MLB Mid Season Awards

There have been a few good surprises so far in the 2013 MLB season. The biggest story has to be Baltimore’s Chris Davis and his torrid home run streak. His 37 home runs at the All-Star break tie Reggie Jackson’s American League record from 1969. If he continues on this pace he should reach 60 home runs, and would be the first player to do so since Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa in 2001. Cincinnati’s Homer Baily threw the first no-hitter of the season on July 2^nd, and was also the last pitcher to throw a no-hitter in 2012. And everyone seems to have Puig fever.

Of course there’s always the bad, which is MLB’s investigation into the Biogenisis clinic and the latest doping scandal to shroud the game of baseball. Twenty players are tied to the now closed anti-aging clinic, including Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun, and they could face suspensions. It’s unfortunate this story is rivaling the All-Star game, but we’ll just have to see how it’s going to play out. Overall it’s been an entertaining first half, and it’s time to hand out some mid-season awards.

AL Rookie of the Year – Jose Iglesias, 3B, Boston Red Sox

Iglesias began the season on a tear, only to be sent down to Pawtucket after eight games to make room on the roster of Stephen Drew. He continued right where he left off after his call up at the end of May, leading all American League rookies in hits, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging. A natural short stop, Iglesias has performed well filling in at third base for the first place Red Sox. We’ll see how he will be used when Drew makes his return from his latest stint on the DL, but Iglesias has shown that he deserves to pay every day.

NL Rookie of the Year – Shelby Miller, SP, St. Louis Cardinals

Nobody is really talking about Shelby Miller as one of the top rookies in the National League because everyone is captivated with the Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig. And they should be. So far Puig has lived up to the hype, hitting for power while also showing off his speed and his arm from the outfield. He has all the makings of a 5-tool player. But if the season ended today, the award would go to Miller. He has quietly been one of the top pitchers on the team with the best record in the National League, posting a 2.92 ERA while being fourth in the NL with 9.63 strikeouts per 9 innings. If Puig keeps up his level of play, he will pass Miller for the award by the end of the season.

AL Cy Young – Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers

At the beginning of the season I thought this award would be going to another pitcher from Detroit, but Scherzer has been the most dominant pitcher in the American League so far. He is second in both strikeouts (152) and WHIP (0.98), and holds a staggering 13-1 record at the break. He is one of the main reasons the Tigers sit on top of the AL Central.

NL Cy Young – Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

There should be consideration for both Clayton Kershaw and Matt Harvey, but I’m an advocate of awards going to players contributing to winning teams. That’s why I have to pick Wainwright. The St. Louis pitcher leads the NL in innings pitched (146.2), is third in strikeouts (130), tied for first in wins (12) and has a 2.45 ERA. Plus he’s only walked 15 batters all year. He’s the best pitcher on the top team in the NL.

AL MVP – Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Detroit Tigers

You have to like what David Ortiz, Chris Davis and Josh Donaldson are doing for their perspective teams, but Miguel Cabrera is having another top-notch season.  He leads the AL in hits (132), average (.365) and RBI’s (95), and is only second in home runs to Davis. If he keeps up this pace he will be in the running for his second Triple Crown in as many years.

NL MVP – Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks

There are many candidates for this category, including Joey Votto, Carlos Gonzales, Andrew McCutchen and multiple players on the St. Louis Cardinals. But I’m going with Goldschmidt. He’s in the top five in hits (110) and home runs (21) and leads the NL in RBI’s (77). In a division where many picked the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants to win the division, the Diamondbacks are sitting on top in first place, with Goldschmidt being a major contributor to their succes.

AL Manager of the Year – John Farrell, Boston Red Sox

Farrell took a 69-93 team from a season ago and has them in first place in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. He has done it without any of the high-priced free agents that the Red Sox are used to signing, but with a group of hard working ball players who are finding ways to win. There’s no doubt that Farrell’s return has influenced the overachieving pitching staff. This team has exceeded most critics’ expectations, and Farrell deserves a lot of the credit.

NL Manager of the Year – Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh Pirates

Hurdle has done it again. This time last year he had Pittsburgh thinking playoffs, and has the team believing again this season, leading the Pirates to the second best record in the NL at the break. The team will need to do better in the second half than they have in previous years under Hurdle if they want to erase 20 consecutive losing seasons.