Mid-Season Awards: American League

Man, I’m not sure where I left it, but if anyone finds my motivation, please send it back my way.

To all 10 of my faithful readers (not named Mom and Dad) I apologize for my lack of writing lately.

I could say I’m busy. I could say work is long. But I love to write and it’s frustrating I haven’t done more of it. No excuses.

Last time out, I promised my AL Mid-Season Awards. And since I’m nothing if not a man of my word, here they are (albeit a little late… and perhaps a little brief).

But nevertheless…

MVP: Alex Rodriguez – Nice that at least one of my 10 BOLD PREDICTIONS to start the season is already locked in. A .314 average with 34 HRs and 99 RBI and there’s still 70-or-so games left. Sheesh. Damn, he's gonna look good in Wrigley next year. A nice argument can be made for Magglio Ordonez. Too bad his own teammate (Gary “I’m Not A Racist, But Everyone Else Is” Sheffield) will steal a chunk of votes from him.

CY YOUNG: C.C. Sabathia – Yeah, the ERA (3.88) is a bit high. But dude’s 13-4 with 127 Ks and 21 walks in 146 innings. And HE is the reason the Tribe are in a position to make a playoff run. Of course, I’m writing this one down in pencil since we all know Johan will be lights out in the second half like he always is and probably steal the award. Here’s a stat for all of you keeping score at home… Over the past four seasons, Johan Santana is 40-4 in the second half. 40 wins. 4 losses. Insane. Well, make it 40-5 as the Blue Jays just rocked him. Someone hand me my pen!

ROY: Daisuke Matsuzaka – Not sure he’s exactly lived up to the hype (or the hefty paycheck) but the Dice man has had a solid freshman campaign… even if he is 26. But even at that, a 11-7 record with 131 Ks and 46 walks in 130 innings is a solid half-a-year, at any age. But here’s a name to watch – Royals OF Billy Butler. The kid is knocking in runs like they’re going out of style. He has 22 RBI in the last 80 at bats and his hitting a robust .375 over that stretch.. Only 8 guys in the bigs have more rib eyes during that time. Ellner, that one was for you! Royals suck.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR: I’ve heard of co-winners, but can two guys in the same position on the same team win the same award? I would’ve said Mike Hargrove was the winner here. But after leaving for uh, whatever lame (and really oddly timed) reason he gave, now what? Handing it to the new guy (I have no idea what his name is…Mr. McGillicutty or something?!?) just doesn’t seem right. I don’t want to give it to Jim Leyland since I could coach the Tigers and win 3 out of every 4 with that team. I guess it goes to Hargrove for getting the freakin’ Mariners 15 games over .500 before he bailed. After all, these are mid-season awards.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: The Seattle Mariners – Felix Hernandez. Miguel Batista. Jarrod Washburn. Horacio Ramirez and Jeff Weaver. That is their starting rotation. They are 54-41. That’s more wins than the Twins, Yankees, Braves and Padres to name a few. Two games out of first place and two games out of the wildcard. And besides Ichiro, name a hitter on the Ms. Have I mentioned who their starting rotation is? Good for the Mariners and their fans.

BIGGEST BUST: Chicago White Sox – Keeping with the team theme, what the hell has happened to the South Siders? Worst team batting average in the AL (.243); last in runs scored (407) and only the Rangers and Devil Rays boast worse team ERAs than the Pale Hose (4.76). Not only are they 15.5 games out of first… they are tied with the Royals! Need I say more?

TEAM TO BEAT: Detroit Tigers – If I were a gambling man (oh who am I kidding), I’d put my money on the Tigers to win it all. Great lineup. Solid rotation. Good manager. A bit of a shaky bullpen, but they’ve got enough to overcome it. For all the talk of “Will the Yankees make the playoffs?” I just don’t think it will matter. Detroit is too good and too balanced for anyone to beat…

…well, except maybe the Cubs! Best record in baseball since Big Z punched our catcher (I’ve already forgotten his name) right in the face. GoCubsGo!

Oh wait, this was an AL article.