Midseason Awards

By: John M. Crist

With the All-Star Game now in our rearview mirror, we can start to look ahead at what should be a fabulous stretch drive to the 2006 Major League Baseball campaign.It appears as if either the Red Sox or Yankees will finally be watching the playoffs from home, the Tigers are here to stay in Motown, and with their rotation all of a sudden in flux, the Mets may not be a lock for the World Series like they seemed to be just a month ago.

There are still 70-plus games to go, but many players have already separated themselves as the favorites for the most coveted awards come season’s end. Let’s take a peek and see who is deserving, who is in the conversation, and who has flat-out stunk it up:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Most Valuable Player - David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
Ortiz lost the MVP to Alex Rodriguez last season essentially because he was a designated hitter and didn’t make any defensive contribution. Although Big Papi may not even own a glove at this point, his presence in the middle of the Red Sox lineup is more powerful than ever. He’s leading everyone with 31 home runs and 87 RBIs, and Mr. Clutch is killing the ball in late-inning pressure situations. Honorable Mention: Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, Travis Hafner.

Cy Young Award - Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are 10 games over .500 and will be the uninvited guest at the annual Yankees/Red Sox AL East party, and having an ace like Halladay at the front of the rotation is a big reason why. His 12 wins are the most in the majors, plus his 2.92 ERA and 1.03 WHIP are doubly impressive in a loaded American League. Injuries derailed his `04 and `05 efforts, but if he gets 35 starts this season, he’ll win his second Cy in four years. Honorable Mention: Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano, Jonathan Papelbon.

Rookie of the Year - Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins
Despite not being added to the rotation until mid-May, Liriano has arguably been the most dominant pitcher in either league. He’s leading all of baseball with a frightening 1.83 ERA, and with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of almost 5/1, he’s pitching with the poise of a 10-year veteran. Couple him with Johan Santana, and the Twins won’t lose more than three in a row the rest of the season, mark my words. Honorable Mention: Mike Napoli, Justin Verlander, Jonathan Papelbon.

Comeback Player of the Year - Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox
The White Sox had plenty of punch in the middle of the order last year, but with Thome resurrecting himself as one of the premier sluggers in the game, the world champs look more dangerous than ever. He leads the club with 30 homers and 77 RBIs, but more importantly, the South Siders have a legitimate power threat from the left side of the plate for the first time since Robin Ventura left town. Toss in the fact that he is a solid clubhouse guy and an absolute joy to be around on a daily basis, GM Kenny Williams looks like a genius once again. Honorable Mention: Magglio Ordonez, Frank Thomas, Mike Lowell.

Manager of the Year - Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers
All of baseball keeps waiting for the Motor City Kitties to come plunging back to the pack, but with all that young pitching talent and a no-nonsense guy like Leyland at the controls, Detroit is in this race for the long haul. Picked to finish fourth by most every prognosticator in the country, Magglio Ordonez has been a rock in the middle of the order now that he is healthy again, and with veteran everyday players like Ivan Rodriguez and Carlos Guillen still getting it done, youngsters like Chris Shelton and Curtis Granderson have overachieved. Getting Kenny Rogers to head up the rotation was a brilliant move and has taken some pressure off baby-faced flamethrowers Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander. Honorable Mention: Ozzie Guillen, Ron Gardenhire, Terry Francona.

Least Valuable Player - Jhonny Peralta, Cleveland Indians
The Indians were supposed to be the biggest fear for the White Sox in the Central, not the Tigers, and star-in-the-making Peralta was going to be a big reason why. After a breakout `05 season in which he launched 24 long balls and hit a solid .292, the young shortstop has struggled to the tune of a .253 batting average with only 40 RBIs in 85 games despite being surrounded in the lineup by the likes of Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner. He’s also made 13 errors in the field already as opposed to just 19 all of last year. Honorable Mention: Richie Sexson, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Silva.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Most Valuable Player - David Wright, New York Mets
The Metropolitans look to be the only team in the National League that might stand a chance in the World Series, and All-American boy Wright has been leading the charge since Opening Day. He’s 10th in the league in batting (.316), tied for 10th in homers (20), 4th in RBIs (74), has stolen 11 bases, and considering he’s still only 23 years old, he’s only going to get better. Wright is already making a case to be the best third baseman in the Big Apple ahead of the $252 million man, Alex Rodriguez. Honorable Mention: Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee.

Cy Young Award - Brad Penny, Los Angeles Dodgers
The NL West is wide open again this year, and even though the story in Tinseltown has been how well the Dodgers have hit the ball, Penny has finally started to live up to the ace expectations had had back when he was a pup with the Marlins. Tied for 3rd in the league with 10 wins and in 3rd all by his lonesome with a sparkling 2.91 ERA, he was given the honor of starting the All-Star game by Astros manager Phil Garner this past Tuesday night. If Takashi Saito can keep closing the door in the 9th inning with Eric Gagne out for the year again, Penny has the stuff to win 20 games.

Rookie of the Year - Dan Uggla, Florida Marlins
The Marlins are loaded with first-year players after another offseason fire sale, but even though more heralded prospects like Jeremy Hermida and Josh Willingham got more press in spring training, Uggla was the one who went to the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh. Despite never having a big league at-bat before this season, he’s put up 13 bombs and 51 RBIs while hitting .307 along the way. He and fellow rookie Hanley Ramirez have the potential to be the best keystone combination in the National League for quite some time … or at least until ownership decides to dump them to the highest bidder like they do everyone else. Honorable Mention: Prince Fielder, Ryan Zimmerman, Josh Johnson.

Comeback Player of the Year - Nomar Garciaparra, Los Angeles Dodgers
Despite missing the first 20 games of the year with a here-we-go-again rib cage injury, Garciaparra is hitting everything in sight and looks to be every bit the player who won two batting titles with the Red Sox. The Dodgers have gotten big-time contributions from rookies Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Russell Martin, but Mr. Mia Hamm, currently tied for the league lead with a .358 batting average, has been perhaps the best story in baseball so far this season. And despite having never played an inning of first base before, he’s made only one error and sports a .998 fielding percentage. Honorable Mention: Scott Rolen, Jose Vidro, Jason Schmidt.

Manager of the Year - Joe Girardi, Florida Marlins
The Marlins have a team payroll hovering around $15 million, which is approximately how much A-Rod makes while getting his nails done. And even though the Fightin’ Fish are 10 games below .500 and in fourth place in the NL East, the fact that this team has been even remotely competitive is a testament to their young, even-keeled manager. The clubhouse is filled with inexperience aside from sweet-swinging Miguel Cabrera and reigning Cy Young winner Dontrelle Willis, but Girardi has this club playing with the same workman-like approach for which he was known. Honorable Mention: Willie Randolph, Grady Little, Ned Yost.

Least Valuable Player - Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants
For a man who passed Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list earlier this season, the Prince of BALCO has done little else to prove he can still get it done at the big league level. Currently hitting just .249 and trailing the likes of teammates Pedro Feliz and Ray Durham in RBIs (only 39 in 69 games), he has also clogged up the basepaths (walking him isn’t really much of a problem) and proven to be a liability in left field because his aching knee just doesn’t seem to be getting better. The Giants are currently in fourth place in a very winnable NL West, and now there are stories swirling that Bonds will be indicted on perjury charges very soon. Honorable Mention: Aramis Ramirez, Jeromy Burnitz, Mark Mulder.

John Crist is a longtime contributor to the CSR, and the Editor-in-Chief of Bear Report Magazine. Check it out and become a Bears Insider. You can contact him at johncrist@yahoo.com.

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