MLB AwardWatch Week 20

Editorials and reviews for the modern human

24 August 2009 8 views No Comment

And now to your AwardWatch for Week 20! Pujols has been in a "slump" (he is hitting in the .290s!) which means he only leads the contenders by a mile instead of a league. J.A. Happ remains dominant. Jeff Niemann has showed his mettle in Tampa, proving to be one of the best things going on down in the sunshine state, a place ripe with young talent. You have to think the Rays will be contenders for a while…

NL:

MVP: Albert Pujols… Nothing new here. Everyone knows that he has been the MVP of the first half and continues to play well. In fact, one of the only other players worth mentioning in this race has been his new teammate, Matt Holliday, who has been unstoppable since returning to the NL. The Cardinals are first in the NL Central thanks to Pujols's power and patience and defense and a host of other machine-like attributes, but Holliday has sure been a good pickup.

Cy Young: Tim Lincecum… The Dodgers looked like the unquestionable choice to win the NL West in the beginning of the season. They still look good, but thanks to some terrific pitching from Tim Lincecum and the rather unheralded Matt Cain, the Giants are making progress. It could be back to back Cy Young for the NL's leader in strikeouts. He gets it done, and its also fun to watch, a key ingredient in winning these sorts of awards. Interestly enough, Lincecum's first inning troubles in the All-Star game were pretty much the fault of the aforementioned first-half MVP.

ROY: J.A. Happ… Colby Rasmus and Randy Wells are also locked in what is starting to look like a three-horse race for the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Happ continues to deliver quality starts thanks to his ability to get out of sticky situations (opponents are posting only a .115 batting average with runners on), and if he continues to do so, he may outdistance a slumping Rasmus and Wells.

AL:

MVP: Joe Mauer… It is still very difficult to say who best deserves this award. Teixeira has been great for the number 1 team in the game, but Joe Mauer has been even more prolific for a team that isn't a lock for the playoffs but is at least a contender. But Pujols won last year without his team's making the postseason. Mauer has been hitting like the best corner outfielder around, and he's a catcher!

Cy Young: Zack Greinke… Greinke has been far and away the best pitcher in the AL this year. His ERA and strikeout totals are off the charts, and he has simply been the most effective player to take the mound for any team on the Junior Circuit. If you were a smart fan, you wouldn't care about that win total.

ROY: Jeff Niemann… Jeff Niemann is only a smidge better than Romero. Really, it's almost a wash. Niemann has the ERA, Romero has the strikeouts, and their records are identical. We value ERA, so Niemann wins it for this week, but it's completely up in the air.