We've reached the All*Star Break, which means the players not headed to Miami will get a couple days off before the season resumes on Friday. The All*Star Game marks at the traditional midway point of the season, even though everybody actually hits halfway a week earlier. So, we've had a little more than half a season to go on, which means it's a perfect time to hand out some awards.
AL Rookie: Aaron Judge, Yankees-I started with the easiest one. Judge is in a class by himself. He ranks so far above all other AL rookies that it's an insult to him (and them) to even pretend there are other "candidates." In fact...
AL MVP: Aaron Judge, Yankees-Judge isn't just the best rookie in the American League. He's the best player in the American League. And right now, he's the clear choice for MVP, too. Seriously, can you make a legitimate argument for anybody else? He's already broken the Yankees rookie record for home runs (for an entire season!) and is flirting with the Triple Crown. All this for a guy some thought might not even make the team at the start of Spring Training. If his second half is anything like his first, he'll join Fred Lynn and Ichiro as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.
AL Cy Young: Chris Sale, Red Sox-If it's possible, changing his Sox made Chris Sale better. After escaping Chicago for the pressure cooker that is Boston, he's been the true ace the Red Sox haven't had since Jon Lester. He leads the AL in innings pitched, strikeouts, WHIP and opponents' batting average, and is second in both wins and ERA. Sale is your likely AL starter on Tuesday night. And he should be. Because he's clearly been the best pitcher in the American League over the first three months of the season.
AL Manager: Kevin Cash, Rays-There are a lot of managers that you could make the argument for. Everyone knew the Red Sox and Astros were gonna be good, so John Farrell and A.J. Hinch are out. But no one was expecting this from the Rays, which is why Kevin Cash gets the nod. Tampa Bay overhauled most of its roster, so most people thought the Rays would linger at or near the bottom of the AL East. Instead, they're right in the thick of the wild card race with a low-budget roster lacking in star power.
NL Rookie: Cody Bellinger, Dodgers-The Dodgers didn't have a great April. Then they promoted Cody Bellinger and took off. The batting average isn't there, but that's the only thing missing. Besides, his home runs, RBIs, runs and slugging percentage more than make up for it. It's not Judge-like, but the gap between Bellinger and the other NL rookies is almost as wide. And it sure looks like he's next in the long line of Dodgers to win Rookie of the Year.
NL MVP: Charlie Blackmon, Rockies-This is the tightest of all the award races right now. I was tempted to go with the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman (who's the clear front runner for Comeback Player of the Year). But Charlie Blackmon's first half was simply amazing, and it's one of the biggest reasons why the Rockies are surprise contenders. Are some of his numbers Coors Field aided? Possibly. But regardless, he leads the NL in hits and triples, is second in runs, and ranks fifth in average. You can't argue against that.
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers-Is it even fair to compare Clayton Kershaw with human pitchers? Because it really doesn't seem like it. Max Scherzer has actually given him a run for his money, but the Best Pitcher on Earth has once again put up otherworldly numbers for the team with the best record in the game. Scherzer's actually in front of Kershaw in a few of the counting categories, but Kershaw has a Major League-best 13 wins, and the Dodgers are 16-2 in his starts (including wins in his last 12). LA hasn't lost a game in which Kershaw has pitched since May 1. Washington's record behind Scherzer? 12-6. That's why I give Kershaw the midseason nod.
NL Manager: Craig Counsell, Brewers-After winning 103 games and the World Series last year, the Cubs were just gonna cruise to another NL Central title, right? Right? Apparently not. Because Craig Counsell has the Brewers in first place at the All*Star break. I've seen this team for the last two days, and I'm still not quite sure how they're doing it. But they are, and you've got to give them props for that. Because I bet every one of you would have trouble naming five players on Milwaukee's roster. Honorable mention to Torey Lovullo in Arizona and Bud Black in Colorado.
Lastly, we've got the Comeback Players of the Year. MLB is really pushing this one as the fifth major award in each league, but it hasn't quite gotten to that level, yet (there's no MLB Network special announcing the Comeback Players). I think there are two clear winners at midseason, though. Michael Brantley of the Indians and Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals.
They're both All*Stars, and they both made already good teams better. Brantley played in just 11 games last season, when he had to watch Cleveland go to the World Series without him. This year, he's back to being the Indians' best player not named Lindor. Meanwhile, Zimmerman (who's had all kinds of injury problems of his own) has gone from a .218 hitter last season to an MVP candidate this year in Washington.
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