Yanks recognized during busy awards season

NEW YORK -- The awards season was busy for the Yankees, who received their share of recognition after a 97-win season and bringing another American League East title to the Bronx.

Most notably, Curtis Granderson will have to spend part of his winter clearing space on a trophy shelf.

The outfielder earned both an accolade as the AL's Outstanding Player in the 2011 Players Choice Awards, as selected by Major League players, as well as an AL Silver Slugger Award.

"It's amazing, especially with all the names that have played and the years that other players had," Granderson said.

Granderson bested Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays and Adrian Gonzalez of the Red Sox in voting to take the AL Outstanding Player Award.

Select a team ¬
AL East ¬
Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox New York Yankees Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays
AL Central ¬
Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals Minnesota Twins
AL West ¬
Los Angeles Angels Oakland Athletics Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers
NL East ¬
Atlanta Braves Florida Marlins New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Washington Nationals
NL Central ¬
Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Houston Astros Milwaukee Brewers Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals
NL West ¬
Arizona Diamondbacks Colorado Rockies Los Angeles Dodgers San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants

That nod came during a busy week that also saw second baseman Robinson Cano selected for an AL Silver Slugger Award, as announced by Louisville Slugger.

The Silver Slugger was the third for Cano, who also took it home in '06 and '10. Developing into one of the game's top all-around threats, the 29-year-old Cano batted .302 with 104 runs scored, 46 doubles, 28 homers and 118 RBIs in 159 games.

"It's something I enjoy," said Cano, who thanked his father, Jose. "It means you had a great season, which is what you're looking for. You get home and work hard in the offseason, and you're looking forward to this award at the end of the season."

Granderson hit .262 with 136 runs scored, 26 doubles, 41 homers, 119 RBIs and 85 walks in 156 games, setting career highs in runs, home runs and RBIs. He led the Majors in runs scored, ranked second in home runs and tied Cano for second in extra-base hits (81).

Though both Cano and Granderson received some MVP buzz during the season, Granderson finished fourth and Cano ranked sixth behind the Tigers' Justin Verlander in results unveiled on Monday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Right-hander Ivan Nova finished fourth in the BBWAA's AL Rookie of the Year vote behind the Rays' Jeremy Hellickson, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi finished fifth behind Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon for the AL Manager of the Year Award.

MLB.com also issued some team-specific nods to Yankees players. Granderson was tabbed as the Bombers' Player of the Year, closer Mariano Rivera took honors as the team's Pitcher of the Year and Nova's campaign earned respect as the Yankees' Breakout Player of the Year.

The Yankees were shut out from winning Gold Glove Awards, as voted on by Major League managers and coaches, for the first time since 2007.

Cano was bested by the Red Sox's Dustin Pedroia at second base, and Brett Gardner was topped in left field by the Royals' Alex Gordon.

However, Gardner was given a nod with his second consecutive Fielding Bible Award, indicative of the best fielder at a position in 2011, as announced in the latest installment of "The Bill James Handbook."

The text indicated that Gardner saved 22 defensive runs for the Yankees in 2011, tying him with the Tigers' Austin Jackson for the most saved by an outfielder.

In addition, Yankees right-hander Bartolo Colon was a candidate for the MLBPA's Comeback Player of the Year Award, which went to the Red Sox's Jacoby Ellsbury.