by Ken Rosenthal

Comment

The three-man race for the National League Cy Young Award is one of the most compelling in years. The two rookie races also are loaded with legitimate candidates, reflecting the increased reliance on young talent in today's game.

Writing this column — listing my top 10 choices for each league's MVP and top three choices for every other award, just as I would when filling out ballots for the Baseball Writers Association of America — is one of my favorite exercises.

Agree, disagree, fire away.

Hey, Prince: Your stock has just gone through the roof. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

The envelopes, please:

NL MVP

Preseason pick: Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins

1. Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals: His defense and baserunning are pretty good, too.

2. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins: Improved defense, clutch hitting.

3. Prince Fielder, 1B, Brewers: Trade value will never be higher!

4. Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies: 150-plus games, usual brilliance despite coming off hip surgery.

5. Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Rockies: Pulse of his team.

6. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Padres: 50 homers easy if Petco was not his home park.

7. Pablo Sandoval, 3B, Giants: Imagine the Giants' offense without him.

8. Ryan Howard, 1B, Phillies: 43 HRs, 138 RBIs match Fielder.

9. Mark Reynolds, 3B, Diamondbacks: (213) strikeouts . . . but (44) home runs.

My mea culpa To quote the late, great Kurt Cobain, "What else should I be? All apologies ..." To Rangers manager Ron Washington and the Rangers front office. This one dates back to April 2008. I reported — accurately — that Washington was in trouble, then wrote in a separate article, "The team's failure to execute reflects poorly on Washington, but it's not as if he's managing a well-constructed team." Well, the Rangers rebounded from their 9-18 start to go 70-65 the rest of the way, setting up this season's surprising run. Washington and general manager Jon Daniels are on firmer ground now, which is as it should be. To Mike Lowell. The day after the July 31 nonwaiver deadline, I said on an MLB on FOX broadcast that the Red Sox acquired catcher Victor Martinez in part because Kevin Youkilis would play third when Martinez was at first — and that Mike Lowell was the worst defensive third baseman in the league. Advanced defensive metrics supported that statement but I did not cite those statistics in my report — I just made the remark as if it were fact. I also did not state the obvious qualifier — that Lowell was coming off hip surgery at age 35. Lowell cannot move the way he once did, but check out his offensive statistics — they are almost identical to what they were last season. Chase Utley and Alex Rodriguez also had big years coming off hip surgery. All three accomplished an awful lot simply by getting on the field. To the White Sox. The day Jake Peavy rejected his initial trade to the White Sox, I began a column by saying, "If I were Jake Peavy, I would not have gone to the White Sox, either." Naturally, certain White Sox folks were offended. I wanted to give what I thought was Peavy's perspective, citing the difficulty of going from the National League to the American and from pitcher-friendly Petco Park to hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field. I also wrote, "Beyond this season, the White Sox's future — even in the mediocre Central — is far from guaranteed. A high payroll does not guarantee success, but it sure can help. The Cubs' $134.8 million payroll is the third-highest in the majors. The White Sox's $96.1 million payroll ranks 12th, and the addition of Peavy's salary might have inhibited them from making other moves to improve their club." Um, not quite. Peavy later approved a trade to the White Sox, and general manager Ken Williams had enough money left over to claim outfielder Alex Rios on waivers. I wrote glowingly of the second Peavy deal and even liked the Rios move, but one more apology can't hurt. Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen have excellent memories. To the Dodgers, the Indians and their fans. Shortly before the July 31 deadline, I reported that the Dodgers and Indians were in serious discussions that would have sent left-hander Cliff Lee and catcher Victor Martinez to L.A. for first baseman James Loney, one of the Dodgers' young rotation members and prospects. Swing and a big miss. Both sides denied the story immediately, and I changed it as quickly as possible. I'm still not sure why usually trustworthy sources were so off base with their information, but that was my name on the story, not theirs. To the Tigers. In mid-March, I questioned the wisdom of the Tigers opening the season with right-hander Rick Porcello in their rotation. "If the Tigers determine that Porcello is the next (Josh) Beckett, then they should not hesitate to commit to him. But shame on the Tigers if they rush Porcello because of restless management, an uncertain rotation or a desire to sell tickets." Don't know if a full apology is needed here, but the Tigers promoted Porcello for the right reasons — and handled him with aplomb. To Peter Angelos. The last time the Orioles owner spoke to me was during the 1996 postseason. But hey, it's never too late to let bygones be bygones. Back when I worked for The Baltimore Sun, Angelos seemed to think that I was out to destroy the Orioles. Little did he realize, he was quite capable of doing that himself. I left the paper in August 2000. At the time, the Orioles were headed for their third consecutive losing season. They've now made it 12 straight. I'm sorry, it's all my fault.

10. Derrek Lee, 1B, Cubs: NL OPS leader since All-Star Game.

Wished I had included: Ryan Braun, Brewers.

AL MVP

Preseason pick: Grady Sizemore, CF, Indians

1. Joe Mauer, C, Twins: In the end, it was not even close.

2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B, Red Sox: Defensive versatility makes him unique.

3. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees: Team is 89-42 since his return.

4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers: No A-Rod or Jeter among his teammates.

5. Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees: Might prove worth the $180M.

6. Kendry Morales, 1B, Angels: Manager Mike Scioscia prefers Bobby Abreu? Check the numbers.

7. Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees: Improved defense, third in league in OBP.

8. Jason Bay, LF, Red Sox: Strong start, strong finish.

9. Ben Zobrist, 2B, Rays: Sixth in league in OPS, stellar defense.

10. Michael Young, 3B, Rangers: Strong leader, consistent producer.

Wished I had included: Bobby Abreu and Chone Figgins, Angels; Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners; Aaron Hill, Blue Jays.

NL Cy Young

Preseason pick: Yovani Gallardo, Brewers.

1. Adam Wainwright, Cardinals: League-best 1.96 ERA since All-Star Game.

2. Tim Lincecum, Giants: First in strikeout rate, opponents' OPS.

3. Chris Carpenter, Cardinals: Nearly 40 fewer innings than Wainwright.

Wished I had included: Jair Jurrjens and Javier Vazquez, Braves.

AL Cy Young

Preseason pick: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays

1. Zack Greinke, Royals: Lowest AL ERA since Pedro Martinez's 1.74 in 2000.

2. Felix Hernandez, Mariners: Close to Greinke, but not quite as good.

3. CC Sabathia, Yankees: 11-1, 2.36 since All-Star Game.

Wished I had included: Justin Verlander, Tigers.

NL Rookie

Preseason pick: Tommy Hanson, P, Braves

1. Chris Coghlan, Marlins: Leads NL with .368 BA since All-Star Game.

2. J.A. Happ, P, Phillies: More innings, better ERA than Hanson.

3. Hanson: Better bet than Happ for future Cy Youngs.

Wished I had included: Casey McGehee, 3B, Brewers; Andrew McCutchen, CF, Pirates.

AL Rookie

Preseason pick: Elvis Andrus, SS, Rangers

1. Andrus: Helped transform Rangers into pitching/defense team.

2. Rick Porcello, P, Tigers: Fourteen wins at age 20.

3. Gordon Beckham, 3B, White Sox: Future MVP.

Wished I had included: Andrew Bailey, A's; Jeff Niemann, Rays.

AL manager

Preseason pick: Ron Gardenhire, Twins

1. Mike Scioscia, Angels: Set proper tone after Nick Adenhart tragedy.

2. Gardenhire: No Justin Morneau, no Francisco Liriano, no Kevin Slowey — and still Twins contended.

3. Ron Washington, Rangers: Comeback Manager of the Year.

Wished I had included: Joe Girardi, Yankees; Jim Leyland, Tigers.

NL manager

Preseason pick: Charlie Manuel, Phillies

1. Jim Tracy, Rockies: Team was 18-28 when he took over, 72-40 since.

2. Tony La Russa, Cardinals: His teams max out — and then some.

3. Fredi Gonzalez, Marlins: Imagine if starting pitching had fulfilled expectations.

Wished I had included: Bruce Bochy, Giants.

Executive

Preseason pick: None

1. John Mozeliak, Cardinals: Acquired Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa, Julio Lugo and John Smoltz after June 27.

2. Dan O'Dowd, Rockies: Huston Street and Carlos Gonzalez came for Holliday; Jason Marquis for Luis Vizcaino.

3. Jon Daniels, Rangers: Teixeira trade gift that keeps on giving.

Wished I had included: Ruben Amaro Jr., Phillies; Brian Cashman, Yankees; Ned Colletti, Dodgers; Frank Wren, Braves.