MLB Mid-Season Awards

As we come upon this week’s All-Star break, there have not only been several top story lines in Major League Baseball in 2015, but in all of sports. For those of you that weren’t paying attention or simply decided to forget, let’s recap the first half of a historical calendar year:

In the first ever College Football Playoff, the Ohio State Buckeyes first upset Alabama to then go on and trounce the Oregon Ducks in the championship game. The entire playoff did not disappoint, and proved that the tournament should have been implemented years ago.

In what turned out to be one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time, the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks on Malcolm Butler’s goal line interception with 26 seconds left to play in regulation. Tom Brady’s fourth title was shrouded in controversy, as the Pats quarterback and coach Bill Belichick had to deflect the heat of the Deflategate scandal in the weeks leading up to the championship game. For his role in Deflategate, Brady was eventually suspended four games on May 11^th, even though the NFL’s investigation showed no hard evidence of him instructing any equipment manager or Patriots employee to intentionally deflate a game ball below the league’s approved pressure level before the AFC Championship. If his appealed suspension is not overturned or reduced, Brady will serve the same amount of games as Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy, who recently had a 10 game suspension reduced to four by a league appointed arbitrator. Hardy was originally suspended for his role in a domestic violence incident last year that involved his former girlfriend. He was convicted of the assault charges at trial, but the case was eventually dismissed because the accuser decided not to cooperate. So by the current NFL standards, being convicted of assaulting a woman and having general knowledge of tampering with equipment deserve the same punishment. Makes perfect sense.

In Massachusetts, two of the highest profile court cases in the state’s history were going on at the same time. One involved former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who was found guilty of first degree murder on April 16^th. The other saw Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sentenced to death by a unanimous jury vote for his role in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. There was little surprise in the outcome of both trials, but the latter hopefully brought some final solace and closure to the victims whose lives were forever altered by Tsarnaev’s cowardly actions.

In the long-awaited match that also should have happened years ago, Floyd Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao in a unanimous decision in Las Vegas on May 2^nd. For everyone that ordered the fight, you might as well have taken $100.00 and lit it on fire.

On the links, 21-year-old Jordan Spieth is attempting a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in 62 years. Spieth cruised to a Master’s victory in April and then took the US Open thanks to a Dustin Johnson botched putt. If Spieth wins the British Open this weekend, he will be the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win the three majors in a single year.

The longtime president of FIFA Sepp Blatter resigned on the heels of 14 FIFA executives being arrested on multiple counts of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering. This conspiracy has only scratched the surface, and things are only going to go from bad to downright ugly for the world’s most popular sport as more of the investigation is exposed.

The Chicago Blackhawks captured their third Stanley Cup in six seasons, solidifying their present-day dynasty. On the other end of the spectrum, the Golden State Warriors won their first NBA title in 40 years, ending one of the longest current droughts in the league.

This week Caitlyn Jenner will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the annual ESPY awards. Now there’s no denying that Jenner coming out publicly as a transgender woman took a certain level of courage. As much support as Jenner has received, would the reception have been the same for someone who didn’t have the fame and platform to make their announcement public as Jenner did? Jenner surely has inspired others that are struggling with the same gender identity issues, but she has not come across as anything but selfish and self-absorbed through this whole ordeal. There are others that are more deserving of this award, such as Pete Frates, who inspired a whole fundraising phenomenon for ALS last summer. There's also the late Lauren Hill, the 19-year-old college basketball player who fought an inoperable brain tumor to play in four games at Mount St. Joseph University, all while showing others to live every day to the fullest through her perseverance and determination. The broadcast of the awards has been shifted to ABC, adding to this ratings grabber. Jenner will join a list a recipients that includes Jim Valvano, Pat Tillman and Nelson Mandela. Let that sink in for a minute…..

Lauren Hill

Pete Frates

Besides the FBI investigation into the St. Louis Cardinals for hacking the network of the Houston Astros, the first half of the MLB season has been relatively normal. There’s been the regular surprises (Houston Astros, A-Rod) and disappointments (Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres). What’s going to make for a stellar second-half for any baseball fan is the emergence of exciting, young prospects. There’s an abundance of talent in the majors under the age of 25, and it’s a good sign for the future of the game. Before we move onto what’s sure to be an intriguing couple of months of baseball, let’s hand out some mid-season awards.

A.L Rookie of the Year - Lance McCullers, SP, Houston Astros

McCullers is one of the contributing factors that have the Astros currently a half a game out of first place in the A.L. West. They were picked by many (including this writer) to finish towards the bottom of the division, but their influx of young talent has stepped up. Even thought his record (4-3) might not show for it, McCullers still holds a 2.52 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched. If he had enough innings pitched to qualify among the A.L. league leaders, he would be in the top ten in ERA and WHIP. His teammate Carlos Correa will give him some competition, but if McCullers continues to pitch at this level and has Houston thinking playoffs in September, the award should be his.

N.L. Rookie of the Year – Joc Pederson, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

This is definitely going to be a two man race between Pederson and the Cubs Kris Bryant, but the edge right now goes to Pederson. Even though Bryant has a higher average (.269 to .230) and more RBIs (51 to 40), Pederson holds the lead in home runs (20 to 12). The difference is that Pederson is currently more valuable to his team. He is a better defender at a tougher position, and is a contributing part to a lineup on a Dodgers team that is first place in the N.L. West. However the tides shift over the next couple of months, it’s going to be exciting to watch.

A.L. Cy Young – Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox

Even though the White Sox are in last place in the N.L. Central, no pitcher in the American League has been more dominant that Sale. He leads the AL in WHIP (0.95), and has struck out ten or more batters in ten of his last twelve games, including five straight with 12 Ks or more. Only Clayton Kershaw has more strikeouts in all of baseball. You can make an argument for other candidates such as Houston’s Dallas Keuchel and Detroit’s David Price. However the rest of the White Sox behind Sale rank at the bottom of the A.L. in both offense and defense, showing how good and effective he has been.

N.L. Cy Young – Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals

Dodgers pitcher Zach Greinke’s current 35.2 scoreless inning streak has been quite impressive. But Scherzer threw a near-perfect no-hitter on June 20^th, and the start before that only gave up one hit while striking out 16. Scherzer has the edge in WHIP (0.73 to 0.84), wins (10 to 8), and has a tad bit more strikeouts (150 to 106). Greinke has been more consistent, but Scherzer has been more dominant.

A.L. MVP - Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels

Is there anything that this guy can’t do? He is in the top ten in A.L in average (.316), first in slugging (.614), WAR (5.9), and tied for first in home runs (26). He just won his second straight All-Star Game MVP and is looking to lead the Angels to a second straight division title. And he’s only 23. Third baseman Josh Donaldson has been a nice addition to the Toronto Blue Jays and Miguel Cabrera is still the best hitter in baseball, and both will be in the discussion for the award. However if Trout keeps up the pace he's on, he’ll win his second straight A.L. MVP.

N.L. MVP – Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals 

An argument can be made for Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt, although no player is more exciting to watch right now than Bryce Harper. Being healthy and staying on the field consistently for the first time in his career has contributed to Harper’s breakout season. He leads all of baseball in WAR (6.2) and OPS (1.168), while being second in the N.L. in average (.339) and home runs (26). This is the Harper that we’ve all been waiting patiently to see, and he’s even younger than Trout. These two will continue to battle for their league's top individual prize for years to come.