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I would not change a thing about any of the picks. Spot on.

Hard to argue, I' d maybe put a vote in for Fien as top relief pitcher with Perk being the top pitcher, he's pitched in some pretty high leverage situations and done very well.

Good list, it could be longer though.

 

For example:

 

I'd nominate Dozier for the Nick Punto Dirtiest Jersey award. He is really starting to dial in that sliding onto one knee backhand in the hole move.

 

Justin Morneau for the Carl Pavano Totally Satisfying Meltdown award. Mainly because he has no rivals but also he threw his helmet and bat in New York the other day. That was sort of angry, although not angry enough to warrant an ejection as he immediately picked up the bat.

 

Swarzak for the Matt Guerrier Meaningless Mop up Appearances award. Swarzie leads Roenicke by a solid 15 appearances, by my count.

 

For the Joe Benson Most Disappointing Prospect award - this is a close one, but I have to give Aaron Hicks the slight edge over Oswaldo Arcia. Arcia just has a little too much production, despite his 13/19 strikeout run going into the break. Hicks has been trending the wrong way but still has holds edge. The 2nd half could easily see Arcia takeover the lead, however.

 

And the clear frontrunner for the Butera award for Excellence in Breathing: Chris Parmelee. Man, can that kid breathe.

I'm going to argue that Hicks ends up as the teams ROY. He's not going to end up as a plus hitter when the full-season is taken into account, but the defense is there and the second half hitting will be strong enough to make him the best overall rookie. I always like to take evolution into account with rookies and I think by the end of the season we're going to view Hicks as a plus MLB CF. Everything has to count, so you can't ignore Hicks' horrific start at the plate, but at the same time you can't ignore his consistently good defense and the fact that he's been able to stay in the lineup for almost the whole season and worked his way out of the mess.

 

It's no knock on Arcia, just a vote of confidence for Hicksie.

Kind of what I was thinking too. After that absolutely abysmal start, Hicks has actually trended from serviceable to good to surprisingly good. Arcia needs work. My guess is that by the end of the year, Hicks is considered further along. The CF defense doesn't hurt either.

I don't think Perkins should qualify for both, so Deduno for POY, or else, Fien for relief.

What about Most Improved? I think Dozier or Florimon can both make a case. They deserve some recognition for turning the middle infield into a strength.

Good list, it could be longer though.

 

For example:

 

I'd nominate Dozier for the Nick Punto Dirtiest Jersey award. He is really starting to dial in that sliding onto one knee backhand in the hole move.

 

Justin Morneau for the Carl Pavano Totally Satisfying Meltdown award. Mainly because he has no rivals but also he threw his helmet and bat in New York the other day. That was sort of angry, although not angry enough to warrant an ejection as he immediately picked up the bat.

 

Swarzak for the Matt Guerrier Meaningless Mop up Appearances award. Swarzie leads Roenicke by a solid 15 appearances, by my count.

 

For the Joe Benson Most Disappointing Prospect award - this is a close one, but I have to give Aaron Hicks the slight edge over Oswaldo Arcia. Arcia just has a little too much production, despite his 13/19 strikeout run going into the break. Hicks has been trending the wrong way but still has holds edge. The 2nd half could easily see Arcia takeover the lead, however.

 

And the clear frontrunner for the Butera award for Excellence in Breathing: Chris Parmelee. Man, can that kid breathe.

With Gardy at the helm, the Punto award, and the Butera award cannot be forgotten