2013 NASBL Postseason Awards Winners

The 2013 Post Season Awards voting is closed, and the winners are in!

2013 #1 overall draft pick and NASBL batting champ Mike Trout (.328/25/111) of the Ed Couch New Potatoes pulled off a double win, taking home both the Tastes Great MVP and TG Rookie of the Year Awards for fellow rookie Ed Killmer.  Besides the batting title, Trout led the NASBL in runs scored (103) and was 2nd in the Tastes Great in stolen bases with 32, a total trailing only that of all-time NASBL SB leader Juan Pierre (LVI) who once again led the league with 44.

Another rookie, Stephen Strasburg (16-4, 2.85, 251 K), took home the Tastes Great Cy Young award for Lehigh Valley.  The award was the 3rd such trophy for the Iron Pigs, with Strasburg's Cy joining those of Daisuke Matsuzaka (2008) and Clay Buchholz (2011) on owner Kevin Burns' mantle.  Strasburg was solid all around, finishing 2nd in ERA behind SPR's Clayton Richard (2.32), 2nd in strikeouts behind LCC's Clayton Kershaw (261), and 4th in wins.

The final Tastes Great award, the Fireman of the Year, was a clean sweep of the 1st place voting by 2012 FOY winner Craig Kimbrel (1-2, 0.68, 33 saves).  Besides the back-to-back awards by Kimbrel, Outlaw owner Mark Hildebrandt has also captained 2001 Keith Foulke to the TG Fireman's trophy.  Besides his microscopic ERA, Kimbrel posted a huge 15.2 K/9 ratio (89 strikeouts in 53 innings), and top-flight saves numbers (3rd in the Tastes Great behind CCC's Sergio Romo, who finished 2nd in the voting.)


In the Less Filling Conference, Miguel Cabrera (.301/36/116) brought Grundy County owner Jack Howard and his Grizzlies their first ever MVP Award.  Cabrera was solid all around, finishing 2nd in RBI behind TRY's Josh Hamilton, 2nd in doubles behind teammate Alex Gordon, 3rd in hits, and 4th in homeruns.

The Less Filling Cy Young was a surprise in several ways, as Shawnee Crow Justin Verlander (17-9, 3.27, 223 K) edged out Troy Haymaker worthy Scott Diamond (18-3, 2.82, 119 K) in the closest vote of the 2013 ballot.  The first surprise was to see the Less Filling leader in ERA, wins, and winning percentage fall by the wayside in the voting.  The second surprise was that this is the first NASBL Cy Young award in the career of Justin Verlander.  Perhaps the voters remembered that last year Verlander was beaten out for the LF Cy despite leading the conference in ERA, strikeouts, and shutouts (thanks to the winning ways of 26-victory 2012 Cy winner Matt Cain of SBU.)

The LF Rookie of the Year voting was far less controversial, as Jarrod Parker (15-10, 3.27) brought home the hardware for Vermont Fighting Sioux owner Justin Rabidoux.  The award was the 3rd ROY for the Sioux, with Parker joining 2009 Ubaldo Jimenez and Rabidoux's inaugural pick in his NASBL career 2002 Albert Pujols.

Finally, 2013 Less Filling Fireman of the Year Award winner Jim Johnson (6-4, 2.71, 45 saves) made the Shawnee Crows and Mike Johnson the only LF team to win two awards this offseason.  Johnson's 45 saves not only led the league in 2013, they were the 2nd highest single season total of all time in the NASBL (trailing only Michael "The Thriller" Jackson's 47 all the way back in 1999.)  This is the 2nd season in a row the LF FOY has gone to a Crow, with Johnson joining 2012 winner Ryan Madson.


Congratulations to all the winners!