Sox' Fields won't be among AL award winners
White Sox third baseman/left fielder Josh Fields should get plenty of votes, but he figures to fall short in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Outside of Fields, the Sox should be deservedly absent in the other award categories (MVP, Cy Young, Manager of the Year).
With just four days left in the regular season, let's take a look at the likely winners:
MVP: At the all-star break, Detroit Tigers right fielder Magglio Ordonez was the obvious choice as the AL's best player.
Ordonez, who played for the White Sox from 1997-2004, batted .367 and had 13 home runs and 70 RBI in the first half. That's a career year for many hitters, but New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is hardly ordinary.
Since the break, Rodriguez has carried the Yankees back into playoff contention while batting .305 with 22 homers and 61 RBI.
Overall, the 32-year-old infielder is batting .311 (through Tuesday), and he leads the major leagues in home runs (53) and RBI (151).
Ordonez is a great player and is having the greatest season of his career. But Rodriguez is a lock to win his third MVP trophy.
After Ordonez there is a bit of a drop-off, but Los Angeles Angels right fielder Vladimir Guerrero is a solid third choice, followed by another familiar contender -- Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz. Let's put Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena (.277, 42 HR, 116 RBI) fifth.
Cy Young Award: The Cleveland Indians have talented hitters such as Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner.
But pitching is the main reason the Tribe ran away in the AL Central this season. And two of their starters -- C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona -- are deserving in this category.
It's going to be a close vote, but let's project Sabathia as the winner. Heading into Wednesday, the big left-hander led the AL in innings pitched (234) and was second in wins (18) and complete games (4).
We'll put Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett (20-6, 3.14 ERA) second, followed by Carmona, the Angels' John Lackey (18-9, 3.11) and the Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang (18-7, 3.72).
Rookie of the Year: Had he not spent the first two months of the season at Class AAA Charlotte, Josh Fields would probably be the White Sox' first Rookie of the Year since scrawny shortstop Ozzie Guillen (1985).
Fields, who should be the Sox' starting left fielder in 2008, has put up impressive power numbers (22 home runs, 65 RBI) in just 353 at-bats, and he is going to get some votes.
But there are a lot of standout rookies in the AL this season, headed by Tampa Bay outfielder Delmon Young (.292, 13 HR, 93 RBI) and Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia (.314, 7 HR, 49 RBI).
Let's put Fields third, followed by Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka (14-12, 4.48 ERA) and Angels left fielder Reggie Willits (.297, 27 stolen bases, 34 RBI).
Manager of the Year: Cleveland's Eric Wedge is probably going to win this one, but my vote would go to New York's Joe Torre.
The Yankees were 43-43 at the all-star break, and with an aging starting rotation and unproven bullpen, it looked like they'd miss the postseason for the first time since 1993.
Instead, Torre kept a cool head under enormous pressure and New York bounced back strong in the second half.