By Scott
Our long lost writer, Stanley, gave his thoughts on the 1st-half of the 2009 MLB Season, but now that I've established a tyrannical rule over the blog, I'll give mine as well. Let's get to it...
National League 1st-Half M.V.P.
This is by far the easiest award to give out. Pujols has been absolutely dominating, and essentially in a league of his own this year: 32 Home Runs, 85 R.B.I., 71 Runs Scored, .739 Slugging Percentage, and a .463 On Base Percentage, incredible. Not only is Albert in position to win the first Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, but he could plausibly lead the MLB in almost every category listed above by year's end. Pujols is on pace to set some records which could possibly become the first valid numbers in the somewhat Steroid-Era fallout. Of course, we've heard this story before. Lovable character puts up amazing numbers, grabs America's heart, no one suspects a thing. (See: Sosa, Sammy) But, until then, Pujols will become the face of league and will undoubtedly capture his 3rd MVP award, and 2nd straight.
Other candidates: Chase Utley, Hanley Ramirez, Prince Fielder
National League 1st-Half Cy Young
The N.L. Cy Young isn't quite as obvious as the N.L. M.V.P. The competition really comes down to two pitchers: Diamondbacks' Dan Haren and Giants' Tim Lincecum. Let's compare the stats:
Dan Haren: 9 wins, 2.01 ERA, 129 strikeouts, 0.81 WHIP
Tim Lincecum: 10 wins, 2.33 ERA, 149 strikeouts, 1.05 WHIP
Haren's WHIP is unbelievable, but it's not enough to eclipse Lincecum's mind-blowing strikeout rate and his 10-2 record. So, the nod has to go to last year's winner, Tim Lincecum. Honestly, Haren could easily win the award considering his poor run support, but Lincecum's isn't exactly great either, which also undermines looking at their wins as a valid comparison. But, in the end, Lincecum has simply been more dominating than Haren, and his dominance is what gives him the award.
Other candidates: Dan Haren, Matt Cain
American League 1st-Half M.V.P.
My A.L. M.V.P. vote comes down to two teammates: Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. Mauer was sidelined with an injury until he made his debut on May 1st which both hurts and helps his case. The big draw for Mauer's MVP candidacy is his .381 batting average, but if he played all of April, there's no way that it remains that high. It would still likely be higher than Morneau's .310 batting average, but not by a landslide. However, Mauer has put together impressive numbers considering he missed an entire month, but let's compare the numbers:
Joe Mauer: .381 Batting Average, 15 Home Runs, 49 RBI, 49 Runs, 90 Hits
Justin Morneau: .310 Batting Average, 21 Home Runs, 70 RBI, 58 Runs, 102 Hits
Considering Morneau has only 3 more at-bats than Mauer, he has to get the edge. Obviously, Mauer's batting average is astounding, and he leads the league in OPS and SLG, but again, Morneau has kept his consistency for an extra month, which is rather significant. If Mauer can keep up his pace at any capacity, there's no doubt he'll win the award at the end of the year, but for now Morneau gets a slight edge.
Other Candidates: Joe Mauer, Kevin Youkilis, Miguel Cabrera, Ichiro
American League 1st-Half Cy Young
The American League Cy Young comes down to a few players: Royals' pitcher Zack Greinke, Mariners' youngster Felix Hernandez, and Blue Jays' ace Roy Halladay. However, this decision is an easy one, and the clear cut winner is Greinke. He leads the A.L. in ERA and Innings pitched, tied for 1st in wins, and 3rd in strikeouts. Halladay and King Felix's numbers are impressive, but also considering Greinke doesn't exactly pitch with the most potent run support in the league, he definitely gets the edge. And finally, Greinke is the MLB's sweetheart of the year, which also gives him a boost that he doesn't necessarily need, but in a race this close, every advantage counts.
Other Candidates: Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez, Edwin Jackson, Justin Verlander
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