Now that we are at the midway point (or a little past it), I will post my choices as midseason leader for Cy Young and MVP in both leagues at the All-Star Break.
The perennial choices for AL Cy Young are either Justin Verlander or Felix Hernandez, who have consistently been two of the game's top pitchers over the last several years.
A couple of other guys like David Price (last year's winner) or Jered Weaver are usually in the discussion as well, along with a surprise or two that pop up every year. Last year, Chris Sale was the guy who emerged, and was the favorite to win the award heading into the second half of last season.
This year, Bartolo Colon makes a strong case at 12-3 with an ERA of 2.70, currently third in the AL. Colon's connection with PEDs, however, may be what largely accounts for his return to the dominance of his prime at the age of 40. Nonetheless, he has not yet been suspended, and has a legitimate claim to the midseason AL Cy Young award.
I'm going to go another way, though. Max Scherzer, who is not even the best pitcher on his own team, is leading the pack at the midway point. With an ERA just a shade over three (3.19 at the moment), Scherzer is an incredible 13-1 in 19 starts. He is averaging more than a strikeout per inning (10.55 K/9), and has a WHIP under one (0.98).
I'll take Scherzer for my midseason AL Cy Young award winner/leader.
[Editor's note: This post is by John Trifone (@JohnnyT0122), who also contributes at our NFL site: Eat, Drink and Sleep Football (see John's archives).]
Showing posts with label Chris Sale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Sale. Show all posts
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Trifone: A.L. Mid-season Award Winners
Yesterday, we named the National League mid-season award winners -- MVP and Cy Young. (If you missed it, click here.)
Today, it's the A.L.'s turn.
Mid-season American League Most Valuable Player
Joey Bats is tied for the MLB lead in home runs with 27 and Adam Dunn is a virtual lock for comeback player of the year, with his 25 home run and 61 RBIs year so far.
One guy who is looking more and more like the rookie of the year AND MVP is Mike Trout, who in his first season is leading the league with a .341 average. Bryce Harper has gotten a lot of hype, and is certainly having a great year, but Trout has been even better.
None of these guys have had a first half like Josh Hamilton.
Hamilton had a few week period that may have been the most incredible stretch in baseball history, including a four-homer game, which was the highlight of the first half of the 2012 season. Early on, it looked as though Hamilton would challenge for the triple crown, although at this point, his average has dipped a bit. He is hitting .308, is tied for the league lead with 27 home runs and leads the league in RBIs with 75, and is one of only two players with OPS above 1.000.
Mike Trout would actually be my number two, who has 26 stolen bases to go along with his league-leading average, and his emergence is a huge reason why the Angels have gotten back into it.
Still, even his numbers pale in comparison to Hamilton's, who is the pretty clear choice for mid-season AL MVP.
Mid-season American League Cy Young Winner
The mid-season AL Cy Young winner is the toughest award to give out, and the one that is the most debatable. There are several good candidates, and it's a good thing there is a second half of the season to be played before we have to actually hand out the award.
By my judgement, coming in at number three for the award is Justin Verlander. Typically, he's the guy you'd see at the top of the list. Verlander is having a good, but not great year by his standards. His 2.58 ERA is good enough for fourth in the league, he is tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 128, leads the league in complete games with five, and has a 9-5 record. It's tough being Justin Verlander. He puts up those great numbers, and somehow, we expect a little more.
My number two choice for the mid-season award is Jered Weaver, who is 8-1 with a 1.96 ERA, which leads the league. Weaver has a sub 1.00 WHIP and is holding opponents to an average of under .200. Weaver, like Verlander, has become a fixture among the top pitchers in the game, and seems to be a perennial contender to win the Cy Young.
That leaves only White Sox second year starter Chris Sale as my choice for the mid-season AL Cy Young award winner. Sale is second in the league with an ERA of 2.27 and has 98 K's in 102.2 innings. He also has a sub 1.00 WHIP and has opponents hitting under .200 for the year against him. The White Sox are leading the AL Central, a division that everyone had yielded to the Tigers at the beginning of the year, and clearly, Sale and his 10-2 record are a big reason why.
I feel this race is the most subject to change, and by the end of the season, I'm not sure we won't see Verlander come back and win his second consecutive Cy Young. However, midway through, Sale has the best numbers and currently deserves the award.
[Editor's note: This post is by John Trifone (@JohnnyT0122), who also contributes at our NFL site: Eat, Drink and Sleep Football (see John's archives).]
Today, it's the A.L.'s turn.
Mid-season American League Most Valuable Player
Joey Bats is tied for the MLB lead in home runs with 27 and Adam Dunn is a virtual lock for comeback player of the year, with his 25 home run and 61 RBIs year so far.
One guy who is looking more and more like the rookie of the year AND MVP is Mike Trout, who in his first season is leading the league with a .341 average. Bryce Harper has gotten a lot of hype, and is certainly having a great year, but Trout has been even better.
None of these guys have had a first half like Josh Hamilton.
Hamilton had a few week period that may have been the most incredible stretch in baseball history, including a four-homer game, which was the highlight of the first half of the 2012 season. Early on, it looked as though Hamilton would challenge for the triple crown, although at this point, his average has dipped a bit. He is hitting .308, is tied for the league lead with 27 home runs and leads the league in RBIs with 75, and is one of only two players with OPS above 1.000.
Mike Trout would actually be my number two, who has 26 stolen bases to go along with his league-leading average, and his emergence is a huge reason why the Angels have gotten back into it.
Still, even his numbers pale in comparison to Hamilton's, who is the pretty clear choice for mid-season AL MVP.
Mid-season American League Cy Young Winner
The mid-season AL Cy Young winner is the toughest award to give out, and the one that is the most debatable. There are several good candidates, and it's a good thing there is a second half of the season to be played before we have to actually hand out the award.
By my judgement, coming in at number three for the award is Justin Verlander. Typically, he's the guy you'd see at the top of the list. Verlander is having a good, but not great year by his standards. His 2.58 ERA is good enough for fourth in the league, he is tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 128, leads the league in complete games with five, and has a 9-5 record. It's tough being Justin Verlander. He puts up those great numbers, and somehow, we expect a little more.
My number two choice for the mid-season award is Jered Weaver, who is 8-1 with a 1.96 ERA, which leads the league. Weaver has a sub 1.00 WHIP and is holding opponents to an average of under .200. Weaver, like Verlander, has become a fixture among the top pitchers in the game, and seems to be a perennial contender to win the Cy Young.
That leaves only White Sox second year starter Chris Sale as my choice for the mid-season AL Cy Young award winner. Sale is second in the league with an ERA of 2.27 and has 98 K's in 102.2 innings. He also has a sub 1.00 WHIP and has opponents hitting under .200 for the year against him. The White Sox are leading the AL Central, a division that everyone had yielded to the Tigers at the beginning of the year, and clearly, Sale and his 10-2 record are a big reason why.
I feel this race is the most subject to change, and by the end of the season, I'm not sure we won't see Verlander come back and win his second consecutive Cy Young. However, midway through, Sale has the best numbers and currently deserves the award.
[Editor's note: This post is by John Trifone (@JohnnyT0122), who also contributes at our NFL site: Eat, Drink and Sleep Football (see John's archives).]
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