MLB Midseason Awards - AL Version

I know we're not at the "official" midway point of the season. That is what the All-Star break is, but with most team having played 83 or 84 games, that's enough for me. With further ado, here are my picks for the hardware. Let's get this stuff handed out to the American League.

1. MVP - Nominees are: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers; Josh Hamilton, Texas: Justin Morneau, Minnesota
All are more than worthy of the trophy, but I can only pick one and that's a tough choice. No one has been hotter than Hamilton. In June, Hamilton drilled 9 homers, added 31 RBI while hitting an astounding .454. Morneau won the award in 2006 and got off to a torrid start to the 2010 season. June wasn't as kind to him as it was Hamilton, but Morneau managed a .299 average with 5 HR and 16 RBI. That's the trademark of Morneau, consistency. The .299 represents his lowest batting average for any full month this season. He doesn't run too hot or too cold.

But I have to go with Cabrera here. A lot of experts thought the Tigers had a chance in the AL Central, but doom and gloom was also predicted with the losses of Curtis Granderson and Fernando Rodney. Just insert Rookie of the Year candidate Austin Jackson and free agent signing and AL All-Star Jose Valverde into those slots plus a little leadership from Johnny Damon and the Tigers haven't really missed those guys, if at all. But Cabrera is the heartbeat of this team. It also doesn't hurt that as of right now, he's got the AL Triple Crown! He leads in average (.343) and RBI (73) and he's tied in HR with Hamilton and Toronto's Jose Batista (21).

2. Cy Young - Nominees are: Jon Lester, Boston: Andy Pettitte, New York; David Price, Tampa Bay
Just to get this one down to three was difficult enough. I could have also has Cliff Lee, Clay Buchholz, Phil Hughes, Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia in the mix, but these three stand out because all three have ERA under 3.00 and double-digit wins. Price is 11-4 with a 2.42 ERA. Pettitte, 10-2 with a 2.82 ERA and Lester is 10-3 with a 2.76 ERA. Yes, Buchholz falls under those categories, too, but I eliminated him only because he has the highest WHIP.

Price is my pick because he has the most wins of the three and the lowest ERA. I know it's trendy and I know I'll hear it because he has the highest WHIP among the three (a reason I eliminated Buchholz), but Price is also showing us the promise he displayed to Tampa Bay scouts when they selected him #1 overall in 2007. His "worst" month was May when his ERA was 2.84, the highest for a month all season. I know awards aren't based on promise or "upside" either, but Price is the new stopper in the Rays rotation.

3. Rookie of the Year - Nominees are: Brennan Boesch, Detroit; Austin Jackson, Detroit; Mitch Talbot, Cleveland
Go ahead. Laugh at the Talbot nominee, but he is 8-7 with a 3.86 ERA on a bad team and that tells me plenty. Imagine if Talbot had an offense. Boesch and Jackson are no-brainers to nominate. Both are hitting over .300 and Jackson has started in center from day 1. Boesch was a gem to find and has been more than willing to assist Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez keep the Tigers on course for another playoff run.

But for me, I got to go with Jackson. He was the replacement for Granderson and Curtis was loved in the Motor City. He is over .300 both at Comerica and on the road. That proves to me that this kid knows how to hit. No, he won't hit 20+ HR like Granderson, but his speed could warrant close to 10 triples (he has 4). Toss in 13 steals and this kid is action on the basepaths.

4. Manager of the Year - Nominees are: Terry Francona, Boston: Jim Leyland, Detroit; Ron Washington, Texas
Did anyone seriously think the Rangers would be holding down first place in the AL West? Even with the Angels losing John Lackey? Did you? I didn't either. And look what Leyland is doing in Detroit. He touted last season as the year for the Tigers to win it all. So much for that. The Tigers are atop the AL Central.

But I got to hand it to Francona in Boston. The DL is almost a starting team in itself (Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, Jason Varitek, Manny Delcarmen, Jeremy Hermida, Josh Beckett). Don't forget that he had to also deal with Mike Cameron and Daisuke Matsuzaka already having stints on the DL. No, the Sawx aren't currently sitting in a playoff spot, but this could be Francona's best managing job yet.

OK, the serious stuff is out of the way. Now, for the "other" awards...

MLB MVP candidates

Outside of winning a World Series, the MVP of each league validates what a player has done for that single season. While there's always going to be a lot of debate on who wins, there is little doubt on that player's place in MLB history.

With that being said, let's look at my take on cadidates from the American League.

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer appears to be the front runner. Despite the fact that Mauer missed the first month of the season, he's out together one of the greatest statistical years in history. Mauer leads the AL in batting average (.374), on-base percentage (.441), and slugging (.610). A more surprising fact is that Mauer has scored more runs (86) than the Seattle Mariners Ichiro (81), Tampa Bay Rays Carl Crawford (84), and Boston Red Sox Jacoby Ellsbury(80). All those other players are known to score a lot of runs.

Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees can also be considered. Tex did get off to a slow start, but he's found his groove and has produced for the guys in pinstripes. He leads the AL in RBI (112) and is currently second in HR (35). Tex can win the HR crown due to Rays 1B Carlos Pena (39 HR) being on the shelf for the rest of the season. If he can pass Pena, that will be more for the voters to contemplate when they cast their ballots.

Don't fall asleep on the Detroit Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera. He's been the most productive Tiger and is often overlooked because Detroit as a team gets overlooked. Cabrera currently sits third in batting (.333), fourth in on-base percentage (.404), and fifth in slugging (.552). Cabrera get a bit of a knock because of lack of clutch hits, but fans at Comerica will disagree. At the home of the Tigers, Cabrera is hitting .365. Midwest fans should show him a little love.

The west coast fans will thrust Angels 1B Kendry Morales into the mix. Morales sits in the top ten in four offensive categories: third in slugging (.564), seventh in HR (30) and RBI (98), and eighth in OPS (.914). One fact that voters should remember is the extended period that the Angels were without Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero. Morales was there to pick up the slack and hasn't looked back.

I'm throwing one more in, Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees. I'm not doing it based on the fact that Jeter passed Lou Gehrig for the all-time Yankees hit leader. I'm doing it because of what he brings to the field everyday. Some will ask where are his stats? He's hitting .330 (fourth), 17 HR, 64 RBI and 26 SB ninth). I submit this. In 1995 Cincinnati Reds SS Barry Larkin won the NL MVP with these numbers: .319 BA, 15 HR, 66 RBI and 51 SB. Larkin was the captain of that club and what Larkin meant to the Reds that season is what Jeter is to the Yanks.

I think Yankee voters may get a bit sentimental to Jeter and they could cost Teixeira. I'm kind of in the same boat.
1. Mauer
2. Teixeira
3. Morales
4. Jeter
5. Cabrera

The National League is a bit clearer.

The favorite is St. Louis Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols. Pujols ranks first in seven offensive categories (RBI, BB, slugging, HR, runs, on-base percentage, and OPS). He also second in batting average. All the compliments I gave to Mauer I almost double giving them to Pujols. Unless he totally falls off the baseball map, it's his.

The player looked upon as his main competition is Florida Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez. HanRam leads the NL in batting and is ranked in the top ten in six other stats (third in on-base percentage and OPS, sixth in runs, RBI, stolen bases, and slugging). Ramirez is hitting .377 away from Land Shark Stadium. He's also commited only 9 errors and ranks fourth in SS fielding.

Milwaukee Brewers 1B Prince Fielder should get a bit of attention and is a dark horse. He is currently second in RBI (just one behind Pujols), second in OPS and slugging, third in HR, fourth in BB, fifth in on-base percentage, and seventh in runs scored. When Prince hits a homer, it's always a no-doubter. The Brewers were in a bid for a playoff spot but have faded down the stretch and that may hurt Fielder's chances.

Unless I need surgery, Pujols is the winner.
1. Pujols
2. Ramirez
3. Fielder