Skip to main content

NL Mid Season Awards


By Zane Robidoux
Twitter: @zrobidoeee

In yesterday’s article, the AL MVP and CY Young front runners were discussed. In a continuation of that, we’re going to discuss who the front runners for the awards at mid-season for the National League are, as well as a some end of season predictions for the playoffs. 

NL MVP

Nolan Arenado (.312 AVG/23 HR/68 RBI/.395 OBP/.586 SLG/.981 OPS)

Arenado is the definition of consistency. Year in and year out he produces at such a high rate at the plate and backs it up with Gold Glove defense at third base. At this point it’s not a matter of if he wins an MVP, but when.

This season he ranks first in the NL in WAR at 4.1 and second in the NL in home runs, SLG% and OPS. He’s also fourth in RBIs, fifth in OBP and sixth in BA. He’s a machine. What’s been even more impressive is his .330 BA/10 HR/26 RBI over his last 30 games, which ranks barely behind Jesus Aguiliar for productivity over that span. 

Image result for nolan arenado
You could make the argument against him that he plays in Coors Field for half his games, who’s altitude can affect how the balls travel, and is largely considered a hitter’s park. Yes, production wise Arenado is not as consistent on the road. However, half his games are still played at home, and with the production he has had in Coors all season, how can you fault someone for the team they play on?  

On top of everything offensive, Arenado’s defense speaks for itself. He’s arguably the top defensive third baseman in baseball, and possibly one of the top overall defenders in the league. He has a higher range factor and has produced twice as many double plays as any other third baseman in the NL. His 7 errors are second to only Anthony Rendon, who has played 140 less innings at the hot corner.

Arenado is poised to finally take home the only award he’s really missing, so long as he can fend off the likes of Freddie Freeman. 


2. Freddie Freeman
3. Jesus Aguilar
4. Eugenio Suarez
NL Cy Young:

Max Scherzer (W-L 12-5/2.41 ERA/182 SO/.899 WHIP/134 IP/12.2 K/9)

Max Scherzer has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball over the last 6 years. He has finished top 5 in Cy Young voting each of those 6 years, winning it in 2013 (AL), 2016 and 2017. And after his first half this year, he’s looking for a three peat. 

Image result for max scherzerScherzer lead the NL in Wins, CG, SHO, IP, SO, WHIP, H/9 and K/9 and quality starts, with 17. He also ranks second in K/BB ratio at 5.39 and is third in ERA and WAR at 4.9.

The guy is really just from another planet, and what he can do on a mound is incredible. Each day that he goes out he puts his team is the best position to win. One of the big stats that the casual fan looks at is ERA, and him being third might throw the casual voter off a bit. But if you just take a deeper look into his numbers, he completely owns the National League.

Not much of a write up here, but not much of one needed. Scherzer is the clear-cut favorite for Cy Young, and at this point everyone else is pitching for second place. 

2. Jacob deGrom
3. Aaron Nola
4. Josh Hader


National League Post Season Predictions:

NL East- Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central- Chicago Cubs
NL West- Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card- 1. Arizona Diamondbacks 2. Milwaukee Brewers

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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
Post a Comment
Read more

Could Conor McGregor Ever Make A Comeback?

(via mmafighting.com) By Fabrizio Salerno Twitter:  @fabriziosa1erno The UFC, being the multi-billion-dollar company that it is, needs no lesson on driving-in sales. With almost every pay-per-view promotion that UFC President Dana White conjures up, the public is intrigued to watch the end result. By elevating well-known athletes like Ronda Rousey, Nate Diaz, Chris Weidman, and, of course, Conor McGregor, the UFC has been a force to be reckoned with in the fighting world. While the success of the brand cannot be pinpointed to one individual, UFC certainly carried the wave of energy McGregor brought with him when was booked to fight. But by being out of fighting for a little over a year, does McGregor still have the spirit to get back and compete in the octagon. Conor is the main guy for UFC and any belt he wants he would go for. Whether he has to gain or lose weight, he takes on the challenge and gives the paying customers what they want. Take the "mega-
Post a Comment
Read more

Stanton Officially Becomes a New York Yankee

By: Fabrizio Salerno Twitter:@fabriziosa1erno After making the blockbuster trade of the offseason the New York Yankees got the 2017 NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton. This increased the Yankees chances to make the World Series after falling short the previous season. Yankee fan s have been patiently waiting for Stanton to have his “Yankee” moment. Stanton seems to be under performing and is starting to realize standards are different for Yankee superstars. He is currently on pace to hit over 40 homers and surpass 100 RBIs which is still normal superstar standard. Some Yankee fans still aren’t comfortable with him in the lineup because he hasn’t had a “Yankee” moment. Last night the Yankees were tied going into the bottom of the ninth.  Stanton steps up to the plate with two outs and two strikes.Then boom, he takes one to deep left center field and that marks his first walk off home run in the pinstripes. This could be the moment Stanton and Yankee fans have been waiting for
Post a Comment
Read more