A-Rod, Wang Headline Projected American League Award Winners

   The American League dominated the headlines this past off-season with the acquisition of several big-name player.  These acquisitions include the Tigers off-season trade for Miguel Cabrera  and Dontrelle Willis, the Angels acquisitions of Torii Hunter,  and  the Alex Rodriguez receiving another record-setting contract, this one from the New York Yankees.  All of the star power in the American League will create serious competition for the four play-off spots, as well as for the individual awards.  Here are my projections for the American League's regular season award winners.

• MVP: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees.  This was the easiest selection of all.  A-Rod is the best player in the game today and he is still in his prime.  Hitting alongside the likes of Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Bobby Abreu, and Hideki Matsui will offer him protection in the line-up as well.  I would say a .300 batting average, 50 home runs, and 140 R.B.I.'s are not out of the question for A-Rod.
• Cy Young: Chien-Ming Wang, Yankees.  Wang is the most consistent pitcher in the American League.  With the offense that he has behind him, Wang should be able to win 20 games easily.  Look for him to post an E.R.A. around 3.00 with 20 wins and 200 innings.
• Reliever of the Year: Francisco Rodriguez, Angels.  Rodriguez is one of the best closers in the game and he plays for the a very good team that will get him plenty of save opportunities.  A sub-3.00 E.R.A. and 45 saves should be enough to win him the award.
• Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria, Rays.  Longoria is up in the majors for good now.  As one of the most talented rookies, he should be able to put up some very good numbers this season.  Expect him to put up numbers similar to what Delmon Young put up for the Rays last season.  Longoria is the best hitting rookie in the American League this year, and he will show it consistently throughout the season.
• Manager of the Year: Ron Gardenhire, Twins.  The Twins are actually better than people think and they will be able to sneak upon teams for much of the season.  They will be in contention for most of the season but, they will ultimately fall short of the play-offs.  The low expectations coupled with the Twins staying in contention for much of the season will get Gardenhire a lot of Manager of the Year votes.

The final two categories aren't actually awards but, they fit in well with the awards projections.

• Surprise of the Season: Josh Hamilton, Rangers.  Hamilton played well last season for the Reds and put up good numbers.  Now that he can play full-time in Texas, which has a very hitter-friendly ballpark, he will show people why he was drafted number 1 overall in the 1999 draft.  He will become the centerpiece of the Rangers offense and will hit .300 with around 35 home runs.
• Disappointment of the Season: Erik Bedard, Mariners.  I don't have a lot of confidence in Bedard. First of all, he is injury-prone, as he showed at the end of last season and the start of this season.  Second, I truly believe that much of his success came from working with Leo Mazzone all of last season.  Brace yourselves Mariners fans, Bedard will be a major let-down.