via Bryan Hoch MLB.com | NEW YORK — Three Yankees were issued honors as winners in the Greatness in Baseball Yearly (GIBBY) Awards on Friday, with performances by Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and David Robertson drawing high praise.
Cano was lauded for his “Wow Factor” as one of the game’s most exciting stars, while Jeter’s 5-for-5, 3,000th-hit game on July 9 was picked as the Performance of the Year. Robertson was selected as baseball’s Setup Man of 2011.
GIBBY Award winners are calculated based on four segments of voters that each account for 25 percent of the total vote: millions of fans at MLB.com; media; front-office personnel; and Major League Baseball alumni.
The ultimate honors of baseball’s awards season, the 2011 GIBBY trophies were awarded to MLB’s top player, starting pitcher, rookie, breakout player, comeback player, Wow Factor, closer, setup man, defensive player, manager, executive and postseason MVP, with no restriction to league affiliation.
GIBBY trophies also honored the year’s top play, moment, walk-off, performance, oddity, fan moment and postseason moment from MLB.com’s Must C highlight vault.
Cano secured his place as one of the game’s top all-around performers, batting .302 with 28 home runs and a career-high 118 RBIs while playing a slick second base for New York.
He trumped Asdrubal Cabrera of the Indians, Starlin Castro of the Cubs, Jose Reyes of the Mets, Mike Stanton of the Marlins and Shane Victorino of the Phillies in the voting.
Still, Cano said this week that he couldn’t be too gleeful about his personal achievements, noting that they didn’t result in another parade down New York’s Canyon of Heroes.
“I don’t say it is a great season, because all we want is to win,” Cano said on Tuesday. “It’s about the team, not only about one guy.”
Jeter reached the 3,000-hit milestone in dramatic fashion with his home run off the Rays’ David Price, then compiled a banner day that included driving in the go-ahead run. Only Wade Boggs had previously joined the 3,000-hit club with a home run.
“It means a lot,” Jeter said this year. “It’s a number that has meant a lot in the history of the game, because not too many people have done it before. To be the only Yankee to do it … to be the only Yankee to do anything is pretty special.”
The captain topped performances by the Rockies’ Jason Giambi, the Brewers’ Corey Hart, the Twins’ Francisco Liriano, the Rays’ Evan Longoria, the Angels’ Ervin Santana, the Tigers’ Justin Verlander and Tampa Bay’s Ben Zobrist to win the category.
Robertson, 26, was 4-0 with a 1.08 ERA and one save in a team-leading 70 relief appearances, taking over the setup role behind closer Mariano Rivera when big-ticket free-agent import Rafael Soriano faltered early.
The hard-throwing right-hander paced all AL relievers in ERA and held opponents scoreless in 63 appearances, leading all AL relievers and ranking fourth in the Majors with 100 strikeouts.
Robertson also continued to live up to the “Houdini” nickname that he has carried in the Yankees’ clubhouse since 2009, issued for his ability to consistently wriggle out of tough jams.
“I just can’t stand to lose,” Robertson said this season. “So when the bases are loaded, I’m digging in deep and giving everything I can to try and make the best pitches I can. I have the most focus on every pitch. You do that and all you can do is just hope it works out well.”
Robertson received more votes than Mike Adams of the Rangers, Joaquin Benoit of the Tigers, Tyler Clippard of the Nationals and Eric O’Flaherty and Jonny Venters of the Braves.
