With most teams having reached the midway point of the season, it’s time to hand out Sportsnet.ca’s mid-season baseball awards.
The awards are always up for debate so feel free to agree or argue below.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
MVP
Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
Two years ago he was left for dead on the ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams." In 2008, he might be the best all-round player in the Majors. Hamilton leads all of baseball with 79 RBI and is tied for the A.L. lead with 19 home runs. He currently ranks 10th in batting average, but just .011 points behind the league leader, so it’s conceivable that the elusive triple crown is well within his grasp.
CY YOUNG
Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
Last season, Lee seemed to be a lost cause and he spent a good chunk of the season at Triple-A Buffalo after his Major League ERA jumped almost two runs above his career number. This season, Lee came back strong, winning 11 of his first 15 starts, with an ERA now two runs less than his career average. The key has been his ability to pound the inner half of the plate and the fact that the Indians gave him a mulligan for a miserable 2007.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
This kid came with a lot of hype and, after a short stint in the minors to start this season, he’s more than lived up to it. Longoria, like the Rays, has a knack for clutch RBI, 10 of his have put his team ahead and six have been game-winners. Fifteen home runs in his first 72 Major League games has given us a glimpse of just how high his ceiling really is. And he’s already playing a solid third base that could one day lead to a Gold Glove.
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay
If ever there was a perfect manager in a perfect situation, it’s Maddon. After last season, when a couple of cocky wild cards by the name of Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes were disrupting their teammates, Maddon took back his clubhouse and sent the two malcontents packing. The result has the Rays hitting the end of June with the Majors’ top record and their 50 wins is something they haven’t had in some years by the end of August. Will they be able to hang on is the only question.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
MVP
Lance Berkman, Houston
Like Hamilton minus the baggage, Berkman has put together a monster first half. He actually has a better shot at the Triple Crown, thanks to an average that is bettered by only Chipper Jones. Despite playing on a sub-.500 team with a lot of holes in the lineup, Berkman has had at least one hit in 63 of 81 games and his OPS is an out-of-this-world 1.147, tops in the Majors. If he played in a major market, Berkman would be on every magazine cover.
CY YOUNG
Brandon Webb, Arizona
What else is new? Webb, the 2006 N.L. Cy Young award winner, has won 12 of his first 17 starts and is the main reason why the Diamondbacks are on pace to return to the post-season. Webb doesn’t really do anything outstanding, he just wins and gives his team a chance to do so every time he takes the ball. His key stat: 77.7% of balls put in play against him are on the ground and into the gloves of a solid infield defence.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Joey Votto, Cincinnati
Some might consider a Canadian bias in my choice here, but when you put the Toronto-born first baseman’s numbers against other N.L. rookies, there really is no argument. The only rookie with better stats is Cubs’ catcher Geovany Soto, but he plays on a vastly superior team. Plus, Votto went into Yankee Stadium during interleague play and put up Ruthian-like numbers: seven-for-12 with a double and a homerun. Good on ya, eh!
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Fredi Gonzalez, Florida
Like his counterpart across the state in Tampa, Gonzalez’s team wasn’t given much of a chance in the off-season, given the fact that the Marlins held yet another fire sale. But like the Rays, the Marlins youngsters believe anything is possible and win a lot of games in their last at bat. Somehow, with a payroll of just $21.8 million – or less than A-Rod takes home – the Marlins find themselves right in the rear view of the N.L. East-leading Phillies.
