The 2009 Soxie Awards

The regular season is now officially over and the 2009 Red Sox matched last year's 95-67 record, reaching their 95-win goal. The final game of the season was a good one, with the Sox beating the Tribe 12-7 and sweeping the 4-game series. Balls were flying off Sox bats, with 5 dingers among JD Drew (2!), Jed Lowrie (grand salami!), Pedey, and Gonzo. That's back-to-back games with a grand slam! For Lowrie, this was easily the highlight of his frustrating, injury-riddled season. Amazingly, he hit it left-handed and you could see the grimace on his face as he felt it in his left wrist. Oh, and George Kottaras played third, got two hits, and made some nice plays. Can he play short???

Buchholz struggled mightily once again, giving up 6 Tribe runs in 3 innings. The bright side, if there's one to be found in this troubling outing, is that only one of those runs was via the long ball. Buch once again had trouble with command and keeping the ball down in the zone. He's still nearly a rookie and rookies are going to have setbacks like this. He has a week to work with Farrell, V-Mart, and Tito to try and correct some of these issues with command, as he is still scheduled to pitch Game 3. Dice-K might be the better option for Game 3, given his strong post-DL outings and two years of playoff experience where he has, for the most part, pitched very well. However, Buch does have some amazing stuff and when he's on his game, he can be devastating.

It's time to hand out some virtual hardware for a season that was, on the whole, well-played. The 2009 InSOXicated Awards, or the Soxies for short are in their second year and they're my way to pay tribute, and in some cases, poke some good-natured fun at, the men who make the baseball season so special for me. Without further ado...

THE 2009 SOXIES

The King of the Hill Award: This year, the decision is not as clear cut as it was last year, but, after much deliberation, the result is the same. Jon Lester had a rough start to the season, but once he got himself straightened out, it was like 2008 all over again. His 225 strikeouts is good for third in the AL and if not for some tough-luck no-decisions and that bumpy first month and a half, he would be a serious Cy Young contender. So, for the second year in a row, Jon Lester wins the King of the Hill Soxie. Honorable Mentions: Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield (for his first half performance)

The Flashing Leather Award: He may not have been around the whole season, but Alex Gonzalez brought stability to a position that had been a defensive liability before he arrived. For filling the black hole at shortstop, he wins the 2009 Flashing Leather Soxie. Honorable Mention: Dustin Pedroia

The Teddy Yaz Award: Forget the dreadful midsummer slump, when Jason Bay's bat dropped off the face of the earth. With 36 homers and 118 RBI, he is very much deserving of the 2009 Teddy Yaz Soxie for best offensive player. Honorable Mentions: Kevin Youkilis, Victor Martinez

The Dirt Doggery Award: The Dirt-Doggiest Dirt Dog since Trot Nixon, Dustin Pedroia takes this one again. He grinds, he dives, he doesn't let up for a second. When's this guy's uniform NOT dirty? Honorable Mentions: Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury

The Golden Welcome Mat Award: All this guy did was save the Sox from revisiting 2006. One of Theo Epstein's best deadline pickups, Victor Martinez has made himself very welcome in Boston. He brings the stick, the winning attitude, and the leadership and is very deserving of the 2009 Golden Welcome Mat Soxie. Honorable Mentions: Alex Gonzalez, Billy Wagner

The You've Come A Long Way, Baby Award: Things looked gloomy for David Ortiz in April and May, and look where he is now: 28 HR, 97 RBI! Big Papi sure has come a long way. Honorable Mentions: Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka

The No I in Team Award: It takes a truly selfless player to put himself through what Tim Wakefield has to help his team rest starters for the playoffs. Carrying the pitching staff in April and May took a toll on his back and he's pitched through considerable pain and discomfort in August and September to buy his teammates an extra day of rest here and there. His efforts in the first half earned him an all-star nod and I hope he can come back next year and contribute as much as he is able to. Honorable Mentions: Kevin Youkilis, Victor Martinez, Mike Lowell

The About Face Award: Coming off of his second MVP performance in the World Baseball Classic, Daisuke Matsuzaka found himself unprepared to make the adjustment to regular season play. He was being lit up all over the place and when one DL stint didn't do the trick, he was sent down to Florida on an extended DL to start his conditioning from scratch. After some initial conflict with the organization about his training plan, he re-focused and dedicated himself to making a comeback during the stretch run. He came back strong in September, when the team needed him most and his presence solidifies the post-season rotation, earning him the 2009 About Face Soxie.

The It's A Bird It's A Plane Award: Shattering the previous Red Sox single-season steals record (54) held by Tommy Harper, Jacoby Ellsbury stole his 70th base this afternoon. He drives pitchers crazy with his constant threat of theft on the basepaths and his .301 average and .355 OBP show that he's getting on base consistently. After a season of adjustments in '08, Ells has become the lead-off hitter the Sox always knew he could be.

The Bullpen Cowboy Award: He's made it interesting many times this season, but Jon Papelbon gets it done, to the tune of 38 saves (out of 41 opportunities), breaking Bob Stanley's career saves record (132) with a total of 151. Paps is outspoken and sometimes throwing heat via mouth gets him into trouble, but he is who he is and he's who I want to see on the mound when there's a save to be had.

The Speak Softly and Carry A Big Stick Award: He's the definition of even-keeled and he quietly gets the job done. His name is David Jonathan (JD) Drew and don't look now but he's put together a nice season. With 24 homers, 68 RBI, and a .279 average, he has completed his first 20+ homer season in a Red Sox uniform. He has a knack for pulling off some post-season magic, going deep when the long ball is needed most. Let's hope he has more of that up his sleeve this post-season. If the two dingers today are any indication, pitchers beware!

The Hip to Square Up Award: So his hip needs the orthopedic equivalent of Jiffy Lube every once in awhile. He can still swing the lumber pretty well, to the tune of a .290 average with 17 HR and 75 RBI. Having him healthy for the playoffs will go a long way (and hopefully a ball or two off his bat will do the same thing!) Mike Lowell is a consummate professional and team player, the Tim Wakefield of the position players, if you will. He always puts the team first and maybe there's some more post-season hardware in his future.

The Commander Kick-Ass Award: When he's on, he's really ON. Josh Beckett showed his dominant 2007 self for much of 2009, save for some rough patches both at the beginning of the season and lately. He's done some legendary things in the post-season and I hope we see the Josh Beckett of October 2003 & 2007 on the mound for October 2009.

The He's Still Our Captain Award: There's no question that things have not come easily for Jason Varitek this season, both at the plate and behind it. However, he has to be the most prepared and knowledgeable catchers in the game and he has been credited by V-Mart as being a tremendous help to him in learning a new pitching staff. The pitchers respect him and I hope that someday soon he is offered a job as a coach in the Red Sox organization. For all he has contributed to the team in the decade-plus since he's worn the Red Sox uniform, including being a part of two World Series championship teams, it would be great to see him excel in helping others achieve their baseball success.

And finally, my vote for the 2009 Red Sox MVP Soxie goes to...

KEVIN YOUKILIS!!!

This was another tough one, because there are so many viable candidates. Youk, hitting .305 on the season, is the most consistent offensive and defensive player on the team. He selflessly moves across the diamond from first to third whenever needed, sacrificing his chances to win a Gold Glove at either position. He grinds out his at-bats and his passion for the game makes him extremely popular with teammates and fans alike. He was my pick last year, and true to his reputation for consistency, he gets my nod this year too. Honorable Mentions: Jason Bay, Tim Wakefield (1st half) Victor Martinez (2nd half), Jacoby Ellsbury.