIS JUST IN: Phillies Trade Lee, Hamels, Utley, Drabek, Brown, Taylor, D'Arnaud, Schmidt, Carlton, and Ashburn for Halladay and Two Prospects

David S. Cohen — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:49:00 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - ASSOCIATED PRESS

That's about where this thing is right now, right?

Let's get out on the table what we have the most certainty is true: Roy Halladay was in Philadelphia at some point today.

Is there anything more that we might have even a 50/50 shot of knowing is true? There have been about 148 iterations of this deal since 2pm this afternoon. The Phillies are trading Cliff Lee, then they're not trading Cliff Lee. The Phillies are getting prospects, then they're shipping prospects. The Phillies couldn't trade Joe Blanton, now they're sending Blanton and J.A. Happ out for physicals. The Phillies are negotiating a $68M contract with Halladay, then they're asking for small change in return from the Blue Jays.

It's all pure speculation at this point. And the reporters know that. All they have to do is look back at their Twitter feed or Facebook page and compare what they wrote earlier today with what they're writing or reporting now. There's no doubt at all that tomorrow morning it will all be different. (Hell, why wait? It'll be different two hours from now.) Just like it will be when the trade is announced (if there is even a trade to announce at the end of this).

If you want to know what's wrong with the internet, journalism, and sports, here's exhibit 1 with a bullet. Jon Heyman, Jayson Stark, Ken Rosenthal, Todd Zolecki, Andy Martino, etc. -- none of them can look like he's lagging behind the others. So they report what they've heard rather than what they've found out to be true. I'll sound old when I say this, but I'll say it anyway: in the old days, the reporters would have at least tried to do their fact checking, confirmed with multiple sources, and reported something in the next day's paper based on their best belief as to what the facts are. Now, what we get is a phone call from someone who might at one point in time have been in touch with some guy who knew someone who vacationed with an agent who is colleagues with another agent who has a player on the team who could be the fourth team in on the deal and who claims to know something. Then, that is reported right away so the scoop is made.

And we buy it hook, line, and sinker. Let me be entirely clear: I'm not immune to this at all. After all, did I get much work done this afternoon while trying to find out every morsel of information I could? Of course not. And where does that leave me? With the best report from one of the most trust-worthy reporters being that the Phillies are getting had and paying much more for Roy Halladay now than they would have had to pay in July. That makes no sense. I know it. Jayson Stark knows it. You know it. Yet that's what we get fed because we are hungry and the reporters know how to gorge us.

Someone who has reported something today may just get this deal right. But if they do, it'll be because blind squirrels do indeed find nuts every once in a while. It won't be for any other reason.

Remember that as this thing develops. We know nothing. And neither do they.

MLB Trade Rumors: Cliff Lee involved in Roy Halladay Deal??

raygu — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:33:36 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

about 1 month ago: FILE - In this Oct. 18, 2009, file photo, Philadelphia Phillies' Cliff Lee pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship baseball series in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Phillies have picked up Cliff Lee's $9 million option for 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Browse more photos »

Ken Rosenthal from FoxSports speculated that the Phillies may be working on a 3-4 team deal whereby they would deal ace pitcher Cliff Lee to one of the teams involved in order to get the players the Blue Jays want in return for Roy Halladay. I was actually talking to a friend of mine yesterday saying that I thought that one of the reasons why the Phillies were going after Halladay is because they may have learned during the Winter meetings that either Lee wants to test free agency, or that the price to sign him long-term may be exorbitant, possibly CC Sabathia money.

I also heard yesterday that SI.com was reporting that the Phillies offered starting pitchers J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton and one of outfield prospect Michael Taylor or Domonic Brown.

If these are the kind of offers that Toronto GM Alex Anthopolous is getting, then I may have underestimated him, and the market price for one year of Roy Halladay. Am I the only one who thinks that Toronto may get July 31st, 2009 value for one year of Halladay?

Poll

Will Toronto get July 31st value for Roy Halladay this offseason?

MLB Trade Rumors: Winter Meetings Coverage Begins Monday

raygu — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:00:17 -0000

by Aaron J. Latham - AP

2 months ago: San Diego Padres' David Eckstein, left, celebrates with teammate Adrian Gonzalez, right, after they scored on Gonzalez's home run in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Aaron J. Latham)

View full size photo »

We at Fake Teams will be covering the trades and signings that occur at the Winter Meetings that start today in Indianapolis. We will address the fantasy impact of the trades and signings that occur this week and throughout the offseason. The biggest name discussed at the Winter Meetings will be the Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.

Some of the rumored deals could involve the following players changing uniforms:

Steve Henson from Yahoo Sports tweeted the following last night:

The Dodgers have 3-4 teams interested in $$ Juan Pierre and a 3-team deal is being explored to get L.A. a bad-contract starter in return.
The "bad contract" starter the Dodgers might get for Juan Pierre would not be Derek Lowe, a source said. That bridge has burned.

It appears the Yankees and Red Sox are the favorites for Roy Halladay. Halladay to the Yankees for a package of Jesus Montero and Phil Hughes? Halladay to the Red Sox for Clay Buchholz and Josh Reddick? Halladay to the Phils for J.A. Happ and Michael Taylor? The Giants may make sense for Dan Uggla, but where would he play with Freddy Sanchez at second? I'd be shocked if Adrian Gonzalez isn't dealt to the Red Sox now that former Sox Jed Hoyer is the new GM in San Diego. Josh Willingham in Atlanta makes sense.

Would the rumored Milton Bradley-Pat Burrell deal result in one of the worst outfields in the majors? How can Pat Burrell and Alfonso Soriano play in the same outfield? Pierre makes sense in St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati, especially with Dusty Baker managing the Reds. Pierre for Arroyo??

Poll

Who is more likely to get traded during the Winter Meetings this week?

Tommy Hanson Finishes Third in the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year Award

gondeee — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:11:26 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tommy Hanson finishes third in the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Browse more photos »

Atlanta Braves rookie starting pitcher Tommy Hanson missed his chance to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Hanson was beaten out by Florida's Chris Coghlan, who won the ward, and Philadelphia's J.A. Happ, who finished second.

The highly touted Hanson lived up to everyone's expectations once he reached the majors in 2009. He went 11-and-4 with a 2.89 ERA in 21 starts -- but it was not enough of a dominating performance to convince voters he deserved the award over the other contenders. His chances were likely hurt by only pitching part of the year in the major leagues.

Interesting that Hanson won the SBN voting a week ago, conducted by bloggers. It seems as though the writers went with raw stats over any other factor in determining the awards once again this year.

Marlins' Chris Coghlan named 2009 National League Rookie of the Year; Phillies' Happ finishes second

WholeCamels — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:01:28 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

2009 National League Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins was named the 2009 National League Rookie of the Year today, narrowly edging out Phillies' LHP J.A. Happ for the award. Coghlan received 105 total points and 17 first place votes, versus 94 and 10 for Happ.

Coghlan posted a .321/.390/.460 line for the Marlins, starting 120 games in left field for the Fish.

Vote tallies after the jump...

	1st	2nd	3rd
Chris Coghlan, Florida Marlins	17	6	2	105
J.A. Happ, Philadelphia Phillies	10	11	11	94
Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves	2	6	9	37
Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates	2	5		25
Casey McGehee, Milwaukee Brewers	1	3	4	18
Randy Wells, Chicago Cubs		1		3
Garret Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates			2	2
Everth Cabrera, San Diego Padres			1	1
Dexter Fowler, Colorado Rockies			1	1
Gerardo Parra, Arizona Diamondbacks			1	1
Colby Rasmus, St. Louis Cardinals			1	1

BBWAA Awards

craig — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:44:48 -0000

The Baseball Writers Association of America awards announcements begin today and first up is Rookie of the Year for the NL and AL.

The announcement comes at 2:00 p.m.

And the Marlins have a dog in the hunt.

The folks at ESPN has made their picks and they ended up as follows.

VOTING TOTALS: Coghlan (12), Tommy Hanson (3), Andrew McCutchen (3), J.A. Happ (1), Garrett Jones (1).

Of course, they were only selecting the winner of the award which means down the ballot scores didn't count. Not that it would have much of a difference with Coghlan getting so many first place votes. Click on the link to see who voted for whom.

But all of that doesn't matter, what does matter is the announcement of the vote in a few hours and whether or not the Marlins have their third Rookie of the Year in franchise history.

Stay tuned.

A boatload of postseason awards

KLSnow — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:41:50 -0000

Because I've been away for a few days I've fallen behind on a couple of things, including the unveiling of the SBN and IBWAA postseason awards. My apologies. Let's start with the SBN Awards:

If you read any of the other SBN baseball sites, you may have seen some of these, but if you don't, they're new to you. Two BCB writers contributed to each of the NL awards: I had one vote, and TheJay had the other. I'll publish my ballot below the results, and leave it up to TheJay to decide if he wants to post his.

SBN NL Manager of the Year:

Rk	Manager	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Jim Tracy	Colorado Rockies	24	1	2	125
2	Tony LaRussa	St. Louis Cardinals	3	7	10	46
3	Fredi Gonzalez	Florida Marlins	2	6	5	33
4	Joe Torre	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	9	2	29
5	Charlie Manuel	Philadelphia Phillies	-	3	5	14
6	Bruce Bochy	San Francisco Giants	1	1	1	9
7	Bobby Cox	Atlanta Braves	-	1	4	7
8	Bud Black	San Diego Padres	-	1	1	4
9	John Russell	Pittsburgh Pirates	-	1	-	3

My ballot:
1. Jim Tracy
2. Fredi Gonzalez
3. Joe Torre

I have no other comment on this award, except this side note: Nine of sixteen NL Managers received at least one vote, meaning more NL managers were acknowledged than not, and yet Ken Macha didn't appear on a single ballot.

SBN NL Rookie of the Year:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tommy Hanson	Atlanta Braves	9	9	6	78
2	J.A. Happ	Philadelphia Phillies	6	9	7	64
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	3	5	54
4	Chris Coghlan	Florida Marlins	7	5	4	54
5	Dexter Fowler	Colorado Rockies	-	3	1	10
6	Randy Wells	Chicago Cubs	-	-	6	6
7	Garrett Jones	Pittsburgh Pirates	1	-	-	5
8	Casey McGehee	Milwaukee Brewers	-	1	2	5
9	Seth Smith	Colorado Rockies	-	1	-	3

My ballot:
1. Tommy Hanson
2. J.A. Happ
3. Casey McGehee

It was a tough year to be an NL Rookie - McGehee's performance might have rated higher in other years, but this season he was overshadowed by a bunch of high-impact players.

SBN NL Cy Young:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tim Lincecum	San Francisco Giants	18	13	-	129
2	Chris Carpenter	St. Louis Cardinals	9	4	7	64
3	Adam Wainwright	St. Louis Cardinals	4	4	10	42
4	Javier Vazquez	Atlanta Braves	-	5	7	22
5	Dan Haren	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	3	4	13
6	Ubaldo Jimenez	Colorado Rockies	-	1	1	4
7	Cliff Lee	Philadephia Phillies	-	-	1	1
8	Jair Jurrjens	Atlanta Braves	-	-	1	1

My ballot:
1. Tim Lincecum
2. Javier Vazquez
3. Adam Wainwright
4. Chris Carpenter
5. Dan Haren

The SBN ballot only asked for three pitchers, but I also voted in the IBWAA awards, which required five. The IBWAA completed their slate of awards today, naming their MVP and Cy Young Award winners for both leagues. Here are their results:

IBWAA NL Manager of the Year:

1. Jim Tracy, Colorado Rockies
2. Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodgers
3 (tie). Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants
3 (tie). Fredi Gonzalez, Florida Marlins

IBWAA NL Rookie of the Year:

1. Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves
2. Chris Coghlan, Florida Marlins
3. J.A. Happ, Philadelphia Phillies

IBWAA NL Comeback Player of the Year:

1. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Troy Tulowitzski, Colorado Rockies
3. Rafael Furcal, Los Angeles Dodgers

IBWAA NL Executive of the Year:

1. Dan O'Dowd, Colorado Rockies
2. John Mozeliak, St. Louis Cardinals
3. Ned Colletti, Los Angeles Dodgers

IBWAA NL Cy Young:

1. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
3. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
4. Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins
5. Javier Vazquez, Atlanta Braves

IBWAA NL Most Valuable Player:

1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
3. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
4. (tie) Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers
4. (tie) Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
6. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
7. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
8. Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers
9. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
10. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

The SBN MVP award balloting will be unveiled tomorrow. Follow the jump for the AL awards for both SBN and the IBWAA.

IBWAA Cy Young and MVP Awards have yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, in the AL:

SBN AL Manager of the Year:

Rk	Manager	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Mike Scioscia	Los Angeles Angels	9	8	3	72
2	Ron Gardenhire	Minnesota Twins	9	5	1	61
3	Don Wakamatsu	Seattle Mariners	6	3	8	47
4	Joe Girardi	New York Yankees	2	4	2	24
5	Ron Washington	Texas Rangers	1	4	4	21
6	Terry Francona	Boston Red Sox	1	1	3	11
7	Jim Leyland	Detroit Tigers	-	2	4	10
8	Joe Maddon	Tampa Bay Rays	-	1	1	4
9	Ozzie Guillen	Chicago White Sox	-	-	1	1
10	Trey Hillman	Kansas City Royals	-	-	1	1

SBN AL Rookie of the Year:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	6	9	6	63
2	Andrew Bailey	Oakland Athletics	11	1	3	61
3	Jeff Niemann	Tampa Bay Rays	3	5	3	33
4	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	2	7	2	33
5	Brett Anderson	Oakland Athletics	5	1	3	31
6	Gordon Beckham	Chicago White Sox	1	2	8	19
7	Nolan Reimold	Baltimore Orioles	1	-	1	6
8	Matt Wieters	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	3	6
9	Brad Bergesen	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	-	3
10	Ricky Romero	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3
11	Travis Snider	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3

SBN AL Cy Young:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	28	1	-	143
2	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	17	6	57
3	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	8	9	33
4	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	1	2	11	22
5	C.C. Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	1	2	5
6	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	1	1

IBWAA AL Manager of the Year:
1. Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins
2. Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Joe Girardi (New York Yankees)

IBWAA AL Rookie of the Year:
1. Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers
2. Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics
3. Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay Rays

IBWAA AL Comeback Player of the Year:
1. Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays
2. Russell Branyan, Seattle Mariners
3. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

IBWAA AL Executive of the Year:
1. Brian Cashman, New York Yankees
2. Tony Reagins, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Jon Daniels, Texas Rangers

IBWAA AL Cy Young:
1. Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals
2. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
3. CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
4. Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
5. Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays

IBWAA AL Most Valuable Player:
1. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
2. Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
3. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
4. Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
5. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
6. Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals
7. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
8. Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
9. (tie) Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays
9. (tie) Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox

MLB Trade Rumors: Roy Halladay to Phillies for Cole Hamels??

raygu — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:00:24 -0000

by Darren Calabrese - AP

3 months ago: Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay works against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)

View full size photo »

A friend of mine who is a Phillies fan emailed me today saying he was watching Comcast Sports Nite earlier this evening, and during the show, they were talking about the Phillies interest in Roy Halladay. They mentioned that the Phillies expressed an interest in Halladay and Toronto came back asking for Cole Hamels.

And apparently the Phillies are listening.

This move by the Phillies would surprise me as Hamels is still a very young pitcher, with alot of talent. He just has a bad year for him, but for most pitchers, he had an average year. For the Phillies to deal him, they must feel that he doesn't have the mental toughness anymore.

Hamels dominated in the 2008 season and playoffs. He won the World Series MVP. And now the Phillies are talking about trading him? This tells me two things. One, they really want to get back to the World Series in 2010. The team is built to win now. And two, they don't think Hamels will rebound in 2010, which I am not so sure I agree with based on his peripherals.

Hamels went 10-11 in 2009, with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. In 193 innings, he struck out 168 batters and walked 43 giving up 24 HRs. His K/BB actually increased from 3.70 in 2008 to 3.91 in 2009. His HR/9 was about the same as in 2008 and his HR/FB% dropped from 11.2% to 10.7%, but his BABIP increased from .270 in 2008 to .325 in 2009. His GB%, LD% and FB% were pretty much unchanged from 2008.

Based on his peripherals, one would conclude Hamels was unlucky in 2009, and is a good choice for a bounce back in 2010.

And the Phillies are rumored to be trading him for Roy Halladay. Should the Phils deal Hamels for Halladay, they will be heavy favorites to make the 2010 World Series. But, they may be forced to sign either Lee or Halladay long-term after the 2010 season. That may force the Phillies hand as both Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth are free agents at the end of the 2010 season. Otherwise, the Phils will be left with a rotation of J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton and Kyle Drabek.

Poll

Should the Phillies deal Cole Hamels for Roy Halladay?

Yes, Halladay guarantees another World Series appearance.

331 votes

No, the Phillies rotation will be decimated come 2011.

217 votes

548 votes | Poll has closed

SB Nation Baseball Awards (ROY Edition)

craig — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:17:27 -0000

Here are the results of the NL Rookie of the Year as voted on by the SB Nation bloggers.

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tommy Hanson	Atlanta Braves	9	9	6	78
2	J.A. Happ	Philadelphia Phillies	6	9	7	64
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	3	5	54
4	Chris Coghlan	Florida Marlins	7	5	4	54
5	Dexter Fowler	Colorado Rockies	-	3	1	10
6	Randy Wells	Chicago Cubs	-	-	6	6
7	Garrett Jones	Pittsburgh Pirates	1	-	-	5
8	Casey McGehee	Milwaukee Brewers	-	1	2	5
9	Seth Smith	Colorado Rockies	-	1	-	3

GameFish and I both put Chris Coghlan #1 and then neither of us can remember what order we placed Hanson and Happ. But they were #2 and #3 on our ballots.

My reason for Coghlan being first is that when evaluating a rookie the latter half of the season should be weighed more heavily than the first half. When a player breaks into the league normally one of two things happen, either they start off well and then the league learns them and the impressive start fizzles. Or they start out slowly until they figure out the league and then come on blazing. A strong finish, I feel, is more representative of who was the better rookie. Now both of the NL East pitchers were pretty steady throughout but an every day player should get the benefit of the doubt when making the comparison.

2009 SBN Baseball Awards - NL Rookie Of The Year.

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:12:00 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Is Andrew McCutchen the SB Nation's '09 NL Rookie of the Year? (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Browse more photos »

In 2008, the voting members of the SB Nation's baseball sites elected Cubs' catcher Geovany Soto as the NL Rookie of the year after the then-25-year-old catcher had hit .285 with 35 doubles, 23 HR's and 86 RBI's in 141 games behind the plate in Chicago. The only other player to receive a 1st place vote last season was Braves' right-hander Jair Jurrjens, who finished his rookie campaign with a (13-10) record, a 3.68 ERA, 139 K's, (6.4 K/9) and a 1.37 WHIP in 31 starts and 188.1 IP, but Jurrjens finished 3rd overall in the voting behind the Reds' Joey Votto, whose 10 2nd place votes allowed him to take second overall, but made him a distant runner-up to the SB Nation's top choice. Over a week later, the Baseball Writers Association of America awarded their NL Rookie of the Year Award to the same Cubs' catcher, with Votto and Jurrjens finishing second and third...

Who will the SB Nation's Baseball writers pick as the 2009 NL Rookie of the Year? The answer is only a jump away...but before you click through, register your own choice for ROY in the Poll below...

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tommy Hanson	Atlanta Braves	9	9	6	78
2	J.A. Happ	Philadelphia Phillies	6	9	7	64
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	3	5	54
4	Chris Coghlan	Florida Marlins	7	5	4	54
5	Dexter Fowler	Colorado Rockies	-	3	1	10
6	Randy Wells	Chicago Cubs	-	-	6	6
7	Garrett Jones	Pittsburgh Pirates	1	-	-	5
8	Casey McGehee	Milwaukee Brewers	-	1	2	5
9	Seth Smith	Colorado Rockies	-	1	-	3

• Atlanta Braves' right-hander Tommy Hanson ended 2008 by winning the Arizona Fall League's MVP award, (the first time a pitcher in the hitter-friendly league had done so), and though he started the '09 season in the minors he was up by June and able to win 11 of the 21 starts he made, going (11-4) and allowing just 41 ER in 127.2 IP for a 2.89 ERA with 116 K's (8.2 K/9) and a 1.18 WHIP. (ed. note - "When's the first Strasburg v Hanson matchup?")

• J.A. Happ finished the 2009 season with 2 appearances in the World Series for the Phillies, giving up a run on 2 hits in 2.2 IP against the eventual-"World Champion" Yankees. In 23 starts and 35 overall appearances during the regular season, Happ was (12-3) with a 2.93 ERA, 3 complete games, 2 shutouts and a 1.23 WHIP in 166.0 IP, in which he struck out 166 (6.5 K/9) and walked just 56 (3.0 BB/9).

• Washington, DC fans saw the best Andrew McCutchen had to offer this season, when the then-22-year-old outfielder hit 3 HR's in 5 at bats in one game at PNC Park to help Pittsburgh to an 11-6 win over the Nationals. The former 1st Round pick, taken 11th overall by the Pirates in 2005, finally arrived in the majors in early June, giving him enough time to get in 433 at bats, over which he accumulated 124 hits, (26 doubles, 9 triples, 12 HR's), for a .286 AVG with a .365 OBP, .471 SLG, .836 OPS, (122 OPS+), 22 steals and 54 RBI's.

?'s For The DC Faithful...

• Would Jordan Zimmermann have competed for the ROY award if he'd been able to go all season?

• Is Strasburg a lock for next year's award?

• Did I give Chris Coghlan too much credit with a third-place vote because of what he was able to do against the Nationals? Clearly, I wasn't the only one he impressed, but I wonder if the Marlins' early dominance of DC influenced my decision?

• Will the Pirates' OF of Lastings Milledge, McCutchen and (Jose Tabata?) be the envy of the NL in a few seasons? Did I tell you what Former DC GM Jim Bowden said about Milledge? No? Eh, some other time....

• Strasburg v Hanson Pt. 1? Who's going to miss that?

Poll

Who is your 2009 NL Rookie of the Year?

Tommy Hanson (ATL)

41 votes

Andrew McCutchen (PIT)

25 votes

J.A. Happ (PHI)

22 votes

Dexter Fowler (COL)

1 votes

Chris Coghlan (FLA)

24 votes

113 votes | Poll has closed