Maybin, Bell win MLB.com top awards

SAN DIEGO -- On offense, on defense and on the bases, Padres center fielder Cameron Maybin left his mark in 2011, his first season with San Diego.

"Good players make good coaches, and Cam has made us all look pretty good this year," Padres first-base coach Dave Roberts said. "He's a special player."

Maybin, who has been named MLB.com's Padres Player of the Year, showed that he could handle the mammoth center field of PETCO Park defensively, making several highlight-reel catches. His UZR (ultimate zone rating) this past season was 9.5.

In fact, Maybin is up against nine others in MLB.com's annual Greatness in Baseball Yearly (GIBBY) Awards for Defensive Player of the Year.

Offensively, the 24-year-old cut down on his strikeout rate from 2010 (28.6 percent to 22.0 percent), showed pop (51 extra-base hits) and flourished on the bases, stealing a career-high 40 bases.

And here's the kicker: Maybin and his manager, Bud Black, think he's only starting to scratch the surface of his potential.

"I think there is more in there," Black said this season. "He has the talent to be better. As he grows, he'll hit more homers and drive in more runs."

Three-time All-Star reliever Heath Bell made an impact in a different way, as a lockdown closer. Bell saved 43 games in 48 opportunities, the third time in as many seasons that he has saved 40 or more games.

For this, Bell, who has more saves than any pitcher in the Major Leagues since the start of 2009, has been selected as MLB.com's Padres Pitcher of the Year.

The Padres Breakout Player of the Year, selected by MLB.com, wasn't on the Opening Day roster. No, infielder Jesus Guzman didn't join the Padres until May 21, when he was promoted from Triple-A Tucson.

All Guzman did was hit, hit and hit some more.

Guzman, 27, who appeared in 12 games with the Giants in 2009, hit .310 in June, .345 in July and finished with a .312 batting average in 247 at-bats with five home runs and 44 RBIs. He hit .346 at spacious PETCO Park, too.

Guzman mostly played first base, but did play some left field. Though there's a question of where he fits best on the field defensively, there was no questioning his bat in 2011.

Elsewhere, Minor League outfielder Rymer Liriano was named Topps Player of the Year for the Midwest League in 2011. In September, Liriano was named the MVP and top prospect by Midwest League managers.

The Double-A San Antonio Missions were selected as the Minor League Team of the Year and Double-A Team of the Year by MiLB.com. The Missions went 94-46 and went on to win the Texas League title.