The Tampa Bay Rays 2009 award winners

September 29, 2:24 PMTampa Bay Rays ExaminerRob Quinn

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Carl Crawford, 2009 Rays MVP AP Photo/Steve Nesius

As the Rays scratch and claw their way to the finish line in a desperate attempt to finish over .500 in 2009, it’s time to recognize the individual achievements of this year’s team. Unlike the 2008 edition of the Rays’ awards, this year’s version will not have much of a celebratory feel about it, as the Rays fell short of their goals as a team.

Rookie of the Year: Jeff Niemann. This was a no-brainer. Even though Niemann will likely lose out on the American League Rookie of the Year Award, he exceeded almost everyone’s expectations by going 12-6 with a 3.94 ERA while logging 175.2 innings in 29 starts.

Most Improved Player: Ben Zobrist. Another no-brainer. Zobrist’s production was unbelievable this season – 25 HR, 84 RBI, 86 RS, 89 BB, .400 OBP, and 16 SB. Apparently all Zorilla needed was some regular playing time, and the early-season injury to Akinori Iwamura gave Zobrist the opportunity to play everyday. The 2009 All-Star will certainly be a full-time starter again in 2010; we’re just not sure about what position he will play yet.

Newcomer of the Year: Lance Cormier. The bullpen doesn’t have too much to be proud of at this point, but Cormier proved to be a valuable addition to the team. After coming over as a free agent from Baltimore in the offseason, Cormier surprised just by making the Opening Day roster. After seemingly appearing in every game in April and May, Maddon managed to lighten Cormier’s load in the second half as Lance finished the season with 51 G, 75.1 IP, a 3-3 record, 2 saves and a 3.23 ERA

Relief Man of the Year: J.P. Howell. Yes, J.P. had a terrible finish to the season, but there is no debating the fact he was the best man in the Rays’ bullpen. He still managed to wind up with good numbers at 7-5, 2.84 ERA, 17 SV, .197 BAA, and 79 K in 66.2 IP. Perhaps J.P. is not best-suited for the everyday closer role, but the Rays didn’t have much of a choice this season.

Gold Glove Award: Evan Longoria. It will be interesting to see whether or not Longo gets American League honors here at third base, but he was very consistent and often brilliant for the Rays in 2009. He works extremely hard on his defense and should win quite a few Gold Gloves before he’s done.

Cy Young Award: Jeff Niemann. If Matt Garza gets run support, this award is his. Matt only received 3.9 per game though, and ended up with an 8-11 record. Niemann had a consistent season and led the team in wins and winning percentage, so despite receiving almost an unfair amount of run support (6.1/G), the award is his.

Most Valuable Player: Carl Crawford. With all due respect to R.J. Anderson over at DRaysBay, his assertion that anyone other than Longoria and Zobrist should not be considered for this award is crazy. (Note that because I said "with all due respect", I can say whatever I want about R.J., no matter how malicious or hateful it may be.) I understand the WAR stat and understand the fact that it is apparently the true measure of a player’s value, but I am not obsessed with it. Crawford’s numbers alone stand right up there with anyone else on the team, but it was Carl’s presence on the basepaths this season that intimidated opposing pitchers into making many mistakes, helping guys like Longoria and Zobrist to put up even better numbers. I’m not trying to discredit anyone else on the team, but among the five (including Bartlett and Pena) deserving candidates for this award, Crawford produced individually and made everyone else better, which means he’s getting my vote (but the decision was EXTREMELY difficult).

Disagree with my selections? Let the debate begin – comment on it.

Here we go again with the Milton Bradley rumors – Tampa Bay Sports Examiner Ted Fleming has his take on it right here.

Jason Bartlett hits: 156

Jason Bartlett groundball singles between short and third: 31

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