First up are the most valuable players in the first half of the season. In the AL, there are plenty of deserving candidates, such as outfielders Jose Bautista, Curtis Granderson, and Josh Hamilton. At designated hitter, David Ortiz and Michael Young have fought off aging and are performing as if they are in their prime. Many could argue Asdrubal Cabrera is the most valuable player because of how the Indians' lineup hit while Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana were slumping. But none of those are my first-half Al MVP, Adrian Gonzalez of the Boston Red Sox. After leaving Petco Park, a spacious pitcher's park, Gonzalez has dominated AL pitching. Gonzalez leads the American League in hits, batting average, and RBI. He is in 2nd place in doubles and slugging percentage as well as top-five in runs, on-base percentage, and on-base plus slugging. No other hitter is that complete, which is how he beats out runner-up Jose Bautista. Gonzalez has been well-recognized for his achievements, as he is the leading vote-getter in the AL at first base.
Now to the National League, this player is the MVP as well as comeback player of the year. He leads the NL in at-bats, batting average, hits, runs, and triples. If you pay any attention at all to baseball, that last stat gave it away. My first-half NL MVP is indeed the Mets' Jose Reyes. The New York Mets' shortstop is also second in the National League in doubles and stolen bases, while top-seven in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and on-base plus slugging. As of July 1, Reyes has 15 three-baggers and is on pace for 30 triples. Can you tell me who the last guy that hit 30 triples in one season? I think not. The answer is Chief Wilson, the only player in baseball's modern era (1900-present) that hit more than 30 triples. Almost 100 years ago in 1912, Wilson hit a still-standing record 36 triples in one season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nobody else has hit more than 26 in one season. Back to Reyes, he might be able to break into the record books as the second player to do so as well as solidify his case for MVP.
Next is the American League Cy Young. This race has three solid players, the Tigers' Justin Verlander, the Yankees' CC Sabathia, and the Angels' Jered Weaver. Between the three, they have the lead lead in games started, innings pitched, wins, strikeouts, WHIP (walks plus hits over innings pitched), and ERA. Verlander and Sabathia are the AL's two 11 game winners so far, and Weaver is not far behind with nine victories. While comparing the stats of the three pitchers, I noticed that Sabathia was good, but not phenomenal. The explanation for why he has so many wins but is not the best pitcher is because he plays on the Yankees, who have given him all the run support he wants or needs. So going from there, I looked at consistency, where I saw that all three of Verlander's losses were in April while all four of Weaver's were in May. The edge here goes to Verlander because his three losses were surrounded by two wins. Anyway, my pick here is Verlander because this year he has pitched three of the top 20 games (according to ESPN.com's Top Games) to Weaver's one, threw a no-hitter on May 7, and ESPN.com's Cy Predictor formula puts Justin Verlander at the top of all American League pitchers.
In the National League this year, there have been two superb pitchers; Jair Jurrjens and Roy Halladay. Jurrjens picked up where he left off in 2009 with an NL-leading 11 wins and 1.89 ERA despite his 5.42 K/9 ratio being his worst since his 2007 rookie year with the Tigers. Meanwhile, Roy Halladay is having another great season after two no-hitters and a Cy Young last year. He has the most innings pitched in the NL along with the most quality starts to go along with the best K/BB ratio in all of baseball at 7.29 (next best is 5.44). He has the NL's best AVS (average game score from ESPN.com's Top Games), the best defense-independent ERA at 2.44, and has gone the distance an NL-leading five times along with 10 wins. This decision is tough for me since Jurrjen's threw a one-hitter against the Orioles last night, but Halladay and his 123-63 strikeout ratio to Jurrjens makes up for the 2.40-1.89 difference in ERA.
The two Rookies of the Year were pretty easy to pick. Why? Not many rookies have performed at a high level. My two picks are the Mariners' Michel Pineda and the Braves' Craig Kimbrel. Pineda has performed at an almost All-Star level with a 7-5 record, a 2.65 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP to go along with his 99 strikeouts. The only real competition for the Dominican pitcher is Rays' flamethrower Jeremy Hellickson, who is 7-7 with a 3.18 ERA. Onto the NL, Kimbrel nabbed the closer's job right out of the gate as a rookie and quickly proved why, not giving up a run until his seventh appearance. As of July 1, he has converted 23 of his 28 save opportunities and has a 2.63 ERA. His competition has been Nationals' second baseman Danny Espinosa, who has clubbed 15 home runs.
This year I've felt the fans have done a pretty good job with voting players to the All-Star game, with the exceptions of Derek Jeter, Matt Joyce, Jose Reyes, and Alex Avila. Starting with Jeter, he hasn't had a very good year and yet he is beating out the deserving Asdrubal Cabrera. To Joyce, he has been a star for the Rays but has gone unnoticed to voters despite a .307 batting average, 11 home runs, and .367 on-base percentage. Jose Reyes, the man I declared my first-half MVP and the player that Alex Rodriguez reportedly called the best player in the world (ESPN broke the story), is getting snubbed by voters in favor of Troy Tulowitzki. Don't get me wrong, Tulowitzki deserves to be an All-Star, but there is no doubt that Reyes should be the starter. Making a splash this year for the Tigers has been catcher Alex Avila, who has performed well with a .299 batting average, 10 home runs, and .900 on-base plus slugging while splitting time behind the plate with catcher/designated hitter Victor Martinez.
Lastly, it is time to make World Series predictions. I think the representative from the AL will be either the Red Sox or Rangers. The Red Sox were preseason favorites to make the series, and the team has plenty of playoff experience along with a strong as well as deep rotation. Last year, when I made this same column (not on the internet), I picked the Rangers to make the World Series, and they did. This year, they aren't as good as last year's team, but they lead their division and if all of teir guys are healthy around playoff time, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington could be filled in October. But because of how streaky these two teams have been, the Yankees have a shot my my pick is the Red Sox.To the NL, I could see the Phillies, Braves, Brewers, or Reds in the World Series. My pick is the Brewers because in my mind they are just as strong hitting (Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks) as they are pitching (Zack Greinke, Yovani Gallardo, Shaun Marcum). If the Series matchup is Red Sox-Brewers, my guess would be Red Sox in six but that could flip around to the Brewers if Greinke can pitch to his potential.
Well, that's it for this one. If you like my work, tell your friends and spread the news. -J.A.
Jacob A would be a writer for QVC Sports if only that existed.
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