MLB MVP races

By Dan Rodgers

They haven't announced awards yet, but I'm going to offer my soon-to-be-considered expert opinion.

So, in my soon-to-be-considered expert opinion, pitchers should not be eligible for the Most Valuable Player award. The MVP award goes to the most outstanding, or valuable, player in each league. The Cy Young award is to honor the best pitcher in each league. Why should pitchers be eligible for both awards when there is no MVP-type award specifically for position players.

NOTE: The Hank Aaron Award is given to the player with the best offensive season, but was initially introduced in 1999 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Hank Aaron surpassing Babe Ruth and becoming the home run king. I don't think of this award on the same level as the MVP or Cy Young Award.

Because of my feelings on this, I will not be including pitchers in the decision for MVP.

The National League MVP is really only between two players: Matt Kemp, OF Los Angeles Dodgers and Ryan Braun, OF Milwaukee Brewers.

Braun: .332 BA 33 HR 111 RBI 33 SB .397 OBP .597 SLG 58 BB 93 SO - 1 E
Kemp: .324 BA 39 HR 126 RBI 40 SB .399 OBP .586 SLG 74 BB 159 SO - 5 E

As you can see, they have very similar statistics. A few things stand out to me, Braun has a higher average, less strikeouts and less errors. Clearly the differences aren't much, but that combined with Braun leading his team to the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and their first division title in over a decade makes me lean in his direction. Don't get me wrong, Kemp is a great player, but I think the Dodgers finishing in third in one of baseball's less competitive divisions is going to hurt his chances.

NOTE: Given that Matt Kemp has now won the 2011 Hank Aaron Award, chances are he will not win the MVP.

NL MVP: Ryan Braun, OF Milwaukee Brewers

The American League MVP is a bit more competitive. The Yankees have two candidates (Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson), the Red Sox have two more (Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez), and the Blue Jays have one more (Jose Bautista). That's five alone in the AL East. The last candidate is Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.

Granderson: .262 BA 41 HR 119 RBI 25 SB .364 OBP .552 SLG 85 BB 169 SO - 3 E
Cano: .302 BA 28 HR 118 RBI 8 SB .349 OBP .533 SLG 38 BB 96 SO - 10 E
Ellsbury: .321 BA 32 HR 105 RBI 39 SB .376 OBP .552 SLG 52 BB 98 SO - 0 E
Gonzalez: .338 BA 27 HR 117 RBI 1 SB .410 OBP .548 SLG 74 BB 119 SO - 4 E
Bautista: .302 BA 43 HR 103 RBI 9 SB .447 OBP .608 SLG 132 BB 111 SO - 6 E
Cabrera: .344 BA 30 HR 105 RBI 2 SB .448 OBP .586 SLG 108 BB 89 SO - 13 E

As you can see, all of the candidates had phenomenal seasons. Most voters take into consideration whether or not the player's team made the playoffs and how they did. The Red Sox and Blue Jays did not make the playoffs, and Boston's historic collapse might hinder the chances of Ellsbury and Gonzalez. Cabrera and Cano both had respectable postseasons, offensively, and Granderson made a few game-saving catches that kept the Yanks in it.

NOTE: Jose Bautista won the Hank Aaron Award for the AL, and Jacoby Ellsbury was named the Comeback Player of the Year so neither of them will probably win MVP.

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera, 1B Detroit Tigers

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Rodgers That

AL East/AL Central

By Dr. Jekyll

It’s been a long hiatus, but thankfully baseball is a long season. Looking back on the first part of the season has offered a lot of incredible story lines. There’s the incredible performances of Ubaldo Jimenez, the deaths of The Boss and The Voice, and a complete dominance of big league pitchers. There are potential triple crowns and pitchers throwing their brains out and more than likely not breaking ten wins on the year. So with that, let’s take a look at how each team stacks up at the half way point of the season.

AL East
Let’s start things at the top, and by the top, I mean with three of the four best teams in baseball, who all happen to be playing in the same division.

New York Yankees: They lead the majors in runs. They’re deadly from top to bottom in the lineup. And as though that's not enough, they have a lot to play for. What better way for the Bombers to send off Steinbrenner than taking a championship home in his honor. Really, there’s no reason apart from injuries or their own division to keep the Yanks from putting up another banner come next season.

Tampa Bay Rays: Always the brides maid, never the bride. And this season looks to be playing out similarly. Behind a top 5 pitching staff and a very solid middle of the lineup the Rays are a dangerous team, and probably the best shot at knocking New York off their pre-made pedestal come postseason.

Boston Red Sox: Injuries, injuries, injuries. With an all-star lineup sitting on the DL, it’s impressive that the Sox have hung on as long as they have. As great as it is to have a gritty underdog, an August swoon looks inevitable for this club. The bullpen has been atrocious, and apart from surprising contributions from minor leaguers like Bill Hall, this season has turned into a feel-good wash.

Toronto Blue Jays: They’re leading baseball in homers, but that doesn’t do much when no one is on base for them. They’re probably the best .500 team in baseball, and in a weaker division may be making a playoff push. They’re starting to look like the Rays from a few years back when they showed flashes of promise but ultimately were left without a helpful result. Look for them to make a one and done attempt akin to what the Marlins do in the next year or two.

Baltimore Orioles: Anyone who saw this team going somewhere at the start of the season was either a season ticket holder or thought Matt Wieters could magically play every position. Neither happened, although the latter was probably for the best. Wieters is having a porous sophomore season after all the hype from tearing up the minors. This is a team that reeks of rebuilding, and probably should get used to their spot as division bottom feeders for the foreseeable future.

AL Central

Chicago White Sox: There is absolutely nothing special about this ball-club, and I’d be shocked to see them do anything come playoff time, assuming they’re still in position to even make the post season. Literally middle of the pack in every offensive and defensive category, this team is a testament to all that is good about Ozzie Guillen. Apart from being a great sound bite, he can coach a team. They make playoffs and this is a coach of the year candidate.

Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera is putting together an MVP season and willing this team to stay in the division. Currently he’s sitting either second or first in all three of the triple crown categories, and the Tigers need every bit of it if they’re going to hope to hang in there until the end. This is a three team race, and they’re probably on the short end of the stick when it comes to a supporting cast for their star players.

Minnesota Twins: Probably the best team in the Central to seize control of the division, Minnesota is only just out of first despite losing their closer to start the season and having Joe Mauer play through quite the slump this season. They’ve found a diamond in the rough in Carl Pavano, and Francisco Liriano is showing some of the flash that made him so great a few years back. Once they start clicking they’ll be repping the division come playoff time.

Kansas City Royals: They have the best batting average in baseball. They have a top of the line starting pitcher. They’re everything you’d want in a sleeper team, but they just haven’t clicked quite yet. Still a year or two off, this is a team on the rise in a winnable division, just not quite ready to break over the hump. Get Billy Butler another season under his belt, and get some run support for Zack Greinke (who may not break ten wins despite a great statistical season), and this team can make some noise at the top of this division. A second place spot next year isn’t out of the question by a long shot.

Cleveland Indians: The Cleveland Indians are a shell of the team they were just three seasons ago. Fausto Carmona is the only player on this team even worth mentioning by name. Like the Orioles, they are in clear rebuilding mode, but don’t seem to have the depth of talent to make that a quick transition. Get used to the basement fellas.

MLB award predictions

By Dan Rodgers

This is just a continuation of the previous post. However, this one will only be dealing with the awards races.

AL MVP candidates: Robinson Cano (NYY), Miguel Cabrera (DET), Vlad Guerrero (TEX)

NL MVP candidates: David Wright (NYM), Albert Pujols (STL), Joey Votto (CIN)

AL CY YOUNG candidates: David Price (TAM), Jon Lester (BOS), Andy Pettite (NYY), Jered Weaver (LAA)

NL CY YOUNG candidates: Ubaldo Jimenez (COL), Adam Wainwright (STL), Chris Carpenter (STL), Mike Pelfry (NYM)

AL ROOKIE: Brennan Boesch (DET), Austin Jackson (DET), Mitch Talbot (CLE), Neftali Feliz (TEX)

NL ROOKIE: Gaby Sanchez (FLA), Jason Heyward (ATL), Ike Davis (NYM), Jaime Garcia (STL)

AL MANAGER: Ron Washington (TEX), Cito Gaston (TOR)

NL MANAGER: Bobby Cox (ATL), Bud Black (SD)

Here is a nice clip from a July 4 that happened just a few years back...enjoy...





Rodgers That