Pedroia, Lincecum loom as big award winners

And a whippet shall lead them. ... At least they should, and area baseball fans should hope so too.The Wee Ones, Dustin Pedroia and Tim Lincecum, both of whom could easily be mistaken for bat boys in most major league parks, carry not only the hopes of the Red Sox and Giants, respectively. With the Baseball Writers' Association of America now doling out its season awards, Pedroia and Lincecum loom as unlikely contenders for American League MVP and N.L. Cy Young respectively.So where do the Wee Ones rank in my honors system? Keep in mind, these selections, like those made by the BBWAA, were made before the playoffs.AL MVPBoston Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia (.326, 17 HRs, 83 RBIs)-- Others to consider: Los Angeles Angels RH closer Francisco Rodriguez (MLB-record 62 saves), Chicago White Sox LF Carlos Quentin (.288, 36 HRs, 100 RBIs).-- Midseason pick: Rodriguez.-- The skinny: A little local love for the Northern California kid? Maybe, but there's no doubting what the diminutive Pedroia brought to Boston in becoming an overnight New England legend. Listed generously at 5-9, he carried the Red Sox after Manny Rammrez was traded in the summer and led them to a wild-card berth. Pedroia also led the A.L. in runs (118) and doubles (54), was tied for the league lead in hits (213), was second in hitting and fourth in total bases (322). Batting all over the Red Sox's lineup and playing Gold Glove defense, Pedroia should be Boston's 11th MVP.NL MVPPhiladelphia Phillies 1B Ryan Howard (.251, MLB-leading 48 HRs and MLB-best 146 RBIs)-- Others to consider: Los Angeles Dodgers LF Manny Rammrez (.396, 17 HRs, 53 RBIs in 53 games with L.A.), Milwaukee Brewers LH starter CC Sabathia (11-2, 1.65 ERA in 17 starts with Brewers).-- Midseason pick: Phillies 2B Chase Utley.-- The skinny: St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols probably will win, but his monster season (.357, 37 HRs, 116 RBIs) came for a fourth-place team. How valuable is that? Howard strikes out too much and his average was down, but he lifted the Phillies into the postseason in hitting .352 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs in September. The Dodgers and Brewers would not have sniffed the playoffs without Ramirez and Sabathia.AL CY YOUNGCleveland Indians LHP Cliff Lee (22-3, 2.54 ERA)-- Others to consider: Los Angeles Angels RH closer Francisco Rodriguez (62 saves), Toronto Blue Jays RH starter Roy Halladay (20-11, 2.78 ERA).-- Midseason pick: Lee.-- The skinny: K-Rod made history for the team that finished with the best record in baseball, and Halladay helped end the New York Yankees' 13-year playoff run by beating them five times. But Lee's season was truly ridiculous. The All-Star Game starter led the A.L. in wins, ERA and winning percentage (.880), and his 11-game winning streak was the longest in the majors. The lefty was also second in the A.L. with 223-1/3 innings and four complete games.NL CY YOUNGGiants RHP Tim Lincecum (18-5, 2.62 ERA, MLB-leading 265 strikeouts)-- Others to consider: Arizona RHP Brandon Webb (22-7, 3.30 ERA), Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge (41 saves in 41 opportunities).-- Midseason pick: Cincinnati Reds RHP Edinson Volquez.-- The skinny: Not only was Lincecum the most electrifying hurler in the N.L., he also led the bigs in strikeouts (setting a San Francisco record), had the N.L.'s lowest road ERA (2.22), lowest opponent batting average (.221) and its best winning percentage (.783). Lincecum was also second in the N.L. in ERA (2.62) and quality starts (26). And he did it for a team that finished 18 games under .500. Lincecum, nicknamed "the Freak" because of his slight build, should be just the second Giant to claim the Cy Young Award.AL MANAGER OF THE YEARTampa Bay Rays' Joe Maddon-- Others to consider: Los Angeles Angels' Mike Scioscia, Minnesota Twins' Ron Gardenhire.-- Midseason pick: Maddon.-- The skinny: Gardenhire cobbled together a roster that forced a one-game playoff for the A.L. Central crown, and Scioscia led the Angels to a franchise-record 100 victories, but it was Maddon who turned water into wine at Tropicana Field, leading the low-budget Rays, who had never won more than 70 games, to the top of the high-rent A.L. East with 97 wins.NL MANAGER OF THE YEARLos Angeles Dodgers' Joe Torre-- Others to consider: Chicago Cubs' Lou Piniella, Philadelphia Phillies' Charlie Manuel.-- Midseason pick: Florida Marlins' Fredi Gonzalez.-- The skinny: Manuel finally got the underachieving Phillies to realize their potential, thanks partly to the New York Mets' annual collapse, and Piniella had the Wrigley faithful thinking their 100-year World Series hex would end. But Torre, in his first year on the West Coast, used his calming influence to rally the bickering Dodgers to a division title and used Manny being Manny to his advantage. (Contact Paul Gutierrez at pgutierrez@sacbee.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)