On the season, Lincecum pitched 225.1 innings over 32 starts. He finished with a 2.48 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP and 261 strikeouts while allowing only 168 hits. Despite his fantastic stats, he only had a record of 15-7. His 15 wins were the least in baseball history for a Cy Young Award winner in a full length season.

Wainwright actually had the most first place votes with 12, while Carpenter finished second in the balloting. The other two pitchers to receive votes were Dan Haren of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Javier Vazquez of the Atlanta Braves.

The balloting was so close because great cases could be made for both Carpenter and Wainwright. Carpenter had a lower ERA (2.24) and more wins (17) than Lincecum. Wainwright, on the other hand, led the NL in wins with 19 and had a comparable ERA at 2.63. But when it came down to it, Carpenter and Wainwright being on the same team didn’t help and opened the door for Lincecum.

Tim Lincecum won the Cy Young Award again (Image: Zuma Press)

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As a result, Tracy was awarded the 2009 National League Manager of the Year award. He received 29 first place votes, with Tony La Russa of the St. Louis Cardinals finishing second with two first place votes.

To reward Tracy for a job well done, the Rockies announced a few hours after the Manager of the Year award that Tracy and the team had agreed on a new three-year contract. Tracy will now have a chance to build off the great play of the 2009 season.

Over in the American League, Mike Scioscia of the Los Angeles Angels won the American League Manager of the Year award. He got 15 first place votes, while Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins got six and Joe Girardi of the New York Yankees got four.

Scioscia led the Angels to the playoffs even though the team dealt with a number of injuries in addition to the death of starting pitcher Nick Adenhart early in the season.

Jim Tracy - Colorado Rockies (Image: Zuma Press)

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Greinke made 33 starts at went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and a WHIP of 1.07. In 229.1 innings, the 26-year-old gave up 195 hits, walked 51 batters and struck out 242.

Finishing second in the 2009 CY Young Award balloting was Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners. Justin Verlander, the star hurler for the Detroit Tigers, finished third. CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay also received votes.

This Cy Young Award illustrates how far Greinke has come. Early in his baseball career, scouts loved his potential. However, he led the AL in losses in 2005 when he went 5-17. Then he missed nearly the entire 2006 season to deal with social anxiety disorder. Now, just a few years later, Greinke is at the top of his profession.

To read more on the Kansas City Royals star pitcher, read the Zack Greinke feature we did on him more than a year ago.

Zack Greinke won the 2009 Cy Young Award (Image: Zuma Press)

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Coghlan didn’t look like a top prospect early in the year but got better and better as the year went along. All told, the left fielder hit .321 with nine homers, 47 RBIs, 84 runs and eight stolen bases. After the All-Star Game, Coghlan hit .372 and looked like an up-and-coming star.

Andrew Bailey is the rare relief pitcher to win Rookie of the Year. But after the 25-year-old stepped up and became one of the best closers in baseball, he definitely deserved the award. He finished 2009 with 26 saves to go along with a 1.84 ERA and a WHIP of 0.88.

In the American League, Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers finished second, while Rick Porcello of the Detroit Tigers finish third. The National League saw J.A. Happ of the Philadelphia Phillies finish second in the voting and Tommy Hanson of the Atlanta Braves finish third.

Chris Coghlan won the NL Rookie of the Year (Image: Zuma Press)

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After establishing residency in the tiny country of Andorra, Chapman is now a free agent. There has already been talk that a big league team may be interested in paying him upwards of $50 million. Which teams are possible destinations for Aroldis Chapman? Let’s take a look:

New York Yankees
The Yankees always like to spend money. Considering that starting pitching depth was their weakness this season, signing Chapman makes a lot of sense if they believe he’s a future starter.

Boston Red Sox
Like the Yankees, the Red Sox can use more starting pitching depth. Boston hasn’t backed down from going after international players and Chapman is yet another intriguing prospect.

New York Mets
The Mets need another top of the line pitcher if they hope to become playoff contenders in the National League. Plus, their pockets are deep enough to snag Chapman.

Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have one factor that may make Chapman happy — warm weather. Chapman already said he’s not a fan of the cold. Oh and yeah, the Angels need more starting pitching help.

Florida Marlins
It’s an extreme longshot but the Marlins would be able to keep Chapman close to Cuba. Plus having Chapman on board would likely draw more fans to their ballpark, which is always a concern for the Marlins.

Aroldis Chapman has many possible destinations (Image: Zuma Press)

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The good news for Looper last season is that he led the Brewers in victories with a record of 14-7. The bad news is that he didn’t pitch very well. In fact, he led all of Major League Baseball in runs allowed (123) and home runs allowed (39). The 35-year-old started 34 games and had an ERA of 5.22.

Although he’s coming off a poor year, a team will surely be interested in the free agent. He has pitched at least 175 innings and won at least 12 games in three straight years. In 2008, Looper had an ERA of 4.16.

From 1998 until 2006, Looper was a relief pitcher. He even picked up 103 saves, including 85 from 2003 through 2005. His experience in the bullpen may make him even more alluring in free agency.

Braden Looper - Milwaukee Brewers (Image: Zuma Press)

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Although not much of a hitter, Wilson is great with his glove. The 31-year-old is also known for getting clutch hits and coming ready to play each and every game.

Last season, Wilson struggled mightily at the plate. He hit .255 with five homers, 39 RBIs and 37 runs. In 31 games with the Mariners, he hit only .224 with one homer, eight RBIs and 11 runs. However, Wilson and the Mariners point to injuries as the main reason why Wilson struggled.

The contract Wilson signed with the Mariners is reportedly worth $10 over the two seasons. There are also incentives built into the deal that could push the value up another $500,000.

Jack Wilson - Seattle Mariners (Image: Zuma Press)

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Griffey began his career in Seattle in 1989. He was the Mariners center fielder until 1999 when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. After eight and a half years with the Reds, Griffey went back to Seattle for the 2009 campaign.

In his return, Griffey hit .214 with 19 homers, 57 RBIs and 44 runs. He also drew 63 walks and had an on-base percentage of .324. Although those numbers are a far cry from his heyday, the now 39-year-old was a hit with his teammates and got credit for helping the Mariners improve chemistry on and off the field.

In 2010, Griffey is expected to play DH and likely hit in the middle of the lineup again. If he can keep fans interested and provide a little bit of pop, the Mariners will be happy with their investment.

Ken Griffey Jr. - Seattle Mariners (Image: Zuma Press)

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After starting the season 26-61, the Nationals went 33-42 under Riggleman. That performance was apparently good enough to earn the gig for the 2010 baseball season.

For the second straight season, the Nationals finished with the worst record in baseball. The team didn’t have many bright spots anywhere on their roster.

Riggleman has to find a way to breathe life into a franchise that has a loser’s mentality. Going into every season, Washington has the mindset that they aren’t going to have a chance at the postseason. We’ll see if Riggleman can refocus his bunch for 2010.

As it stands, the biggest name in the franchise has never played a game for the Nationals. Stephen Strasburg, the first overall pick of the 2009 baseball draft, is a pitching prospect with a huge amount of potential. If he can jump to the big league level in 2010, that may give Washington a fighting chance — to both win games and keep the fans excited.

Jim Riggleman - Washington Nationals (Image: Zuma Press)

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As it turns out, it wasn’t too difficult of a decision for the Rays. Last year, the 28-year-old left fielder had arguably his best season. He finished with a .305 batting average to go along with 15 homers, 68 RBIs, 96 runs and 60 steals. The 60 steals were a new career-high and he also posted a career-high on-base percentage of .364.

Crawford is a fan favorite in Tampa Bay and is arguably the best player in franchise history. He tops the Rays record books in games, hits, triples, RBIs, runs and stolen bases.

The Yankees owe a bit of their World Series title to Crawford since Crawford was the MVP of the All-Star Game. The American League winning the game gave New York home field advantage and that proved important in the series against the Phillies.

Carl Crawford - Tampa Bay Rays (Image: Zuma Press)

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