Baseball / Ross Newhan : Picking the Winners: Dawson, Bell the Most Valuable Players?

A summing up:

THE AWARDS

American League MVP: 1.--George Bell, Toronto; 2.--Alan Trammell, Detroit; 3.--Kirby Puckett, Minnesota.

National League MVP: 1.--Andre Dawson, Chicago; 2.--Tim Wallach, Montreal; 3.--Jack Clark, St. Louis.

Comment: Yes, it’s difficult giving the MVP award to a player on a last-place team. Yes, if the Cubs finished last with Dawson, they couldn’t have finished any lower without him. But in the absence of a player-of-the-year award, the MVP has often saluted the season’s outstanding performance, regardless of the standings. There is no rule, in other words, that says the MVP has to belong to a winning team, though the baseball writers, who do the voting, justifiably lean that way when possible.

Tim Wallach and Jack Clark rank as the leading candidates on the basis of that latter criterion. Clark, however, appeared in only 144 games and failed to start over the final three weeks, when the Cardinals maintained their Eastern Division lead without him. Wallach was a significant influence on the surprising success of the Expos, but his numbers were still overshadowed by Dawson’s.

Dawson’s statistics were overwhelmingly the league’s best. He was a marked man on a bad team but remained at his own high level rather than sinking to his teammates’, not an easy thing to do.

Several players had remarkable seasons in the American League--Dwight Evans, Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly, Paul Molitor, Mark McGwire and Wally Joyner--but Bell and Trammell were the real standouts. Bell is second in homers with 47 and first in runs batted in with 134. Though struggling lately, his clutch hitting in September should serve to speak for a man who doesn’t generally speak to voters.

AL Cy Young: 1.--Roger Clemens, Boston; 2.--Mark Langston, Seattle; 3.--Jimmy Key, Toronto.

NL Cy Young: 1.--Rick Sutcliffe, Chicago; 2.--Steve Bedrosian, Philadelphia; 3.--Nolan Ryan, Houston.

Comment: Clemens missed most of spring training, was 4-6 in mid-June and now ranks at or near the top in almost every pitching category, including, of course, victories. He is clearly the class of the league, although Langston, with three strikeout titles in the last four seasons, may be the real lord of the Ks.

There was no clear-cut choice in the National League, though the remarkable Ryan would have been it with any kind of support. Bedrosian appeared in 64 games and saved 40, but Sutcliffe closed with a flourish, beating the division’s three top teams in September, and he would have won 20 easily except for one bad month--August, when he battled a blister and sore shoulder.

AL rookie of the year: 1.--Mark McGwire, Oakland; 2.--Kevin Seitzer, Kansas City; 3.--Matt Nokes, Detroit.

NL rookie of the year: 1.--Benito Santiago, San Diego; 2.--Mike Dunne, Pittsburgh; 3.--Casey Candaele, Montreal.

Comment: In another banner year for freshmen, McGwire put together one of the greatest rookie seasons ever. It was almost as if his competition--Seitzer, Nokes, Devon White and Mike Greenwell, among others--weren’t even in the same league, when, in fact, any of them might have justifiably won this award in any other year.

Santiago, likewise, had the National League award wrapped up even before embarking on his hitting streak. The NL could save space on its All-Star ballot for the next decade by simply conceding the catching position to him.

AL rookie pitcher of the year: Mike Henneman, Detroit.

NL rookie pitcher of the year: Dunne.

Comment: Henneman edges the Angels’ DeWayne Buice because he represented the only reliability in a bad bullpen and significantly helped the Tigers reach the season’s final weekend with a shot at the division title.

Dunne is 12-6 for the suddenly promising Pirates, and Whitey Herzog is still grumbling about having to include him in the deal that brought Tony Pena to St. Louis.

AL comeback of the year: Tommy John, New York.

NL comeback of the year: Pedro Guerrero, Los Angeles.

Comment: After batting only 61 times last year, Guerrero came back from his leg injury and will finish second in the league in hitting and among the leaders in home runs, with 27, and RBIs, 89, through Friday. He also refused to be influenced by the trashy performances surrounding him. His status as a regular player gives him an edge in this category over Dennis Martinez and Pascual Perez, the Montreal reclamation projects, who are 11-3 and 7-0, respectively.

John appeared in only 13 games with the Yankees last year and had accepted a job as pitching coach at the University of North Carolina, only to have unspecified problems develop there, prompting him to forsake retirement. He returned at 44 to go 13-6 and lead the Yankees in games started.

AL manager of the year: 1.--Tom Kelly, Minnesota; 2.--Sparky Anderson, Detroit; 3.--Tom Trebelhorn, Milwaukee.

NL manager of the year: 1.--Bob (Buck) Rodgers, Montreal; 2.--Roger Craig, San Francisco; 3.--Whitey Herzog, St. Louis.

Comment: Those were three big jobs in the National League but Rodgers seemed to face the toughest task. The Expos lost Dawson and Jeff Reardon and went without Tim Raines until May. Rodgers first had to convince the Expos that they could play and then help them prove it.

He took them to the wire after it was predicted that they would finish somewhere near the cellar and that he would finish even farther away, probably at his Yorba Linda home, unemployed.

The Twins, of course, had only to beat a federation of stiffs but they had to do it with a two-man starting staff of Frank Viola and Bert Blyleven and a dual personality that prevented them from winning on the road. Give Kelly some credit and the single-season record for cliches.

Executive of the year: 1.--Al Rosen, San Francisco; 2.--Bill Lajoie, Detroit; 3.--Andy MacPhail, Minnesota.

Comment: Rosen sensed it, smelled it and went after it. His bold series of second-half trades solidified the Giants’ pitching staff, eased a clubhouse sore spot with the departure of Chris Brown, an alleged malingerer, and left the runner-up Reds grumbling at their own management, wondering how so many pitchers got away.

In the year of the continuing conspiracy, most of Rosen’s counterparts belong in the hall of shame.

MANAGERIAL CHAIRS

Larry Bowa, Lee Elia and John Wathan have been re-signed for 1988. Pete Rose has apparently decided to serve out the final year of his Cincinnati contract. Nevertheless, seven clubs end the season with their managers’ status in doubt:

--Tom Lasorda has a year left on his contract with the Dodgers, but yearns for the front office, where Fred Claire now seems entrenched. Will he remain as manager? Will he leave for the promise of a dual role with the Cubs or Yankees or a front-office position with the Phillies, once his hometown team? Who would replace him? Joe Amalfitano? Bill Russell? John Roseboro? Peter O’Malley holds the key and apparently isn’t ready to use it yet.

--Gene Mauch has a year left on his contract with the Angels and is sending out mixed signals. Sources say he has told his coaches that he may not be back, that this season was just too frustrating. But another AL manager said that Mauch told him he wouldn’t walk out on a sixth- or seventh-place finish, that he would hope to leave the organization in better shape and on a higher note. General Manager Mike Port says it will be Mauch’s decision. Would protege Bob Boone replace him or could the Angels be influenced to go after one of their originals, Rodgers?

--Lou Piniella is expected to be fired as the Yankee manager. Lasorda is one option. Another: Owner George Steinbrenner could recycle Billy Martin for a year, giving Bucky Dent, who managed the Yankees’ triple-A farm club at Columbus, a little more seasoning.

--The Cubs are expected to choose from among Lasorda, third base coach John Vukovich and former Cleveland Manager Pat Corrales, who once roomed with club President Dallas Green when they were minor league teammates.

--The White Sox, with a good second half, continue to keep Jim Fregosi in suspense. They have not even invited him to participate in next week’s series of organization meetings. Del Crandall has been rumored as a possible successor.

--Cleveland is expected to rehire Doc Edwards.

--A front-office purge is expected to claim Baltimore General Manager Hank Peters and farm director Tom Giordano. It was initially thought that Manager Cal Ripken Sr., would survive, if only to keep Cal Ripken Jr., who is eligible for free agency. But owner Edward Bennett Williams is said to be displeased by his manager’s lack of control. The senior Ripken has been ejected eight times this season, four in the last 2 1/2 weeks.

THE MARKET

It could be an active winter, providing the conspiracy ruling and a quality list of eligible free agents prompt the owners to revive the market. That still seems unlikely, though.

Among those eligible for free agency are Mike Schmidt, Dale Murphy, Jack Clark, Jesse Barfield, Tim Wallach, Jack Morris, Gary Gaetti, Paul Molitor, Dave Righetti, Mike Witt and the aforementioned Ripken.

The widespread search for a limited commodity--quality pitching--could lead to an active winter even if collusion persists.

--The Orioles and Red Sox will continue efforts to trade Eddie Murray and Jim Rice and their $2-million-plus salaries.

--The Dodgers will continue to shop Mike Marshall, with an eye, perhaps, to dealing Guerrero instead, particularly if the Blue Jays would consider trading Tony Fernandez.

--The Yankees believe Rickey Henderson quit on them in the second half, are high on Roberto Kelly, a Henderson type, and are looking for a catcher, shortstop and more pitchers. The Dodgers may offer a package that would include Bob Welch.

--Kansas City may finally part with Mark Gubicza or Danny Jackson in a bid to bolster the offense.

--The Cubs would apparently trade Leon Durham or Keith Moreland for a third baseman or starting pitcher.

--Cincinnati may finally have to offer Kurt Stillwell rather than Nick Esasky or Tracy Jones for the needed pitching.

--The Phillies will offer Glenn Wilson for a pitcher, the Mets will offer Mookie Wilson, and the Indians will join the pitching pursuit, offering Pat Tabler or Brook Jacoby.

--Seattle will offer Mike Moore, a 19-game loser with a 20-win arm, for a proven power hitter, the White Sox may deal Harold Baines for a third baseman with power, and the Blue Jays may go after yet another pitcher by offering Lloyd Moseby.

--The Angels will pursue power, offering Gary Pettis, Gus Polidor and a prospect or two.

So now, as one season ends, another begins. The question: Who’s throwing out the first trade pitch?