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AL Mid Season Awards




By Zane Robidoux
Twitter: @Zrobidoeee

With baseballs Midsummer Classic coming to a close, now is as good a time as ever to take a look at who the frontrunners for the MVP and Cy Young awards are. Rookie of the Year won’t be covered in this article, only because it feels like that race has already been decided (AL- Gleyber Torres, NL- Juan Soto). Instead, we’ll focus more on the awards that could go to a multitude of people, all equally deserving. To round the whole MLB out, the NL awards portion will be covered in a second article. Just to finish up my predictions, how the AL will shape up come the postseason can be found here too. Let’s jump in. 


AL MVP:

Mookie Betts (.359 AVG/23 HR/53 RBI/.448 OBP/.691 SLG/1.139 OPS)

Mookie leads the MLB in BA, SLG %, OPS and OPS+, is second in the AL in runs and OBP, and is third in the MLB in WAR at 6.3. After being the MVP runner up to Mike Trout two years back and following that up with a solid 2017 campaign, Mookie has elevated his game to a place that we haven’t seen it before. He’s on pace to set a number of career highs, including homeruns and stolen bases.

Image result for mookie bettsHis RBI total might be down, but that can be directly linked to the fact that he has hit leadoff for the Red Sox all season. Even while batting leadoff, he’s still managed to start a game with a homer 5 times this season, which helps add to his Red Sox franchise record of 16. 

On top of everything, his RC27 (runs created per game) is at 11.99, which is over a run higher than 2nd place (Trout) and two runs higher than third place (Jose Ramirez). Betts missed two weeks this season with a short DL stint, so it’s astounding that he is still at the top or near the top of the American League in so many categories. 

The thing with Betts is that he doesn’t just do it with the bat or on the base paths, he is an outstanding fielder as well. He has the third highest fielding percentage among qualified American League right fielders and ranks second in the AL in defensive War. He is a legitimate threat to win both the Silver Slugger as well as a Gold Glove and seems to be comfortably in the driver’s seat for the Batting Title. 

This MVP race is a lot closer than it has been in years past. Trout, Ramirez, J.D. Martinez and Mookie are all incredibly deserving, but at this point in time, Betts has the slight advantage over the rest of the field. 

2. Mike Trout 
3. Jose Ramirez
4. J.D. Martinez

AL CY Young: 

Chris Sale (W-L 10-4/2.23 ERA/188 SO/0.90 WHIP/129 IP/13.12 K/9)

This might be the toughest choice of them all. One day you think Sale deserves it, but then Luis Severino makes a start and you talk yourself into him. And then a few days later Justin Verlander pitches a gem and you’re on that bandwagon. It’s been a never-ending cycle this season. 

Image result for chris saleHowever, as of this moment, Sale is the frontrunner. 

What has really propelled him to the top spot has been his ridiculous performance in his last 7 outings. In those 7 starts, Sale is 5-1 with a 0.94 ERA, has only given up 5 ER and has struck out 78. Sale has thrown 48 innings in those 7 starts, and has kept his WHIP to a preposterous 0.77.

He’s been pretty good the rest of the year too. He currently leads the American league in ERA and strikeouts, and leads all of baseball in Strikeouts Per Game. He’s been utterly dominant this year. Sale is also on pace for 324 strikeouts, which would set a new Red Sox record, and be the most in baseball since Randy Johnson had 334 in 2002. Oh, and he has the highest WAR of all American League pitchers at 5.6. 

The way he can mix his 100 MPH fastball in with his slider while coming from his funky delivery is what makes him so dominant. Sale has been great all season, and probably would have been in consideration for the CY Young at the end of the year. But his recent dominance has propelled him to the front, and if he keeps up what he’s doing, he’ll end up with some historic numbers at years end. 

2. Luis Severino
3. Justin Verlander
4. Trevor Bauer

American League Post Season Prediction:

AL East- Boston Red Sox
AL Central- Cleveland Indians
AL West- Houston Astros
Wild Card- 1.New York Yankees 2. Seattle Mariners

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