News
Rough year leads to quiet awards front
Last-place finish leaves D-backs on outside looking in
By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com
11/16/09 9:50 PM EST
PHOENIX -- A tough year in the standings led to a quiet awards season for the D-backs. For the first time in years the D-backs, who finished last in the National League West in 2009, do not have a player up for one of the major awards.
The D-backs do not have a long history -- they've played 12 seasons -- but they have more than their fair share of Cy Young Award winners thanks to Randy Johnson and Brandon Webb.
Johnson won the award four straight years from 1999-2002, while Webb captured the award in 2006 and finished second in the balloting in '07 and '08. This past season, though, Webb started just one game before succumbing to shoulder problems that resulted in surgery. Dan Haren looked like he might pick up the torch for Webb, when he finished the first half of the 2009 season with a 2.01 ERA. The right-hander, though, was not able to keep up that breakneck pace in the second half and is not likely to crack the top three in the voting. The D-backs have never had a Most Valuable Player winner. Luis Gonzalez got some consideration for the award in 2001, when he hit 57 homers, but Barry Bonds and his 73 home runs prevailed in the voting. This year, D-backs third baseman Mark Reynolds was a contender for the Silver Slugger Award following a season in which he slugged 44 home runs, but the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman was chosen instead. Reynolds ranked second among third baseman in OPS (on-base plus slugging) with an .892 mark, behind Pablo Sandoval (.943) and ahead of Zimmerman (.888). Reynolds' homer total easily outpaced Zimmerman (33) while his RBI total of 102 was two behind the 2009 Silver Slugger. Gonzalez and pitcher Micah Owings are the only players in franchise history to win Silver Slugger Awards. Gonzalez won in 2001, while Owings was rewarded for his outstanding '07 campaign, when he slugged four homers in 60 at-bats and had an OPS of 1.033. The club will announce its organizational player and pitcher of the year awards later this month. Past position-player winners include Jack Cust (1999), Chad Tracy (2003), Carlos Quentin (2004) and Justin Upton (2007). Among the pitchers to have won the award are Brad Penny (1997 and '98) as well as Owings (2006).
| National Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL Cy Young | Year | Rawlings Gold Glove | Year | Silver Slugger | Year |
| Randy Johnson | 1999-2002 | Steve Finley, OF | 1999-2000 | Luis Gonzalez, OF | 2001 |
| Brandon Webb | 2006 | Orlando Hudson, 2B | 2006-07 | Micah Owings, P | 2007 |
| Manager of the Year | Year | Roberto Clemente | Year | ||
| Bob Melvin | 2007 | Curt Schilling | 2001 | ||
| Local Awards | |||||
| Player of the Year | Year | Pitcher of the Year | Year | Rookie of the Year | Year |
| Devon White | 1998 | Gregg Olson | 1998 | Travis Lee | 1998 |
| Matt Williams | 1999 | Randy Johnson | 1999-2002, 2004 | Erubiel Durazo | 1999 |
| Steve Finley | 2000, 2002 | Curt Schilling | 2001 | Vicente Padilla | 2000 |
| Luis Gonzalez | 2000-01, 2003 | Brandon Webb | 2003, 2005-08 | Brett Prinz | 2001 |
| Randy Johnson | 2004 | Dan Haren | 2009 | Mike Koplove | 2002 |
| Tony Clark | 2005 | Brandon Webb | 2003 | ||
| Orlando Hudson | 2006 | Chad Tracy | 2004 | ||
| Eric Byrnes | 2007 | Brad Halsey | 2005 | ||
| Stephen Drew | 2008 | Conor Jackson | 2006 | ||
| Mark Reynolds | 2009 | Chris Young | 2007 | ||
| Max Scherzer | 2008 | ||||
| Good Guy Award | Year | Gerardo Parra | 2009 | ||
| Brian Anderson | 1998 | ||||
| Luis Gonzalez | 1999-2000 | ||||
| Mark Grace | 2001-03 | ||||
| Mike Koplove | 2004 | ||||
| Tony Clark | 2005, 2007 | ||||
| Luis Gonzalez | 1999-2000, 2006 | ||||
| Conor Jackson | 2008 | ||||
| Miguel Montero | 2009 | ||||
Steve Gilbert is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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