1990’s Best, and Why They Are So Good

And now, the envelopes please. . . .

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

American League: (1) Rickey Henderson, (2) Cecil Fielder, (3) Kelly Gruber.

National League: (1) Barry Bonds, (2) Darryl Strawberry, (3) Bobby Bonilla.

Comment: If Andre Dawson won the National League’s 1987 MVP award because of overwhelming home run and runs-batted-in statistics with the last place Chicago Cubs, does that mean Fielder should win the American’s 1990 award because of similar statistics with the Detroit Tigers?

Not necessarily. There is no thread of continuity with this award, no clear definition. Is it most valuable player or player of the year? Sometimes they’re the same.

Fielder’s year enabled the Tigers to become modestly competitive after having lost 103 games in 1989. Gruber compiled numbers that pale only in comparison to Fielder’s and refused to let his Toronto Blue Jays die in September. Henderson cemented his generally accepted status as the best leadoff hitter ever with his best season as the ignition for baseball’s best team, the Oakland Athletics.

MVP? The difficult choice here is Henderson, who does so many more things than Fielder while hitting for some of that same power.

In the NL, it is similarly difficult to separate the contributions of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Killer B’s, Bonds and Bonilla, or to distinguish between the impact of Bonds and Bonilla on the Pirates and Strawberry on his New York Mets.

But Bonds’ catalytic influence on the bases--he became only the second player to hit 30 or more home runs and steal 50 or more bases--and his clear edge in batting average sway the vote.

CY YOUNG AWARD

American League: (1) Bob Welch, (2) Dave Stewart, (3) tie between Roger Clemens and Dave Stieb.

National League: (1) Doug Drabek, (2) Ramon Martinez, (3) tie between Dwight Gooden and Frank Viola.

Comment: Unlike the MVP and the impression that it should go to a player on a championship team, the Cy Young is based strictly on performance.

In the AL, there is no dismissing Welch’s 26 victories, although it is noteworthy that teammate Stewart will pitch Game 1 of the playoffs for the A’s.

In the NL, the Pirates’ Drabek has an edge over the Dodgers’ Martinez, who leads in strikeouts, complete games and shutouts but trails Drabek in victories and earned-run average. Either is a legitimate pick.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

American League: (1) Sandy Alomar Jr., (2) Kevin Maas, (3) Robin Ventura.

National League: (1) Dave Justice, (2) Delino DeShields, (3) Todd Zeile.

Comment: Some AL voters will be swayed by the 20 home runs that first baseman Maas has hit in a pressure-free half-season with the New York Yankees, but more impressive has been Alomar’s response to the promise of great expectations and his play at a more demanding position. The Cleveland Indians’ catcher, though wearing down some in September, is batting .285 with 63 runs batted in. Maas is hitting .240 and has driven in only 40 runs despite the homers.

Justice, whose arrival with the Atlanta Braves contributed to the departure of Dale Murphy, is an automatic choice in the NL with his 27 home runs and 70 RBIs, though DeShields has had an impressive debut with the Montreal Expos, hitting .292 with 39 stolen bases.

Though lacking the spectacular statistics of Mark McGwire or Jose Canseco, the 1990 freshman class is deep and talented and includes three late arrivals who would have been among the favorites for the 1991 rookie awards, except they won’t qualify as rookies: Juan Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers, Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox and Ray Lankford of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The ’90 class also has included several impressive pitchers, with the choice here for rookie pitchers of the year being Kevin Appier of the Kansas City Royals, with an 11-7 record and a 2.76 ERA, in the AL and Mike Harkey with a 12-6 mark for the Chicago Cubs in the NL.

FIREMAN OF THE YEAR

American League: (1) Bobby Thigpen, (2) Dennis Eckersley, (3) Doug Jones.

National League: (1) Randy Myers, (2) John Franco, (3) Lee Smith.

Comment: A major league-record 55 saves for the Chicago White Sox explains Thigpen, who in some years might also have won the Cy Young award, but not when measured against Welch’s 26 victories.

Myers, then with the Mets, and Franco, then with the Cincinnati Reds, were traded for one another last December and produced similar statistics for their new teams. Myers, however, did it with an intimidating fastball and a flamboyant personality that contributed to the Nasty Boys image of the bullpen and helped bring a new intensity to the Reds.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

American League: (1) Jeff Torborg, (2) Tony LaRussa, (3) Joe Morgan.

National League: (1) Buck Rodgers, (2) Tom Lasorda, (3) Lou Piniella.

Comment: Devastated by free-agent defections, the Expos remained a threat in the NL East under Rodgers’ calm and reassuring direction, which should never be mistaken for a lack of authority.

The overachieving White Sox, in winning more games than the 92 they lost last year, pitched and played team baseball, seemingly a tribute to Torborg. The mirrors may crack next year, but that will only underscore the magic of 1990.

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

American League: Larry Himes.

National League: Bob Quinn.

Comment: Through trades and drafts, Himes rebuilt the White Sox in record time and was fired just as quickly. It is speculated that he next will attempt to work wonders in Atlanta.

Quinn helped expunge the turmoil of the Pete Rose era in Cincinnati by hiring Piniella and trading for Myers, Hal Morris, Glenn Braggs and Billy Hatcher. He also convinced owner Marge Schott that she has to pop for more than dog food, and there is a new stability to a scouting department that was undermined by Schott’s previously penurious methods.

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR

American League: (1) Fielder, (2) Dave Winfield, (3) Alan Trammell.

National League: (1) Ron Gant, (2) Willie McGee, (3) John Tudor.

It will be argued that Fielder has never been anywhere to come back from except Japan and the Blue Jays’ bench, but that’s distance enough considering the unheralded magnitude of his 1990 performance.

In the NL, where Kal Daniels of the Dodgers and Oil Can Boyd of the Expos are also worthy of consideration, Gant has surprisingly and spectacularly fulfilled his promise with the Atlanta Braves after spending much of the 1989 season in the low minors, his career in doubt.

McGee will win the NL batting title while finishing the year with the AL A’s, having started it in the shadows of a career low .236 average with the St. Louis Cardinals during an injury-marred 1989.

POSTSEASON

American League: Stewart’s dominance in must-win games and the overall depth of the A’s makes it tough to pick against the incumbent champion--no matter who the opponent is in the playoffs or the World Series.

National League: Pittsburgh is clearly the more stable and talented team, but the awakening of Eric Davis in September will continue in October and be decisive for the Reds in a seven-game playoff.

WINTER GAMES

The salary escalation of last winter was just a start. A bumper crop of free agents is about to test the market and could be augmented by collusion rulings that would free others.

The eligibility list is headed by Strawberry, yearning to return to Southern California but seemingly indispensable to the Mets, a $4-million-a-year certainty.

Among other attractive position players expected to strain resources through free agency are Vince Colemen, Jack Clark, Kirk Gibson, Tom Brunansky, Candy Maldonado, Gary Gaetti, George Bell, Rob Deer, Juan Samuel, Don Slaught and McGee.

Eligible pitchers include Welch, Zane Smith, Scott Sanderson, Dave Righetti, Dave Smith, Fernando Valenzuela, Ron Robinson, Charlie Hough, Kevin Gross, Ted Higuera, Bud Black, Ken Dayley and Tudor.

Bring on the checkbooks.