November 15, 1996

1996 Internet Baseball Awards Results

by Greg Spira

Welcome to the presentation of the 5th annual Internet Baseball Awards, as voted on by the denizens of the Usenet rec.sport.baseball newsgroups and other cyberspace baseball fans.

Our efforts to more widely publicize the vote this year lead to a record number of ballots this year, with 120 distinguished respondents taking the time to vote. The great majority of voters this year took the time to fill out complete or nearly-complete ballots.

The point system for the balloting was as follows:

• MVP Ballots: 14 points for 1st place votes, 9 points for second place votes, 8 for third, 7 for fourth, 6 for fifth, 5 for sixth, 4 for seventh, 3 for eighth, 2 for ninth, and 1 for tenth.
• Cy Young Ballots: 10 points for 1st place votes, 7 points for second place votes, 5 for third, 3 for fourth, and 1 for fifth. (Note that this is the one award where our point system differs from the BBWAA point system, since we have a longer ballot here)
• Rookie of the Year Ballots: 5 points for 1st place votes, 3 points for second place votes, and 1 point for 3rd place votes.

The results are listed so that you can easily find out how many points each player got, how many ballots he appeared on (that's the B column), and the distribution of votes. There's also a totals line at the bottom of each listing.

Many people contributed their efforts to make the 1996 Internet Baseball Awards a success, and now's the time to thank them:

Steven Carter did the hazardous duty of tabulating the MVP ballots.

David Pease not only tabulated the Rookie of the Year ballots but also expended much time and energy into putting this year's balloting on the web.

David Nieporent tabulated the Cy Young ballots.

Gary Huckabay and Dave Kirsch provided help and general encouragement.

I should also thank the voters, because without their efforts at filling out the ballots - a task which requires a fair amount of time, energy and thought - we would not have such interesting results. These days there are other cyberspace polls which ask respondents who should win what awards, but none except ours ask that voters fill out full ballots.

And now, without further ado, here are the results.

AL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER:

The AL MVP was a not a close race for our voters, as the young phenom Alex Rodriguez easily outpolled the rest of the field. Last year's winner of the Internet AL MVP award, Albert Belle, finished fourth. Frank Thomas finished fifth; he's finished in the top six every year we've held these awards. The highest ranking pitcher, Mariano Rivera, finished twelfth.

 
Rank   Player          1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10       B       P
  1    Rodriguez, A   87  15   8   3   1   1   1   0   0   0   116.0  1453.0
  2    McGwire, M      9  40  22  10   8   5   5   5   1   1   106.0   843.0
  3    Gonzalez, J     8  17  14   9   4   5   7   3   6   7    80.0   545.0
  4    Belle, A        3   8  15  11  16   9   8  11   7   8    96.0   539.0
  5    Thomas, F       0   5  10  13  20  15  10  10   2   4    89.0   489.0
  6    Anderson, B     2   6  12  16  13   9   8   8   2   5    81.0   478.0
  7    Thome, J        2  11  16  14   6   5   5   4   7   2    72.0   462.0
  8    Griffey, K      0   2   4  10  11  10  12   9  13   4    75.5   341.5
  9    Knoblauch, C    1   2   4  10   6   9   7  10   9   5    63.0   296.0
 10    Vaughn, M       1   3   1   2   9   8   8  13   8   6    59.0   250.0
 11    Martinez, E     0   1   1   3   3   4   8   8   7  11    46.0   157.0
 12    Rivera, M       3   2   1   2   3   5   3   2   5   4    29.5   156.5
 13    Williams, B     0   1   0   2   3   4   5   0   3   5    23.0    92.0
 14    Rodriguez, I    1   0   2   0   0   3   3   2   4   6    21.0    77.0
 15    Hentgen, P      0   1   2   0   2   2   1   3   1   3    15.0    65.0
 16    Alomar, R       0   0   0   0   1   1   4   3  10   7    26.0    63.0
 17    Palmeiro, R     0   1   0   3   0   2   1   2   4   2    15.0    60.0
 18    Pettitte, A     0   0   0   0   1   5   2   0   0   3    11.0    42.0
 19    Lofton, K       0   0   0   1   1   1   1   3   2   0     9.0    35.0
 20    Molitor, P      0   0   0   0   1   0   0   1   3   1     6.0    16.0
 20    Murray, E       0   0   2   0   0   0   0   0   0   0     2.0    16.0
 22    Fielder, C      1   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0     1.0    14.0
 23    Fernandez, A    0   0   0   1   0   0   1   0   1   0     3.0    13.0
 24    Phillips, T     0   0   0   0   0   2   0   0   1   0     3.0    12.0
 25    Greer, R        0   0   0   0   0   0   1   1   2   0     4.0    11.0
 26    Jeter, D        0   0   0   0   0   0   1   1   0   2     4.0     9.0
 27    Clemens, R      0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   2   0     3.0     8.0
 27    Hernandez, R    0   0   0   0   0   0   2   0   0   0     2.0     8.0
 29    Hill, K         0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   3     4.0     6.0
 30    Edmonds, J      0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0   0     1.0     5.0
 31    Baines, H       0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0     1.0     3.0
 31    McLemore, M     0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0     1.0     3.0
 31    Nagy, C         0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0     1.0     3.0
 34    Buhner, J       0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0     1.0     2.0
 34    Clark, W        0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0     1.0     2.0
 34    Ripken, C       0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   2     2.0     2.0
 37    Higginson, B    0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1     1.0     1.0
 37    Jaha, J         0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1     1.0     1.0
 37    Martinez, T     0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1     1.0     1.0
 37    Marzano, J      0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1     1.0     1.0
 37    Ramirez, M      0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1     1.0     1.0
 37    Vaughn, G       0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1     1.0     1.0
       Totals        118 115 114 110 109 106 105 103 102  97  1079.0  6583.0

NL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER:

On the other hand, the Internet NL MVP race was a very close race, with Mike Piazza edging Ken Caminiti by less than a hundred points. Barry Bonds, who has never finished lower than fourth in this balloting, wasn't that far off in third place, either. Last year's BBWAA MVP winner, Barry Larkin, finished 5th, while last year's Internet MVP Winner, Greg Maddux, finished 15th. The highest ranking pitcher in the balloting this year was Kevin Brown, who finished ninth.

Rank   Player          1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10       B       P
  1    Piazza, M      45  28  16  11   6   4   0   1   0   0   111.0  1146.0
  2    Caminiti, K    35  21  18  22   9   6   0   0   1   0   112.0  1063.0
  3    Bonds, B       23  28  29  12   6   3   2   4   0   0   107.0   961.0
  4    Sheffield, G   10  18  15  20  16   8   4   1   3   3    98.0   726.0
  5    Larkin, B       0   6   9  10  22  14  10   6   7   2    86.0   472.0
  6    Bagwell, J      0   0   4   6  15  20  17  12   6   4    84.0   384.0
  7    Jones, C        0   1   4   9   5  15  20  12  14   7    87.0   360.0
  8    Burks, E        0   5   6   3   4   2  12  11  10  10    63.0   259.0
  9    Brown, K        1   4   4   4   8   8   8   4   4   7    52.0   257.0
 10    Hundley, T      0   0   1   2   2   4   6  18   7  10    50.0   156.0
 11    Smoltz, J       0   1   4   5   2   3   5   4   2   9    35.0   148.0
 12    Gilkey, B       0   0   0   0   3   0   2   4  14  16    39.0    82.0
 13    Galarraga, A    1   0   1   1   2   4   2   0   3   4    18.0    79.0
 14    Finley, S       0   0   1   1   1   4   1   5   2   4    19.0    68.0
 15    Maddux, G       0   0   0   0   1   2   0   6   5   3    17.0    47.0
 16    Gwynn, T        0   0   0   1   1   0   2   1   2   1     8.0    29.0
 17    Lankford, R     0   0   0   0   0   2   1   2   3   2    10.0    28.0
 17    Sosa, S         0   0   0   0   0   0   2   3   4   3    12.0    28.0
 19    Benes, An       0   0   0   0   2   1   1   1   1   0     6.0    26.0
 20    Rodriguez, H    0   0   0   1   0   1   1   0   3   1     7.0    23.0
 21    Jordan, B       0   0   0   0   0   1   1   2   1   1     6.0    18.0
 22    Grissom, M      0   0   1   1   0   0   0   0   0   0     2.0    15.0
 23    Glavine, T      0   0   0   1   0   0   1   0   0   0     2.0    11.0
 24    Bichette, D     0   0   0   0   0   1   0   1   1   0     3.0    10.0
 24    Davis, E        0   0   0   1   0   0   0   0   1   1     3.0    10.0
 26    Hoffman, T      0   1   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0     1.0     9.0
 26    McGriff, F      0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0   1   1     3.0     9.0
 28    Grudzielanek    0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   1   1     3.0     8.0
 28    Nen, R          0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0   1   0     2.0     8.0
 30    Johnson, L      0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   1   2     4.0     7.0
 31    Karros, E       0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   1   0     2.0     6.0
 32    Biggio, C       0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   2     3.0     5.0
 33    Bell, D         0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0     1.0     4.0
 33    Gant, R         0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0     1.0     4.0
 33    Klesko, R       0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   2     3.0     4.0
 33    Mondesi, R      0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0     1.0     4.0
 37    Brantley, J     0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   1     2.0     3.0
 37    Rojas, M        0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0     1.0     3.0
 37    Young, E        0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0     1.0     3.0
       Totals        115 113 113 111 107 104 102 102 101  97  1065.0  6483.0

AL CY YOUNG AWARD:

The Internet AL Cy Young race was a laugher, as Pat Hentgen easily outdistanced all competitors. Mariano Rivera finished second, the highest any middle reliever ever has. The top 8 candidates received over 95% of the voting points, indicating widespread agreement on who the top pitchers in the league were.

Rank    Player        1   2   3   4   5      B     P
  1     Hentgen       88  13  8   2   1      112   1018
  2     Rivera        11  25  11  8   12.5   68    376.5
  3     Pettitte      11  15  13  10  7      56    317
  4     Nagy          4   20  14  15  13     66    308
  5     Hill          2   10  12  18  19     61    223
  6     Fernandez     1   13  13  15  9.5    52    220.5
  7     Guzman        1   15  12  10  9.5    48    214.5
  8     Clemens       1   4   13  18  16.5   53    173.5
  9     Appier        0   0   7   1   4      12    42
 10     Mussina       0   1   5   3   0      9     41
 11     Hernandez     0   1   2   2   5      10    28
 12     Wetteland     0   0   2   4   3      9     25
 13     Percival      0   0   1   2   1      4     12
 14     Cone          0   0   0   0   1      1     1
 14     Pavlik        0   0   0   0   1      1     1
 14     Mesa          0   0   0   0   1      1     1
        Totals        119 117 113 108 104    563   3002

NL CY YOUNG AWARD:

The Internet NL Cy Young race was a bit more competitive, but Kevin Brown still won handily over the runner-up, John Smoltz. Greg Maddux, who had won the balloting each of the past three seasons, finished third. The top 5 finishers came from only two teams, the Atlanta Braves and the Florida Marlins. Many more pitchers in the NL than in the AL recieved at least one vote.

Rank    Player        1   2   3   4   5      B     P
  1     Brown      87.5   18  5   1   0      112   1032.5
  2     Smoltz     27.5   42  36  5   2      113   769.5
  3     Maddux        0   46  37  10  1      94    538
  4     Glavine       0   0   6   34  19     59    151
  5     ALeiter       0   1   2   23  25     51    111
  6     AnBenes       0   4   5   2   5      16    64
  7     Hoffman       0   1   6   4   3      14    52
  8     Nomo          0   1   4   3   11     19    47
  9     Fassero       0   0   3   4   4      11    31
 10     RMartinez     0   0   4   2   0      6     26
 11     Trachsel      0   0   1   4   4      9     21
 12     Schilling     0   0   1   2   1      4     12
 13     Valdez        0   0   1   0   6      7     11
 14     Neagle        0   0   0   1   4      5     7
 15     Reynolds      0   0   0   1   3      4     6
 15     Brantley      0   0   0   2   0      2     6
 15     ToWorrell     0   0   0   1   3      4     6
 15     Nen           0   0   0   1   3      4     6
 19     Wohlers       0   0   0   1   1      2     4
 20     Kile          0   0   0   1   0      1     3
 20     Hamilton      0   0   0   1   0      1     3
 20     AlBenes       0   0   0   1   0      1     3
 20     Ritz          0   0   0   0   3      3     3
 20     Stottlemyre   0   0   0   1   0      1     3
 21     PJMartinez    0   0   0   0   1      1     1
 21     Valenzuela    0   0   0   0   1      1     1
 21     Darwin        0   0   0   0   1      1     1
        Totals        116 113 111 105 101    546   2919

AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:

Derek Jeter was awesome as he bashed his way to the highest point total in Internet Rookie of the Year voting history. He overwhelmed the competition with an incredible 505 points, and took 98 of 105 first place votes.

The second-place dogfight was considerably more suspensful, where Chicago's James Baldwin beat out KC's Jose Rosado by a mere 5.5 points. Rosado actually had more first and second place points, but Baldwin's fuller season must have earned him enough third place votes to edge out Rosado.

One interesting balloting note from David Pease: the later a vote was cast, the more likely Tony Clark, who finished fourth, was included somewhere on the ballot.

Rank   Name                   1     2     3      B        P
  1    Derek Jeter         98.0   5.0     -    103    505.0
  2    James Baldwin        2.0  31.0  23.5     57    126.5
  3    Jose Rosado          4.0  29.0  14.0     47    121.0
  4    Tony Clark             -  10.0   8.0     18     38.0
  5    Brian Giles            -   4.0   4.0      8     16.0
  6    Rocky Coppinger        -   2.0   5.0      7     11.0
  7    Tony Batista         1.0   1.0   2.0      4     10.0
  8    Mark Brandenburg       -   2.0   2.0      4      8.0
  8    Darin Erstad           -   2.0   2.0      4      8.0
 10    Bob Wolcott            -   2.0   1.0      3      7.0
 11    Ron Coomer             -   1.0   3.0      4      6.0
 12    Jeff D'Amico           -   1.0   1.0      2      4.0
 12    Dennis Springer        -   1.0   1.0      2      4.0
 14    Brian Boehringer       -   1.0     -      1      3.0
 14    John Wasdin            -   1.0     -      1      3.0
 16    Willie Adams           -     -   2.0      2      2.0
 16    Chris Snopek           -     -   2.0      2      2.0
 18    Kimera Bartee          -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 18    Huck Flener            -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 18    Andy Fox               -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 18    Greg Keagle            -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 18    Matt Lawton            -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 18    Mike Myers             -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 18    Robert Perez           -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 18    Justin Thompson        -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 26    Jose Herrera           -     -   0.5      1      0.5
  -    Total              105.0  93.0  79.0    278    883.0

NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:

Los Angeles may be perpetually awarded the BBWAA NL Rookie of the Year, but they lost out again in the Internet Awards as Florida's Edgar Renteria handily won the Internet voting, with Dodger and BBWAA favorite Todd Hollandsworth finishing back in third. Coming in second was Jason Kendall, with a rather bizarre distribution of votes; people really didn't know where to put him on their ballots.

An interesting balloting note from David Pease: Most of the people who voted for Rey Ordonez also voted for Jermaine Dye.

Rank   Name                   1     2     3      B        P
  1    Edgar Renteria      60.0  15.0   7.0     82    352.0
  2    Jason Kendall       21.0  21.0  19.0     61    187.0
  3    Todd Hollandsworth   8.5  31.0  18.0     58    153.5
  4    Billy Wagner         2.0   5.0  11.0     18     36.0
  5    Alan Benes           3.5   3.0   8.0     15     34.5
  6    F. P. Santangelo     3.0   4.0   7.0     14     34.0
  7    Terry Adams          3.0   4.0   2.0      9     29.0
  8    Rey Ordonez          4.0   2.0   0.5      7     26.5
  9    Ugueth Urbina        1.0   4.0   6.0     11     23.0
 10    Jermaine Dye           -   3.0   4.0      7     13.0
 10    Terrell Wade         1.0   2.0   2.0      5     13.0
 12    Mike Grace             -   3.0   2.0      5     11.0
 13    T. J. Mathews          -   2.0   4.0      6     10.0
 14    Francisco Cordova    1.0   1.0     -      2      8.0
 15    Chan Ho Park         1.0     -     -      1      5.0
 16    Quinton McCracken      -   1.0     -      1      3.0
 17    Robert Person          -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 17    Donnie Wall            -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 17    Paul Wilson            -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 17    Jamey Wright           -     -   1.0      1      1.0
 21    Alex Ochoa             -     -   0.5      1      0.5
  -    Total              109.0 101.0  95.0    307    909.0

One more balloting note. This is the first year of these awards (except, obviously, for the first) that none of the winners had won their awards in previous years. It certainly was a unique baseball season. (Of course, the winner of the Internet NL MVP this year, Mike Piazza, did win the Internet NL Rookie of the Year award back in 1993.)

For those interested, here are the previous winners of the Internet Baseball Awards:

         AL MVP     NL MVP     AL CY      NL CY       AL RotY     NL RotY
1995    A. Belle   G. Maddux  R. Johnson G. Maddux  G. Anderson  H. Nomo
1993    F. Thomas  B. Bonds   K. Appier  G. Maddux   T. Salmon   M. Piazza
1992    F. Thomas  B. Bonds   R. Clemens G. Maddux   P. Listach  R. Sanders
1991    C. Ripken  B. Bonds   R. Clemens T. Glavine C. Knoblauch J. Bagwell

Anyway, that's it folks. It's the end of another baseball season. Everything goes into the history books now. Congratulations to the World Champion New York Yankees. And it's been a pleasure for me to once again host these awards, especially since for the first time in 4 years I didn't end up in the hospital midway thru the balloting. Hopefully, we'll do it all again next year.

P.S. - The above results are the property of those who conducted the vote (David Pease, Steven Carter, David Nieporent and Greg Spira). You are welcome to reprint any of the results without any specific permission as long as credit is given. Internet Baseball Awards is a trademark of Baseball Prospectus Group, LLC.