Mid-Season Awards

Well, half the season is over now, so it's time to give away the mid-season awards (which is slightly idiotic, but I'm bored). Let's see how this turns out at the end of the season. Here are the biggies:

AL MVP

Josh Hamilton (TEX)

This is probably the easiest choice until I get to the NL Cy Young Award. He leads the AL in HR (19) and RBI (76; by 16), is 8th in BA, and is 5th in R. He's been the big story so far with his comeback from his drug addiction to baseball superstardom. Again, it just makes you wonder how good he'd be if he hadn't used drugs. Also, it makes you wonder how good the Rays would be with him.

NL MVP

Chase Utley (PHI)

I would have chosen Lance Berkman, but his team stinks, and I at least think the MVP's team should be at least good as a result of their performance. I would have chosen Chipper Jones, but the run production isn't their even with his obscene BA and OBP. I would have chosen Albert Pujols, but he's been injured and the stats aren't there. I would have chosen Adrian Gonzalez, but the Padres stink so the Berkman Rule applies here. So, why did I choose Utley over Dan Uggla when I gave Uggla the All-Star start over Utley (when was the last time two second baseman were this good with last names starting with "U"?)? Well, he's more valuable. Simply put, the Phillies are the better team and are winning the NL East over the Florida Marlins. Their stats are actually strikingly similar.

AL Cy Young

Joe Saunders (LAA)

I want to put Cliff Lee here, but the Berkman Rule again applies. I think of this award as the MVP (Most Valuable Pitcher), which is why I don't consider pitchers for the Most Valuable Player Award. Lee has been good and his ERA is almost .60 below Saunders, but no one means more to their team's success than Saunders. When John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar were hurt, most thought the Angels were sunk, but then Joe Saunders became the ace and more than kept the Angels in the race. His 11 wins are the most in the AL, and his 3.03 ERA isn't too shabby either. Ervin Santana deserves an Honorable Mention for essentially doing the same thing, but he has two fewer victories and an ERA .30 higher.

NL Cy Young

Edinson Volquez (CIN)

I wonder how many baseball fans still don't know who this is. I guess we might be able to call him Pedro Jr. I guess I also have to make an exception to the Berkman Rule, but when your stats are so obscenely good, you can make exceptions. As of now, Volquez leads in all but one Triple Crown categories: W (10; one down to Brandon Webb, but this is the least important of the categories), ERA (1.71; by .83 over Tim Lincecum), and K (110; by 7 over Lincecum). Webb started out as the heavy favorite, but he has really cooled lately. Lincecum has been awesome as well, but just not as good as Volquez.

AL Rookie of the Year

Joba Chamberlain (NYY)

None of the hitters have been phenomenal, but David Murphy gets the Most Valuable Position Player part of this award. However, you can't ignore Joba's 2.03 ERA and 56 K in 48.1 IP. Armando Galarraga deserves an Honorable Mention for his 7 wins and holding the Tigers rotation together when Justin Verlander stinks, Dontrelle Willis can't throw it over the plate, and Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson are still thinking back on '06.

NL Rookie of the Year

Geovany Soto (CHC)

His .280/.367/.508 line with 12 HR, 46 RBI, 20 DB, and 26 R give him every right to the award. I don't want to give it to Kosuke Fukudome because, first, Soto is better and, second, because I don't think he should be a rookie with his Japanese League experience. Soto, without McCann, would be the starting catcher in the NL. Soto is also first among rookies in HR and RBI and third in BA. Pretty good. As for the pitchers, Jair Jurrjens has been the most impressive, but Soto has been an All-Star.