MLB Midseason Awards

As the first half of the MLB season wraps up, we take a look at front runners for yearly awards

AL MVP
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
Apologies: Chris Davis, Mike Trout

Miguel Cabrera is the best hitter of this generation. Last year’s triple crown winner is threatening to do it again with a .365 batting average, 30 home runs, and 95 RBI’s. Only Chris Davis stands in his way with .310/37HR/93RBI. He leads the AL with a 5.5 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and hitting .443 with runners in scoring position (RISP). What is even more ridiculous is he hits .475 with 2 outs and RISP. Mike Trout is showing why he has baseball’s brightest future and Chris Davis is having a season for the ages but Miguel Cabrera is having one of the greatest seasons ever. Period.

AL Cy Young
Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers

Apologies: Yu Darvish, Felix Hernandez

It’s not just about wins with Max Scherzer. While he is leading baseball with a 13-1 record, he also is second in strikeouts with 152 on the season with a 3.19 ERA and the second lowest WHIP at 0.98. He has been lights out and batters only have a .206 average against Scherzer and the Tigers are 15-4 in his starts and what is more impressive is that the Tigers are 37-38 in game when he doesn’t start. And this is a rotation that includes star pitcher Justin Verlander and solid starters in Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister. While other aces Darvish and Hernandez have good cases for AL Cy Young, no one has been as dominant as Scherzer has been the first half.

AL Comeback Player of the Year
John Lackey, Boston Red Sox
Apologies: Mariano Rivera, Jacoby Ellsbury

John Lackey came to the Boston Red Sox in 2010 with a fat contract and lofty expectations. He then provided the Red Sox with a 4.40 ERA in 2010 and a dreadful 6.41 ERA in 2011. He missed 2012 with Tommy John surgery but 2013 has been a renaissance for him. He looks to be in form posting a 2.78 ERA (1.32ERA at Fenway), 1.14 WHIP, and 8.34 strikeouts per 9 innings. While Mariano Rivera and Ellsbury are having great bounce back campaigns, it doesn’t compare to Lackey’s comeback from Tommy John surgery to one of the better pitchers in the AL the first half of the season.

AL Rookie of the Year
Leonys Martin, Texas Rangers

Apologies: Nick Franklin, Jose Iglesias

After last year’s American League’s crop of rookies (Trout, Darvish, Cespedes) this year has been relatively weak for the AL. However, it is not to undermine Leonys Martin’s efforts this year. He is hitting .283 with 19 steals and a 2.5 WAR. He has really turned it on in June for the tune of a .299 average, 3HR, and 9 steals. In a really weak class of rookies for the AL, Martin has stuck out the most on a productive Texas Rangers lineup.

AL Manager of the Year
John Farrell, Boston Red Sox

Apologies: Terry Francona, Bob Melvin

The best record in baseball is no simple feat and first year manager John Farrell has led the Red Sox to lead all of baseball at the end of the first half of the season. He has restored the winning ways of the Red Sox and has brought life the pitching staff which has a 4.70 ERA last year. This year the staff spots a 3.91 ERA and has consistent pitching from John Lackey (2.91 ERA) and Clay Buchholz (1.71 ERA). While the Indians and Athletics are exceeding expectations, the manager leading the best team in baseball can’t go ignored.

AL Best Performance

Chris Davis, Ties for Most HR in AL before All-Star Break

Apologies: Mike Trout (Hits for Cycle vs. Mariners), Yu Darvish (Near-Perfect Game vs. Astros)

Chris Davis has simply wowed fans this season hitting 37 HR and offering the possibility of beating Roger Maris’s record of 61 HR in a season, which could be the “real” homerun record since, it wasn’t tainted by the steroids era of baseball. While hitting for the cycle and throwing a near-perfect game are rare and impressive feats, it is nothing compared to the consistent home run hitting of Davis in the first half.

NL MVP
Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

Apologies: Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Gomez

A .313 average, 21 HR, and a NL-leading 77 RBI, Paul Goldschmidt has become a superstar and the front runner for NL MVP. He also can swipe a few bases and owns a 4.8 WAR while leading the Diamondbacks on to the playoffs. While Carlos Gomez leads all of baseball with a 5.7 WAR and Carlos Gonzalez leading the NL in HR, Goldschmidt has been the one with the best plate discipline and has led his team to more wins. However this race for MVP is still wide open.

NL Cy Young
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

Apologies: Matt Harvey, Adam Wainwright

Last year’s Cy Young winner is at it again, dominating hitters when they come up to bat. He leads all of baseball with a 1.98 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 139 strikeouts to his credit. While he doesn’t possess a good win-loss record, only 8-6, he has been the most dominant pitcher on the mound. He is unhittable at times and has three complete games and five shutout games started. While Matt Harvey has been stealing headlines and Adam Wainwright leading the NL in wins, Clayton Kershaw has been baseball most dominant pitcher.

NL Comeback Player of the Year
Dominic Brown, Philadelphia Phillies

Apologies: Michael Cuddyer, Francisco Liriano

Once of the most promising prospects in baseball, Dominic Brown didn’t live up to expectations in his first few years in the league. But this year Brown has broken out for 23HR, which is good for third in the NL. He also has 67 RBI’s and has been the best player on a mediocre Philadelphia Phillies team. He is the epitome of being a comeback player and he has shown what made him a top prospect a few years back. Hard to ignore Michael Cuddyer (.330/16HR/55RBI) and Francisco Liriano (2.00ERA/9 wins/80K) and their efforts, but Brown has become a legitimate star in the making in his comeback campaign.

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

Apologies: Hyun-Jin Ryu, Jose Fernandez

If 2013 is indicative of anything it is that the NL is stacked with lots of talent on the pitching mound. Import Hyun-Jin Ryu and Marlins prospect Jose Fernandez each have been impressive posting sub 3.00 ERAs but none have been more impressive then Shelby Miller. He owns a 2.92 ERA with 112 strikeouts and in there is his near perfect game vs. the Rockies ( 9.0 IP, 1H, 13K). He has been dominant since day one and is a perfect compliment to ace Adam Wainwright with NL leading St.Louis.

NL Manager of the Year
Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh Pirates
Apologies: Mike Matheny, Walt Weiss

The Pirates showed a lot of promise last year starting but ended the season with a losing record. However this year the Pirates have a 56-37 record headed into the break and looked primed for a playoff spot. Clint Hurdle has done a good job turning a losing franchise with hope of a first winning season in 20 years and a potential playoff spot.

NL Best Performance

Tim Lincecum, No-Hitter vs. Padres

Apologies: Homer Bailey (No-Hitter vs. Giants), Carlos Gomez (Robbing Walk-Off HR against Joey Votto)

Tim Lincecum has two Cy Young awards and two World Championships to his resume, but has never had a perfect game till July 13, 2013. His no-hitter is amazing because it is the most pitches ever thrown in a no hitter with 148 pitches, which is a career high. He also fanned 13 batters. Homer Bailey’s no-hitter was impressive as well but Lincecum did it in a more dominating fashion.

*All stats courtesy of FanGraphs and ESPN