Big-time stars in small-time markets

As baseball season comes to a close during a year when the pennant races have been about as dramatic as an 8:15 a.m. biology class, much discussion has turned toward the postseason awards. In the American League, the curse of the small-market team might keep two very deserving players out of the winner's circle.

The Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player are the two most prestigious individual awards in baseball. Naturally, voters are more likely to cast their ballots for players they see playing on a regular basis, and who are leading their teams into the playoffs, but this year baseball writers should make sure they take a hard look into Middle America before they make up their minds.

Let's start with the Cy Young. New York Yankees starter CC Sabathia has won 19 games for the best team in the majors.

Detroit's Justin Verlander has won 17 and struck out an astonishing 256 opposing batters. But the best pitcher in the American League plays for the Kansas City Royals and his name is Zach Greinke.

Greinke looks like he could be a college freshman with his baby face and wiry build, but on the mound he is almost unhittable. He leads the AL in ERA and strikeouts, and is second in complete games. Since 1973, only four other pitchers have had an ERA as low as Greinke's. Their names: Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Ron Guidry and Jim Palmer. That's pretty good company.

Greinke's naysayers will unquestionably point to his 15-8 record as the black eye on his otherwise sterling resume, but a closer look at his 15 wins makes them seem much more impressive than 19 wins for a team that actually knows how to score runs. During eight games this season, Greinke has been credited with a no decision during games when he allowed three runs or fewer, including four games when he allowed no more than one run.

Four of his losses have come during games when he allowed three runs or fewer, including two losses in games when he allowed only one run. On the other hand, in Sabathia's seven losses, he allowed four runs or more in each of them. Give Greinke even half of the run support Sabathia has and he might have already won 20 games.

In the MVP race, Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer would be the clear cut winner if he played in Boston or New York, but because he doesn't, plenty of fans probably don't realize the numbers he's putting up.

First off, Mauer plays one of the most important positions in baseball other than pitcher. Look at many of the dynasties in the history of baseball - nearly all of them are anchored by an All-Star catcher. Jorge Posada helped led the Yankees in the late 90s. Yogi Berra did it many years before for the Yanks in the 40s. And sandwiched in between was a guy named Johnny Bench, who helped lead the Big Red Machine to four National League pennants and two World Series during the early 70s. When you talk about a valuable position, Mauer's is at the top of the list.

It's not as if Mauer is just a catcher - he's also probably the best hitter in baseball. His .371 (as of Sunday) batting average is the best in the American League, as is his .604 slugging percentage and .445 on-base percentage. His 28 home runs and 92 RBI are also good for top 15 in the AL. And he's not exactly batting in a lineup full of scary hitters. Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer lead the Twins in RBI and home runs respectively, but Mauer could easily pass them both by season's end. Oh, and the fact that both Morneau and Cuddyer are hitting under .280 doesn't exactly entice opposing pitchers to give Mauer anything to hit.

Mark Teixiera, one of Mauer's leading opponents for the MVP, has the protection of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Robinson Cano and the best offense baseball behind him. Pitchers can just skip over Teixiera and move onto the next guy, because the next guy's a threat, too. If Mauer were hitting fourth in the Yankee line-up in the Little League field known as the new Yankee Stadium, he could very well be breaking records.

Now, granted, Mauer's Twins are in danger of falling a few games shy of reaching the postseason, but it certainly isn't because of him. If they do find a way into the playoffs, it's because they have Joe Mauer on their team, simple as that.

So as the Major League Baseball season nears its end, Kansas City and Minnesota have something to be proud of. Mauer and Greinke do, too. Maybe, if they're lucky, they can find a way out of their respective small markets and into the bright lights of a city where people actually pay attention to star athletes. Maybe then they'll get the credit they deserve.

Contact staff writer Reilly Moore at reilly.moore@richmond.edu