Midseason report cards: AL | NL
CHICAGO -- While wondering whether anybody has seen the Italian sausage lately, will somebody please hand us the first-half envelopes?
American League MVP: Carlos Delgado, Toronto
This isn't even close. Delgado is far-and-away the AL MVP choice. He leads the league in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) and is third in on-base percentage. If his RBI production doesn't slow down, we're soon going to be discussing Lou Gehrig (AL record 184 RBI in 1931) and Hack Wilson (major-league record 191 RBI in 1930).
"No. 1, he's totally healthy this year," Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi says. "Remember, he still scored 100, drove in 100 and walked 100 times last year, but his knee was bothering him and his rib cage was bothering him. This year, he's totally healthy."
If he stays intact, look out.
National League MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis
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Albert Pujols might not get the Triple Crown, but he is the class of the National League. (AP) |
Pujols already owns the rookie record for RBI in a season (130 in 2001), now he's taking a swing at a Triple Crown run. Pujols leads the NL in batting average, ranks second in RBI and is tied for third in homers. Whether or not he becomes the first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 (and first NL Triple Crown winner since St. Louis' Joe Medwick in 1937), he already has received one of the highest compliments of the season. Tony La Russa, who also had Harold Baines during his peak, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson, says Pujols is the best player he has ever managed.
It will be difficult for Pujols to win the Triple Crown simply because nobody beats out Barry Bonds for home-run titles these days. Atlanta's Gary Sheffield and Todd Helton should get some MVP consideration. But at the midsummer break, it's all Pujols.
American League Cy Young: Esteban Loaiza, White Sox
What, no Pedro Martinez or Roger Clemens? Yes, it's a new age dawning in the AL, and Loaiza has been the best pitcher of the first half. Toronto's Roy Halladay (13-2) has been the hottest pitcher in the league and currently has the momentum (he has won 13 straight decisions), and Oakland's Mark Mulder has thrown an AL-leading seven complete games while running his record to 12-6 with a 3.03 ERA. But nobody has Loaiza's combination of victories (11) and low ERA (a league-leading 2.21). The biggest question surrounding the former journeyman right-hander now is, can he win both the Cy Young and comeback player of the year awards?
National League Cy Young: Jason Schmidt, Giants
You can slice this baby four ways right now, between Schmidt, Los Angeles' Kevin Brown, Atlanta's Russ Ortiz and St. Louis' Woody Williams. Brown was the hottest thing going in June, but after he left a start against San Francisco on June 17 with a mildly strained groin (a game in which he improved to 10-1), he hasn't won since. Schmidt moved into a tie with Brown for the league ERA lead at 2.30 before slipping to second at 2.37, and Ortiz and Williams are tied for the league lead with 12 victories. As unanimous as the two MVP races are, the NL Cy Young is wide open.
AL manager of the year: Tony Pena, Kansas City
He's loose, he's positive, he's funny ... and he's turning into a highly respected skipper. The Cinderella slipper has remained in the AL Central this season, only it's slipped from Minnesota's foot onto the Royals'. That the Royals are in first place at the break despite injuries to such key players as Mike Sweeney, Runelvys Hernandez, Kyle Snyder and Miguel Asencio speaks highly to the job Pena has done in patching things together. Honorable mention goes to Seattle's Bob Melvin.
National League manager of the year: Bob Brenly, Arizona
Remember back during the 2001 World Series, when several moves Brenly made were considered quirky (we're being kind) and were second-guessed vociferously? Welll ... forget all that. At least for now. If you told us before the season the Diamondbacks would lose both Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson to the disabled list for a significant period of time, as well as Junior Spivey, Craig Counsell, Tony Womack and Danny Bautista, we would have told you the Diamondbacks would be nothing but roadside snake skins by now. Instead, they're leading the NL wild-card race, keeping San Francisco within sights in the division and ready for a big second-half run with Schilling and Johnson both healthy.
Honorable mention goes to Atlanta's Bobby Cox, who has done another masterful job with a mostly rebuilt pitching rotation. Cox never gets the credit he deserves because the Braves always are criticized for "underachieving" in October. Yet, all Cox does is win.
AL rookie of the year: Hideki Matsui, Yankees
He did not deserve to be the starting center fielder for the AL All-Star team. Under the current rules, he does deserve the rookie of the year award (at least, through half a season). You can argue that professionally seasoned players from foreign leagues aren't rookies, but under the current major-league system they are, and Matsui is the runaway favorite.
National League rookie of the year: Dontrelle Willis, Florida
Ooooh, there are plenty of rookies to choose from in the NL, and you certainly can make a case for Arizona's Brandon Webb to win the half-season rookie of the year award. Willis remains our pick for now, given the combination of his wins, ERA and pizzazz. Milwaukee outfielder Scott Podsednick is having an outstanding season and deserves mention, too.
AL comeback player of the year: Frank Thomas, White Sox
Hmmm, Thomas ... or Loaiza? The White Sox have a couple of candidates for comeback player of the year (and if Roberto Alomar re-signs there as a free agent, they'll certainly have another candidate next year). The pick here is Thomas, because his value to the White Sox when he's on comes in many different ways. And he has traveled quite a distance, from getting scolded by Paul Konerko last year on the weekend before the All-Star Game for not being a team guy to being a legitimate candidate for the game this July.
NL comeback player of the year: Kevin K. Brown, Dodgers
There was a time when some wondered whether Brown would even pitch again, let alone dominate. His groin and abdominal strains suffered within the past few weeks show his health problems aren't a thing of the past, but they're minor compared to arm and back problems he has suffered. For Brown to be 10-4 with a 2.30 ERA at this point is impressive. If the Dodgers ever start hitting, a healthy Brown can take them places.
American League executive of the year: Pat Gillick, Seattle
Certainly, Kansas City's Allard Baird is one of the leading candidates in this department, but how about the run Seattle has been on? There was a time when many folks thought Cincinnati GM Jim Bowden snookered Gillick in the Ken Griffey Jr. deal. All Gillick does is mind his own business and stay quiet, and he wins everywhere he goes. Toronto, Baltimore, Seattle ... the Mariners, under Gillick's watch, have lost Griffey, Alex Rodriguez and manager Lou Piniella and remain one of the best teams -- and organizations -- in the game.
NL executive of the year: Brian Sabean, San Francisco
Watching Sabean rebuild the Giants last winter after the departures of Jeff Kent, Kenny Lofton and Reggie Sanders was like watching a kindergartner draw a picture. Like, for awhile, you wonder what the heck it is. But once Sabean and assistant Ned Colletti finished, the Giants -- as they've shown on the field this year -- are just as strong as their 2002 NL pennant-winning club. When you change over more than 50 percent of a World Series roster and still play at a .600 clip, you've done something special. Honorable mention to Philadelphia's Ed Wade.
Top stories
- Sammy Sosa corks his bat: Sorry, but this is even bigger than Roger Clemens winning No. 300, simply because of what Sosa has meant to the game and the general steroid-induced suspicion some of the game's top sluggers have been under in this pinball-age.
- Clemens wins No. 300: It took him four tries, but never mind that. We're watching one of the most dominant pitchers of the past several generations, and this time he really is in the "twilight of his career."
- Six Houston pitchers no-hit the Yankees: Watching anybody declaw the Yankees in Yankee Stadium remains one of the most transfixing things in the game.
- Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro join the 500-homer club: You could move this up to No. 3 and we'd understand. We rank the Houston no-hitter ahead of this, though, simply because home runs have lost some of their meaning in this homer-happy era.
- Kevin Millwood's no-hitter: A 1-0 victory over a tough San Francisco lineup was very impressive.
- Randall Simon takes out the Italian Sausage: You have got to be kidding us.
