Some 1st Half Awards, and some Predictions Ahead

Hey hey, we just saw 3 and a half months of awesome baseball, but the end is yet to come. Some teams that have been doing great, while some teams have disappointed. The same goes with players. Today, let’s look at who has done the best so far in each league, and give their respective awards. Let’s start with MVP

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera (Tigers)


There’s no doubt about this one. The reigning MVP and Triple Crown winner is playing even better. Ironically though, Cabrera might not get the Triple Crown. This year he bats .362/.455/.668 with 30 homers and 95 RBI’s. First off, the 95 RBI’s is incredible, he’s the first player ever to hit 30 homers and 90 RBI’s before the all-star break. Second, his batting average, OBP, and SLG have all gone up dramatically from last year. Last year he batted .330/.393/.606 with 44 homers and 139 RBI’s. This year he has 132 hits and 60 walks, both an AL high (last year he only had 66 walks).

His WAR is already at 5.5, but would be higher if he played better defense (his offensive WAR is 6.5). If he doesn’t win the Triple Crown because of Chris Davis, who cares? He still is one of the best players we have ever seen play.

NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt (D-Backs)

This was a much harder decision for the NL than the AL. I like Goldschmidt because he has tremendous power, has good versatility, and is probably the best defensive first baseman in the MLB (sorry, Votto). Goldschmidt bats .309/.391/.551 with an NL high 77 RBI’s and 21 homers, 2 of them being walk offs. He has a 4.8 WAR, and 874 putouts at first (an NL high). He’s also only 25 years old. He could be the next superstar one day.

AL Cy Young: Bartolo Colon (A’s)

Once again a tough pick. But for this first half, I believe that he pitched some amazing stuff to get where he is. In 19 starts, he’s 12-3 with a 2.70 ERA, a great 4.67 K/BB ratio, and a WAR of 3.6. In June he was practically unstoppable, going 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA, including two wins against the Mariners, and a win against the Cardinals. He went on to win 8 decisions in a row, but would lose his first July decision against the Cubs. He’s not a strikeout pitcher, but for his age and knowledge of the game, he has performed very well. He hasn’t pitched this well since 2005, when he won the Cy Young. Yes I know there are talks about steroids, but keep reading.

NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)

Sorry, Matt Harvey. Kershaw is just too good. His 1.98 ERA and 5.1 WAR just shows that. He leads the NL in ERA, ERA+ (182), WHIP (.908), and H/9 (6.0). There’s no question about it in my opinion.

AL’s Worst: Josh Hamilton (Angels) and R.A. Dickey (Blue Jays)

Now to be fair for Dickey, he’s a knuckleballer and usually has an ERA above 4. But considering the Blue Jays traded the reigning Cy Young Award Winner for a lot of stuff, it’s very disappointing. Dickey is 8-10 with a 4.69 ERA, and a .8 WAR. Last year he was 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA, and also had the most strikeouts at 230. This year he only has 92. I get the idea that since he switched to the AL his numbers will jump up a bit, but it should never go up by that much.

As for Hamilton, what annoys me is that he bats .227/.285/.417. How can you be a power hitter and only have a .285 OBP, a .417 SLG %, and 14 home runs? This is the guy who, in 2010, batted .359/.411/.633 and won the MVP. Last year, he hit 4 home runs in one game. Now, he has a .9 offensive WAR stat, and is on track for a sub .250 average. All for a $17 million salary. Welcome to Los Angeles, Josh.

NL’s Worst: Matt Cain (Giants) and B.J. Upton (Braves)

I actually think that a HUGE reason why the Giants are struggling is because Matt Cain can’t find his command. He’s had 3 sub-3 ERA seasons in 4 years, and even pitched a perfect game last season. What’s happening now? He just can’t find his stuff. He’s 5-6 with a 5.06 ERA. On the brighter spot, he’s on track for 206 strikeouts, which would be the most in his career.

As for Upton, he’s lucky that he’s on the Braves because they can still win without him. However, it’d be really nice if he could step up to the plate soon. He’s batting .177/.266/.300 with 8 homers and 20 RBI’s. For a guy getting $12 million, that’s absolutely horrendous. Just like Josh Hamilton, he is not getting used to his new team. He’s on track for 200 strikeouts, which would be the worst in his career.

AL Rookie of the Year: Jose Iglesias (Red Sox)

He’s no Mike Trout, but he is something special to watch, and a big help for the Boston organization. In 53 games, he’s batting .366/.416/.459 with a 2.1 WAR. He actually has been in the league since 2011, but did not have enough plate appearances to qualify him as a Rookie before. But hey, he’s a special kid that could bat over .300 by the end of the year. At the end of June, he had over a .400 BABIP as well.

NL Rookie of the Year: Shelby Miller (Cardinals)

He is actually my second pick in this category. I would pick Marlins Pitcher Jose Fernandez, but the Marlins plan on shutting him down after 150-170 innings. He has over 100 innings pitched already. Shelby Miller is just as good, though. He’s 9-6 with a 2.92 ERA and has struck out 112. Miller is only a 3^rd or 4^th pitcher for the Cardinals, but that’s because the Cardinals’ pitching rotation is scary good. He could be an ace to any other team, especially in the future. I don’t see the Cards trading him though.

AL Manager of the Year: John Farrell (Red Sox)

What this guy has done to the organization is amazing. See my recent post on the Power Rankings with the Red Sox for more proof. When you change a team from a 69-93 record to a 59-39 record and on track to win 96 games in just your first game is amazing. Having old David Ortiz perform just as well is great, getting Clay Buchholz to pitch magic, and reviving a collapsed bullpen by putting in Koji Uehara, who’s been unstoppable. That’s how you coach.

NL Manager of the Year: Mike Matheny (Cardinals)

If the Pirates keep it up, it’ll be quite close with Matheny and Clint Hurdle. I’m picking Matheny in case the Pirates collapse like usual. One stat that has astounded me is the Cardinals batting average with RISP. It’s absurd, around .330. That, and with a solid pitching rotation that’s comprises of a Tommy-John ace (who’s pitching great) and some young talent is all you need. Matheny can coach even with a great team though. Bringing in Edward Mujica to close, or making random decisions on placing guys has worked. That’s exactly why they have the best record in the league.

Now hold up. All of these guys won’t hold up, will they? My answer is no. The only one that I can guarantee a spot is Miguel Cabrera. If I had to change two answers from above, I’d change these two:

NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt Yadier Molina (Cardinals)

As much as I love watching Goldschmidt, Molina will have a better year consistently. Goldschmidt has a chance to have his batting average fall under .300, while Yadier Molina has a better probability of keeping it around .330. Right now he bats .340/.387/.491 with 111 hits and 51 RBI’s. Not only that, but he’s been the best catcher in the National League for years. He’s won 5 straight Gold Glove Awards, and is on his way to get his 6^th. Greatest Molina to play baseball? So far, I think so. Sorry, Bengie.

AL Cy Young: Bartolo Colon (King) Felix Hernandez (Mariners)

King Felix has been under the radar the entire season, but has still been dominant. He’s 10-4 with a 2.53 ERA, is on track to have 280 K’s (by far a career high), and is actually one of the greatest pitchers in this current era. It’s because he plays for the Mariners that he doesn’t get much credit. Right now he has a 4.7 WAR, which is tied for what he had last year. He and Hisashi Iwakuma have been a strong duo in Seattle, and will continue that way until the end. He pitched a perfect game last year, and although I don’t see another one of those in him, I see another Cy Young Award in his career. Bartolo Colon will not last as well as Hernandez.

Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com if I missed anyone good.

-Evan Boyd