2008 Major League Season Awards Quiz

Answer: Albert Pujols

The St. Louis Cardinal first baseman won it by 61 points over Howard. In Albert's eighth season in 2008, he hit 37 home runs, giving him a total of 319 while averaging an amazing 39.8 home runs per season. Pujols won his first MVP in 2005, and was also the NL Rookie of the Year in 2001. Howard smacked 48 home runs for the Phillies in 2008.

Answer: Evan Longoria

Longoria was the Rays' third baseman. Evan had 122 hits, 27 home runs, and batted .272. This helped the Rays to their first World Series appearance, but in a loss to the Phillies. Longoria won the award over Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox.

Answer: Lou Piniella

Maddon took the Rays to their first World Series in franchise history in 2008. Piniella won his third Manager of the Year Award. His first came in 1995 with the Mariners, another in 2001 with Seattle again, then in 2008 with the Cubs. Lou took the Cubs to a NL Central Division crown, then lost to the Dodgers in the NLDS. Manager Tony LaRussa was the first manager to win the award for three different teams.

They were the White Sox, Athletics, and Cardinals.

Answer: Greg Maddux

The others had not been in the league for even 10 seasons. If it were not for pitcher Mike Hampton of the Mariners in 2003, Maddux would have won his 19th consecutive Gold Glove award. In 2008, Maddux played for the Padres and Dodgers in his 23rd season.

Answer: J.D. Drew

Drew was in his 11th season in baseball, and his second with the Red Sox. The right fielder appeared in his first All-Star game, went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Answer: Roy Halladay

The others were all National League pitchers. In a balloting that was not close, Lee compiled 137 points against Halladay's 73. Roy had a great season by going 20-11 for the Blue Jays. He also won the Cy Young Award in 2003.

Answer: Cole Hamels

Hamels pitched in two games with 13 innings under his belt. He won one game and struck out eight. Teammate J.C. Romero won two games for the Phillies. Ryan Howard had six hits including three home runs, batted .286, but still could not come home with the award.

Answer: 1980

The award is presented for a player's bat, with one award being presented for each position on the diamond. Zambrano won his first in 2006 with the Cubs. Bob Forsch of the Cardinals was the first pitcher to win the award in 1980.

Answer: 4th

As selected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, Lou Piniella of the Cubs won his third award in 2008. While Piniella had 103 points to win the award, Torre had only 45 in fourth place. Charlie Manuel of the Phillies was the runner-up, and Fredi Gonzalez of the Marlins was third. Cardinal Tony LaRussa rounded out the top five with 11 points.

Answer: Geovany Soto (Cubs)

Only runner-up Joey Votto of the Reds and Soto received any first place votes. Soto had 31 while Votto had only one. Soto had 141 hits including 23 home runs for the Cubs in 2008. He was a 25-year old catcher.