DUGOUT: A premature look at the 2010 MLB Awards

The book was effectively closed on the 2009 season yesterday, as the NL MVP was announced to be Albert Pujols. The 29-year-old joined Joe Mauer, Zack Greinke, Tim Lincecum, and a plethora of other players who enjoyed excellent performances in 2009.

Pujols and Mauer are both elite players, and their MVP awards weren’t unprecedented. If anyone predicted last November that Greinke would be the best pitcher in the American League in 2009, though, I wasn’t notified.

Although the chances of success are extremely slim, here are my predictions for the winners of the 2010 MLB Awards.

AL MVP: Joe Mauer, C, Minnesota Twins.

Am I taking the easy way out? Sure, but anytime a 26-year old dominates the way Mauer did, he is automatically a candidate to repeat next year.

Mauer led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and enjoyed a new-found ability to hit with power, as he more than doubled his previous high with 28 home runs.

It was a career year for Mauer, and his chances of repeating this success next season are not high. Mauer will likely regress to his career line of .327/.408/.483 with just 17 home runs. The Minnesota native put up numbers worse than this in 2008, though, and still managed to finish fourth in MVP voting.

If Mauer has a career average season next year, he will still be among the few candidates for the 2010 AL MVP.

Other candidates: Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter. Dark horse: Ben Zobrist.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals.

Another lame answer, but Pujols is one of the most consistent offensive players in baseball history.

Pujols has finished in the top ten in MVP voting for every one of his nine seasons in the major leagues, and he only finished below the top five once.

Pujols’ career batting line is .334/.427/.628 with an average of 42 home runs per season. His career 172 OPS+ indicates that he is 72 percent better than league average over his nine seasons.

The winner of the Rookie of the Year Award in 2001, Pujols has three MVP awards, five Silver Sluggers, and eight All-Star appearances to his name.

Even though he won in a landslide yesterday, Pujols still has a very good chance of repeating his success.

Other candidates: Hanley Ramirez, Ryan Howard. Dark horse: Matt Kemp.

AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, SP, Seattle Mariners.

As is true in football, defense is also one of the most crucial elements in baseball.

The Mariners boast one of the best defenses across the board this decade, and advanced metrics estimate they saved their starting rotation over 85 runs throughout the 2009 season.

Hernandez, 23, finished second in Cy Young voting this past year despite pitching a terrific season. Striking out 217 batters and walking just 71, Hernandez won a league-high 19 games in 2009 despite playing behind the worst offense in the American League.

The young right-handed hurler just finished his fourth complete season in the major leagues, and debuted as a 19-year-old. There is still room for improvement for Hernandez, and if he comes even close to duplicating last season’s results, he’ll be among the finalists for the 2010 AL Cy Young award.

Other candidates: CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke. Dark horse: Rick Porcello.

NL Cy Young: Dan Haren, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks.

At 29 years of age, Haren has already played for three major-league teams and has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the National League, though he doesn’t have the awards to back up that claim.

In 2009, Haren allowed the fewest baserunners per inning pitched, and struck out the most per walk allowed in the league. The Diamondbacks have an above-average defense, but will be lucky to finish next year at the .500 mark, meaning Haren will not likely acquire the wins that Cy Young voters are so obsessed with.

Lincecum poses a very real threat to three-peat for the Cy Young award in 2010, as he will strike out more than 10 batters per nine innings regardless of his offensive or defensive support. Josh Johnson, assuming he plays next season with the Marlins, could also be in the running.

Haren isn’t a power pitcher and will rely on his defense, but should enjoy a breakout year in 2010, posting a low ERA and winning quite a few games, which is all the Cy Young voters look for.

Other candidates: Tim Lincecum, Cliff Lee. Dark horse: Josh Johnson.

Andrew Kneeland is a junior at the Arizona Virtual Academy. He is an intern at the Green Valley News.