2009 This Year in Baseball Vote for Tigers until Dec. 11th

Miguel Cabrera is listed in Hitter of the Year Nominees,
Justin Verlander is up for Starting Pitcher of the Year Nominees,
Rick Porcello for Rookie of the Year Nominee,
Curtis Granderson for Play of the Year Nominee for his home run stealing catch against Cleveland,
Ernie Harwell for Moment of the Year Award for his Farewell Speech!

Several Tigers in running for TYIB Awards
Verlander, Cabrera top strong group of Detroit contenders

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

11/25/09 5:00 PM EST

The Tigers have several players -- and one special moment -- in the running for the 2009 installment of MLB.com's This Year in Baseball Awards.

Justin Verlander is a candidate for Starting Pitcher of the Year, Miguel Cabrera is up for Hitter of the Year, Rick Porcello is in the hunt for Rookie of the Year and Curtis Granderson is on the ballot for Play of the Year. Additionally, legendary Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell's farewell speech to fans at Comerica Park is up for Moment of the Year.

Fans can vote for the This Year in Baseball Awards until Dec. 11 by clicking here. This isn't a routine fan poll, because each player who wins an award will be presented with it on the field during the 2010 season.

The ballot boxes will close at 7:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 11. In 2008, a record 12 million votes were cast for the TYIB Awards, and that figure could be surpassed this time around as fans weigh in on the year's top hitter, pitcher, moments and more. The results of the voting will be revealed during the week of Dec. 14-18.

Verlander went 19-9 with a 3.45 ERA, a league-leading 269 strikeouts and a 1.18 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning) mark. That earned him a third-place showing in the Baseball Writers' Association of America voting for the AL Cy Young Award. The Royals' Zack Greinke and the Mariners' Felix Hernandez finished ahead of him first and second, respectively.

For the This Year in Baseball Awards, Verlander is pitted against Greinke, Hernandez, the Yankees' CC Sabathia, the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay, the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, the Braves' Javier Vazquez and the Giants' Tim Lincecum.

Cabrera batted .324 with a .942 OPS, 96 runs scored, 34 homers and 103 RBIs. His competition for Hitter of the Year includes the Brewers' Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, the Phillies' Ryan Howard, the Twins' Joe Mauer, the Yankees' Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira, the Angels' Kendry Morales, the Cardinals' Albert Pujols and the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez.

The 20-year-old Porcello finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting by the BBWAA after going 14-9 with a 3.96 ERA. For this award, he's vying with the likes of the A's Andrew Bailey (who won the AL Rookie of the Year), the Rangers' Elvis Andrus, the Marlins' Chris Coghlan (NL Rookie of the Year winner), the White Sox's Gordon Beckham, the Phillies' J.A. Happ, the Braves' Tommy Hanson, the Pirates' Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones and the Brewers' Casey McGehee.

To make the ballot for Play of the Year, Granderson made a leaping catch at the wall of a would-be game-winning homer by Grady Sizemore at Cleveland's Progressive Field on May 8. It was a stunning grab, similar to the one Granderson made to win this award in 2007.

Finally, in the Moment of the Year category, is Harwell's stirring speech to fans at the Sept. 16 game at Comerica Park. It was Harwell's thank you and goodbye to those who grew up listening to him, and it brought tears to the eyes of many Tigers fans.

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Posted: Nov. 30, 2009 | Updated: 3:10 a.m. Nov. 30, 2009
Harwell, Verlander, Porcello all up for awards

FREE PRESS STAFF

Award season in baseball continues as voting has started for This Year in Baseball Awards. But unlike the Cy Young and MVP honors, these awards are decided by the fans.

And the Tigers have nominees in five categories:

• Moment of the year: Broadcaster Ernie Harwell's farewell speech to fans at Comerica Park on Sept. 16.

• Hitter of the year: Miguel Cabrera.

• Starter of the year: Justin Verlander.

• Rookie of the year: Rick Porcello.

• Play of the year: Curtis Granderson's leaping catch that took away a two-run homer from the Indians' Grady Sizemore in the bottom of the ninth May 8 in Cleveland.

Fans can vote at detroittigers.com; voting ends Dec. 11

GRANDERSON HONORED: Granderson was named as one of 10 "Dream Team For Public Service" winners from 53 nominees selected for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, which recognizes the top athletes who have given back to their community.

The winners -- selected by the Jefferson board and public voting -- will be recognized in New York City at the third annual Sports Business and Philanthropy Luncheon on Dec. 8.

I HAVE VOTED AT LEAST 100 TIMES FOR EACH OF OUR TIGERS AND ERNIE!