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

A push for Bobby Lashley is needed now more than ever

By: Fabrizio Salerno Twitter @fabriziosa1erno  When Bobby Lashley returned to the WWE, it was a monumental moment for the whole WWE Universe.  Another Power house star has arrived and can potentially take our eyes away from Roman Reigns.  Though Roman is a great performer and superstar, the WWE creative is always forcing him to be in the biggest matches and that doesn't go well with the WWE Universe. Now that Bobby came back to dominate and set his eyes on the ultimate prize of becoming a Universal Champion, it wasn't going to be an easy climb up the mountain.  You have experienced superstars that are also worthy for a match like Seth Rollins, Elias, Finn Balor and you guessed it Roman Reigns.  All these superstars have the track record and the faith of the WWE Universe to become a worthy champion and dethrone the current champion Brock Lesnar. Now it has been a couple of months since Lashley made his return and though his matches were pretty much all...
Post a Comment
Read more

Top 10 Best Overall Sport Cities

(10) Miami The Dolphins surprisingly have a winning record, but you would’ve never guessed that after watching they were blown out by the Ravens. And to make matters worse, Jay Ajayi is out and on his way to Philadelphia. The Heat are still trying to regain their success of the Lebron-era by building around star center Hassan Whiteside but the Heat seem set for mediocrity yet again this season. Giancarlo Stanton is another promising player for the Marlins. (9) Denver The Broncos are riding a three-game losing streak and are playing the best team in football this upcoming week. The Nuggets are looking mediocre at the moment but it is too early to tell how they will turn out come February. (8) Chicago Mitch Trubisky has entered the building! The young quarterback has a way to go before teams will start to fear him, but his first few games have not been as bad as some expected. The Bears continue to rely on their underrated defense and strong run game. The Bulls ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cubs' Darvish continues to be bad news

Despite the best of intentions, the Chicago Cubs have gotten more than they bargained for with signing right handed pitcher Yu Darvish over the offseason. After coughing up $126 million over 6 years, Darvish has been on the disabled list twice this year, has only had 4 starts, and hasn’t pitched since late May after experiencing significant inflammation in his triceps. The expectation was that Yu, after pitching 5 innings in Single A on Monday, would finally return to the Cubs this weekend, right? Wrong. While throwing a bullpen session this Thursday at Dodger Stadium, the 31 year old hurler experienced pain in his triceps. The Cubs are sending him back to team doctors to see if their pain could be more significant than inflammation. This setback, combined with star third baseman Kris Bryant landing on the 10 day DL with shoulder inflammation, continues a streak of bad luck to befall the reigning NL Central Champs. Ironically, this occurs while the Cubs are in LA facing Darvish...
Post a Comment
Read more