Here we again with MLB Monday and our second miniseries of awards analyses. Usually, we have something to say in advance about our column, but today we are at a loss for words—for many reasons. The 2024 All-Star Break is in effect, as another “Midsummer Classic” will take place tomorrow night. We actually haven’t watched the All-Star Game since 1999 ourselves, for a variety of reasons. Hope you enjoy it!

2008 World Series MVP: Cole Hamels, SP, Philadelphia (original, confirmed)

The Philadelphia Phillies won their second World Series (the first coming in 1980), by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in five games. This was the first season that Tampa Bay had dropped the “Devil” part of their team name, and it paid off with the team’s first American League pennant. Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels (1-0, 2.77 ERA, 13 IP, 8 Ks, 1.000 WHIP) won the MVP vote, but we’re not sold on validation just yet. Why?!

He won Game 1 and got a no decision in Game 5, without being overly dominant. The vote seems more circumstantial to us, in retrospect. However, on the hitting side, the top three offensive players for Philadelphia all committed errors in the Fall Classic, thus eliminating them from our consideration. For example, outfielder Jayson Werth had a monster week at the plate (1.361 OPS), yet the defensive error …

In the end, we will confirm Hamels’ hardware, and we’re fine with it. Sometimes, it’s just the way it goes.

2008 ALCS MVP: Matt Garza, SP, Tampa Bay (original, confirmed)

The Rays saved the nation from more drama by beating the Boston Red Sox in seven games to win the AL flag, after Tampa Bay went up 3-1 in the matchup and set up the BoSox for another miracle comeback. Rays SP Matt Garza (2-0, 1.38 ERA, 14Ks, 1.077 WHIP) won the MVP trophy, mostly for his Game 7 clutch victory on his home turf. But he also won Game 3 at Fenway Park, after the Red Sox had taken Game 1 on the road.

Both games were tough assignments, and he came through impressively. Yet we have to look at the offensive side, too: Tampa Bay outscored Boston, 43-28, in this matchup, so clearly there were a lot of hitters doing a lot of damage. But none of them stands out in the way Garza does with his two key starts: the first gave the Rays a 2-1 lead in the series, and the second clinched the series for Tampa Bay. Confirmed.

2008 NLCS MVP: Hamels (original, confirmed)

The Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games to win the pennant, and Hamels (2-0, 1.93 REA, 13Ks, 1.143 WHIP) was named the MVP for his Game 1 and Game 5 victories. It was a magical postseason for him, to be sure, as again, no Philadelphia hitter stood out in all phases of the game enough to challenge his MVP candidacy. We confirm this award, too, without much need for further analysis and/or discussion.

2008 AL MOTY: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay (original); Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles (revised)

The Rays won the AL East Division by two games over the Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Manager Joe Maddon (plus-5 PPP) won the vote for the MOTY. On the surface, that seems like a good choice. However, Boston Manager Terry Francona (even-0 PPP) didn’t put up much a fight in the sense his team should have won the division by three games. And we have a very strange outlier in the AL West Division to consider as well.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim won that division by 21 games, as Manager Mike Scioscia posted an insane plus-12 PPP mark. He didn’t need to be that good in order for his team to win, but like the double-digit WAR mark being an automatic cinch for awards in our first miniseries, it pretty much has to be the same thing here for PPP efforts with managers. Thus, we reassign this award, giving Scioscia two straight.

2008 NL MOTY: Lou Piniella, Chicago (original); Ned Yost, Milwaukee (revised)

In a rather odd situation, all three division winners overcame negative PPP efforts from their managers to emerge victorious. Nevertheless, Chicago Cubs Manager Lou Piniella (minus-1) won the MOTY vote, the third time he’s won the vote (1995, 2001). Of course, we have to pick someone else, though, and this comes down to Milwaukee Brewers Manager Ned Yost or Houston Astros Manager Cecil Cooper. However …

There are complications: Yost posted an 83-67 record before being fired with 12 games left in the season. His replacement went just 7-5, but the Brewers clinched the wild-card spot on the last day of the season nonetheless. Overall, the Brewers finished three games over their PPP projection, and we have to give most of that credit to Yost. As for Cooper, his team finished 3.5 games behind Milwaukee, but a plus-9 PPP rules!

Cooper doesn’t meet our double-digit threshold, though, and Yost’s effort helped the Brewers edge out the New York Mets by one game for the final playoff spot. So, strangely, we give this award to a guy who was fired prematurely by his front office, even though he got his team into excellent position to clinch a playoff spot less than two weeks after he was canned. But we applaud Cooper wholeheartedly for his efforts, as well.