SportsFullCircle

Well, so far this season - like in any other year - there are givens, and then there are huge surprises.

Almost everyone thought that the American League East would be the toughest division in baseball, but I doubt that many thought that the San Francisco Giants’ pitching would be even more brilliant than advertised - and much less, put them in the lead for the National League Wild Card.  What other team’s sixth starter (Jonathan Sanchez) filling in for a man who’s won over 300 games (Randy Johnson) would throw the first no-no of the year?

Coming into this season, everyone in baseball knew that the Texas Rangers could hit and that the Los Angeles Angels could take the AL West once again with a blossoming offense and superb pitching.  With that being said, why is the race only two games apart? How did the Rangers keep the division lead for more than one month and why are the Halos being ambushed with injuries to their aces at first (John Lackey, Ervin Santana) and now to their best hitters (Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter)?

The AL and NL Central divisions are almost always a dogfight to determine their winners.  Will the vastly disappointing Chicago Cubs finally stake their claim in the division?  Will the Minnesota Twins’ young pitching continue to survive the potent offenses of the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox?  Can the Cleveland Indians and the Houston Astros play spoiler once again this year?

Mark Teixiera made a huge impact for the reigning AL West Champion Angels when he was traded from Atlanta.  Who’s next this year?  Roy Halladay?  Matt Holliday?  Maybe even the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Freddy Sanchez?

A lot of questions have been posed; we’ll see what the answers are come October.

Most Valuable Player

American League: Torii Hunter, CF, Los Angeles Angels
Stats at the break: .305, 17 HR, 65 RBI

This was a hard pick to make since no one has really stood out amidst very good performances.  Nevertheless, Torii Hunter gets my pick for one important reason - consistency.  Although Evan Longoria - who was my extremely close runner-up - has helped shoulder the load for the emerging Tampa Bay Rays, Torii has been their go-to hitter despite costly injuries that very well should have taken the Angels out of contention coupled with the tragedy of the passing of blossoming prospect Nick Adenhart.  As for his impact with his glove, well, there is a reason why he’s an eight-time Gold Glove award-winner.  Although he has just been hit with a costly injury, he’s my pick for MVP - especially if he manages to make a huge splash off the disabled list.
Honorable mention: Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays

National League: Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals
Stats at the break: .332, 32 HR, 87 RBI

I don’t think there’s a huge case to make for this pick.  Albert Pujols leads all of baseball in two out of the three Triple Crown categories (you can thank Joe Mauer’s .373 average for that).  He has carried his team with Gold Glove-caliber defense, clutch hitting, and being the consummate team player.  That should be good enough to amount to back-to-back MVPs for the All-Star first baseman.

Cy Young Award

American League: Zack Greinke, SP, Kansas City Royals
Stats at the break: 10-5, 2.12 ERA, 127.1 IP, 129 SO

As last year has shown, the best pitchers need not come from contending teams like the MVPs.  Therefore, in a very tough race between Zack Greinke and Roy Halladay…I go with Greinke.  It seems like finally the first-round draft pick has found his niche as a starting pitcher.  Although he’s third in the AL in strikeouts, the standout number - what pushed him over Halladay - is his 2.12 ERA.  That’s a good ERA for a reliever, but for a starter it’s simply amazing.
Honorable mention: Roy Halladay, SP, Toronto Blue Jays; Josh Beckett, SP, Boston Red Sox (MLB co-leader in wins)

National League: Tim Lincecum, SP, San Francisco Giants
Stats at the break: 10-2, 2.38 ERA, 127.2 IP, 149 SO

Well, “The FreaK” is at it again.  Lincecum is second to only one pitcher in wins and leads the entire league in strikeouts.  Even though he didn’t have his best stuff in his All-Star Game start - which would be good enough to dominate teams anyway - it is near impossible to snide him of his second straight Cy Young Award.
Honorable mention: Jason Marquis, SP, Colorado Rockies (MLB co-leader in wins); Matt Cain, SP, San Francisco Giants

Rookie of the Year

American League: Brad Bergesen, SP, Baltimore Orioles
Stats at the break: 6-3, 3.54 ERA, 104.1 IP, 53 SO

This is just one of many of Baltimore’s prized prospects of the future; if any of the others are like Brad Bergesen, the Orioles are definitely stacked for the future.  Bergesen’s has been lost among call-ups like outfielder Nolan Reimold and highly touted catcher Matt Wieters, but he’s being making footprints of his own with one of his highlights being an eight inning, one run gem against the potent Boston Red Sox.  Although fellow rookie Ricky Romero leads AL rookie pitchers in wins, Bergesen has taken a good-sized workload, leading all rookie pitchers in innings pitched.  This young man should take the award this year and will set himself up nicely for the years to come.
Honorable Mention: Ricky Romero, SP, Toronto Blue Jays; Jeff Niemann, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

National League: J.A. Happ, SP, Philadelphia Phillies
Stats at the break: 6-0, 2.90 ERA, 87 IP, 61 SO

Wow.  And wow.  Why haven’t I heard more about this one?  It’s almost as if he is Philadelphia’s best kept secret.  The highlight so far of his young career is his complete game shutout of the Toronto Blue Jays on June 27.  Even though he’s had some rough patches, he’s still managed to pull his ERA below three.  Unless there’s a huge letdown in the second half, my ROY goes to J.A. Happ.
Honorable mention: Colby Rasmus, CF, St. Louis Cardinals; Casey McGehee, IF, Milwaukee Brewers

Comeback Player of the Year

American League: Aaron Hill, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays
Stats at the break: .292, 20 HR, 60 RBI

It wasn’t certain whether Aaron Hill would have a better season than 2008’s injury-plagued campaign.  Appropriately, this season has taken many by surprise.  In 2006 and 2007, Hill quietly established himself as one of the better second basemen in baseball.  Consider this as a rude awakening.  Despite the buzz surround the possible trade of ace Roy Halladay, Hill is a bright sign of things to come north of the border.
Honorable mention: Russell Branyan, 1B, Seattle Mariners

National League: Chris Carpenter, SP, St. Louis Cardinals
Stats at the break: 7-3, 2.47 ERA, 83.2 IP, 64 SO

Chris Carpenter was one of the huge question marks for the Cards this season.  One axiom was repeated thoroughly in the off-season: “If Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright stay healthy, the Cardinals are in the driver’s seat in the NL Central.”  Lo and behold, they carry a two-game lead and are poised to secure a playoff spot.  Even though he couldn’t completely escape the DL (he took a hit in late April), he has still pitched very well this season.  I can’t find anyone that even comes close to contending for this award.

Well, there you have it.  Do you agree?  Disagree?  Think I’m missing something?  Let your voice be heard…