MLB Error: 5 Reasons Detroit's Austin Jackson Should Be AL Rookie of the Year
The mainstream media's fascination with closers reached another level Monday with the announcement that Neftali Feliz of the Texas Rangers has been named American League Rookie of the Year by the voters from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).
Everyday player Austin Jackson, center fielder for the Detroit Tigers, finished second, but it wasn't really close. Feliz nabbed 20 of the 28 first-place votes; the other eight went to Jackson.
The writers were blinded by Feliz's 40 saves for a division winner. We can debate how important a stat saves really are (and we will), but to deny an everyday position player like Jackson the award was a travesty.
What follows are five reasons this is so.
No. 5: The Rangers Ran Away with the AL West
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This may seem like an argument for Feliz, but here's why it isn't.
The Rangers led the AL West by four-and-a-half games at the All-Star break and were never really threatened after that. They went into September with an eight-and-a-half game lead over Oakland. So the Rangers didn't exactly have a nail-biting divisional race on their hands.
As a result, Feliz wasn't saving a lot of "must-win" games for his team.
Feliz's overall numbers were very good, no question about that. But he hardly was the reason the Rangers won the division, nor was he put in very many pressure-packed situations.
No. 4: Jackson Filled Some Big Shoes in Detroit
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Curtis Granderson was the most popular thing in Detroit since the gas guzzler when he was traded to the Yankees last December.
Nice guy Curtis was adored in Detroit and the surrounding community for his charitable work and his infectious smile. All that, and he was a pretty good ballplayer, to boot.
When Granderson was dealt, there was a pall cast over the city.
Enter rookie Jackson, who was anointed the everyday center fielder before spring training even began.
All he was asked to do was bat leadoff (Granderson's old spot in the order), play center field (Granderson's old position) and make us forget...Curtis Granderson.
By the All-Star break, that mission was accomplished; in fact, Jackson pretty much erased Granderson from the minds of most Tigers fans when he made an unworldly catch to temporarily save Armando Galarraga's perfect game in the ninth inning in early June.
There were gobs of Tigers fans (I wasn't one of them, by the way) who mourned the loss of Granderson. By season's end, Granderson's memory had faded, replaced by stunning images of the center fielder of the future, Austin Jackson.
No. 3: Closers Don't Get the Game's Most Crucial Outs, Anyway
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This isn't an anti-Feliz statement, it's fact.
Think about the game situation when a closer enters to try for a save.
First, two of the definitions of a save are that a team's lead must be no more than three runs or the tying run must be in the on-deck circle when the reliever enters the game.
Most closers enter games at the start of the ninth inning, on most occasions with a clean slate (no runners on base).
Now think about the duties of the set-up man.
Often he's running into a raging fire, looking to save the crying baby.
Runners on base. Less than two outs. Game on the line.
Just because all this takes place in the seventh or eighth inning doesn't mean it's less important than getting outs No. 25, 26 and 27.
I submit to you that outs No. 21 through 24 are every bit as crucial—and more difficult to get—than those the closer typically gets.
In 2010, opponents batted .160 against Feliz with the bases empty, and .245 with runners in scoring position. That statistical oddity really isn't; most closers have similar inflections in their opponents' BA when they have to pitch with some ducks on the pond, as opposed to the nice clean slate at the top of the inning.
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No. 2: Could Other Rangers Pitchers Have Gotten 40 Saves in 2010?
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You don't think that right-hander Darren O'Day, with his 72 appearances, 2.03 ERA and .196 opponent BA, could have gotten outs No. 25 through 27 had Feliz not been around?
Of course he could have.
And so could a lot more relievers than you might want to think.
It's amazing to me that managers don't try "closer by committee," because it would give them more flexibility, and because most capable big-league relievers can pitch the ninth inning as well as the next guy.
Now, could any other position player have done what Austin Jackson did, playing center field AND batting leadoff? As a rookie?
Not nearly as many as could have saved games for the runaway Rangers.
No. 1: The Everyday Player Should Get More Consideration
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Austin Jackson played in 151 of the Tigers' 162 games, or 93 percent.
The numbers by themselves are impressive: 103 runs scored, 34 doubles, 10 triples, .293 BA, .345 OBA, .400 slugging percentage and 27 stolen bases (only caught stealing six times). Plus, Jackson's defense was outstanding; he actually showed more range than Granderson, and I didn't think that was possible, much less likely.
Yes, he struck out 170 times. But even the writers who voted for Feliz acknowledged that Jackson's strikeout total didn't affect his chances; they dwelled on the supposed "impact" Feliz made on the Rangers.
An everyday player who has to face an untold number of pitchers for the first time, charged with leading off and jump-starting his team's offense, replacing an immensely popular predecessor and doing it all while hitting .300-plus for all but the last couple weeks of the season should have gotten more than eight out of 28 first-place votes.
In fact, he should have won.
Neftali Feliz had a fine rookie season, no question. But saves are overrated, are rarely earned during high-pressure game situations and most of Feliz's were accumulated while the Rangers were running away and hiding from the rest of the AL West.
The BBWAA got this one wrong.
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