Baseball Notebook | Phils’ Rollins captures NL MVP
Jimmy Rollins won the National League MVP award Tuesday, edging Matt Holliday in a close race after propelling Philadelphia to its first playoff berth in 14 years with his speed and steady all-around play.
“It never crossed my mind that I would go out there and win an MVP,” Rollins said on a conference call from California. “I had a real big smile on my face, to make it simple. I was excited but I wasn’t quite sure what to feel.”
The Gold Glove shortstop received 16 of 32 first-place votes and finished with 353 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Rollins, left off the All-Star team in July, proved a prophet after saying last winter that Philadelphia was the team to beat in a competitive division. He backed it up with his stellar play on the field - and never backed off his confident comments.
“If I say something it’s because I believe in it,” he explained Tuesday.
Holliday, the left fielder who led Colorado’s surprising charge to the World Series, got 11 first-place votes and 336 points. Milwaukee slugger Prince Fielder came in third, with five first-place votes and 284 points.
It was the closest election for NL MVP since Atlanta third baseman Terry Pendleton beat out Pittsburgh’s Barry Bonds by 15 points in 1991.
“I don’t know what they look at,” Rollins said, “but being a shortstop, that’s No. 1. Defense is first. Defense is always first.”
Rollins batted .296 with 30 homers, 94 runs batted in and 41 steals from the leadoff spot, helping Philadelphia rally from a big September deficit to win the NL East. He led the league in runs (139) and triples (20), becoming the second consecutive Phillies player to win the MVP after Ryan Howard last year.
“I was like, if he can win it I can win it. The only thing he can do better than me is hit home runs further than me,” Rollins said.
Cleveland signs Japanese closer
The Cleveland Indians became the latest team to tap into Japan’s talented pitching pool, agreeing to a $6.25 million, two-year contract with free-agent closer Masahide Kobayashi.
The deal for Kobayashi, who had at least 20 saves in each of the past seven seasons, includes a $3.25 million club option for 2010.
The 33-year-old reliever spent the past nine seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines, currently managed by Bobby Valentine. The right-hander is one of three pitchers in Japanese baseball history with more than 200 saves.
Notes
• The New York Mets acquired Johnny Estrada from Milwaukee for reliever Guillermo Mota, moving quickly to plug their hole at catcher after talks with Yorvit Torrealba collapsed.
Estrada batted .278 with 10 homers and 54 RBI for the Brewers this year. He is eligible for arbitration this winter and can become a free agent after the 2008 season.
• The Phillies acquired outfielder Chris Snelling from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash. Snelling, a former Mariner, hit a combined .246 with one home run and seven runs batted in 30 games with Washington and Oakland this year. He missed most of the season with a bruised left knee.
• Cincinnati Reds stars past and present paid respects to Joe Nuxhall, joined by friends and fans who knew him only as the “old left-hander” from his folksy radio broadcasts or his charitable work.
Nuxhall made major-league history by pitching in his first game at age 15, then remained part of professional baseball for more than six decades. His death last week at age 79 brought an outpouring of mourning and tributes that his family says has been overwhelming.
• World Series MVP Mike Lowell and the Boston Red Sox finalized their $37.5 million, three-year contract. Lowell could have had a four-year deal with more guaranteed money elsewhere but chose to stay with the Red Sox.
“I feel the fans have embraced me, and I feel like I’ve embraced the fan base of Boston since Day 1,” he said.
ESPN.com reported Philadelphia and Lowell discussed a potential four-year deal Sunday night. Another possibility was the New York Yankees, who wanted Lowell to switch to first and could’ve hurt their major rival with the signing.
• Chicago Cubs President John McDonough resigned after a little more than a year on the job and became president of the Chicago Blackhawks. “I do see parallels” between the jobs, McDonough said at an afternoon news conference. “We have a lot of work to do.”
The most striking similarity may be long championship droughts; the Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908 and the Blackhawks haven’t captured the Stanley Cup since 1961.
• Torii Hunter has received two five-year offers on the free-agent market from other teams, but the Twins have not budged from their three-year, $45 million offer, a person close to the negotiations said.
Hunter’s agent, Larry Reynolds, called Twins general manager Bill Smith in an attempt to spur their talks last week, and neither side has come forward with a new proposal.
Hunter said that his goal is to make a decision next week on which team to play for, before baseball’s winter meetings on Dec. 3.
• Outfielder Scott Podsednik was cut by the Chicago White Sox, who no longer had a spot for the catalyst of their 2005 World Series championship team. The 31-year-old never regained the form he showed in 2005, when he batted .290 and stole 59 bases, the second-highest total in franchise history.
• Geoff Blum, who helped beat Houston in the 2005 World Series, agreed to a $1.1 million, one-year contract with the Astros.
• Former Pittsburgh outfielder Gary Varsho was hired as new Pirates manager John Russell’s bench coach.
• The San Diego Padres agreed to terms with four minor-league free agents, including infielder Edgar Gonzalez, the older brother of San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.