It's the halfway point of the baseball season and it's time to hand out some hardware and name some All-Stars.
We will start in the American League where the most obvious surprise is the success of the Tampa Bay Rays. They dropped the Devil and it turns out that was the only thing holding them back all of these years.
Joe Maddon is a runaway as Manager of the Year early on, and has these guys believing in themselves, no matter who they are playing.
My MVP is Josh Hamilton. Hamilton has 19 home runs, 78 RBIs and is batting a nice .309 in 79 games. He is anchoring a solid Texas Rangers' offense that can score runs with the best of them.
Hamilton is also one of the best stories in baseball and his turnaround can serve as inspiration to many people.
The early season Cy Young would go to Cliff Lee, also a nominee for Comeback Player of the Year. Lee has an ERA under 3, under 2 for most of the season, and is winning everywhere. He is one of the bright spots for the underachieving Indians.
The All-Star team should read as follows.
C - Joe Mauer
1B - Jason Giambi, Kevin Youkilis (this one is a toss up)
2B - Ian Kinsler
3B - Alex Rodriguez
SS - Michael Young
OF - Hamilton, Carlos Quentin, Grady Sizemore
DH - Milton Bradley
SP - Cliff Lee
The National League squad looks like this in my opinion
C - Brian McCann
1B - Lance Berkman
2B - Chase Utley
3B - Chipper Jones, despite his current injury
SS - Hanley Ramirez
OF - Ryan Braun, Carlos Lee, Ryan Ludwick
SP - Edinson Volquez
those are not going to be the starting lineups due to the terrible fan voting, but those are the most deserving players.
The National League MVP for the first half is Lance Berkman. He has been consistent, is threatening a triple crown and is a switch-hitter. The guy is just a solid baseball player and hits it wherever it's pitched as well as anyone.
Volquez and Brandon Webb are going to battle for the Cy Young all season, in a deep National League. Tim Lincecum, Ben Sheets, Ryan Dempster, and more will make their cases as the season goes on. But Volquez has been the most consistent starter, throwing a quality start just about every night he is out there.
This is not as in depth as I usually write, but I am in a bit of hurry. Keep reading and good night.
We will start in the American League where the most obvious surprise is the success of the Tampa Bay Rays. They dropped the Devil and it turns out that was the only thing holding them back all of these years.
Joe Maddon is a runaway as Manager of the Year early on, and has these guys believing in themselves, no matter who they are playing.
My MVP is Josh Hamilton. Hamilton has 19 home runs, 78 RBIs and is batting a nice .309 in 79 games. He is anchoring a solid Texas Rangers' offense that can score runs with the best of them.
Hamilton is also one of the best stories in baseball and his turnaround can serve as inspiration to many people.
The early season Cy Young would go to Cliff Lee, also a nominee for Comeback Player of the Year. Lee has an ERA under 3, under 2 for most of the season, and is winning everywhere. He is one of the bright spots for the underachieving Indians.
The All-Star team should read as follows.
C - Joe Mauer
1B - Jason Giambi, Kevin Youkilis (this one is a toss up)
2B - Ian Kinsler
3B - Alex Rodriguez
SS - Michael Young
OF - Hamilton, Carlos Quentin, Grady Sizemore
DH - Milton Bradley
SP - Cliff Lee
The National League squad looks like this in my opinion
C - Brian McCann
1B - Lance Berkman
2B - Chase Utley
3B - Chipper Jones, despite his current injury
SS - Hanley Ramirez
OF - Ryan Braun, Carlos Lee, Ryan Ludwick
SP - Edinson Volquez
those are not going to be the starting lineups due to the terrible fan voting, but those are the most deserving players.
The National League MVP for the first half is Lance Berkman. He has been consistent, is threatening a triple crown and is a switch-hitter. The guy is just a solid baseball player and hits it wherever it's pitched as well as anyone.
Volquez and Brandon Webb are going to battle for the Cy Young all season, in a deep National League. Tim Lincecum, Ben Sheets, Ryan Dempster, and more will make their cases as the season goes on. But Volquez has been the most consistent starter, throwing a quality start just about every night he is out there.
This is not as in depth as I usually write, but I am in a bit of hurry. Keep reading and good night.
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