Welcome to a slightly delayed version of the All Star awards outlook. These numbers are all culled from stats as of the All Star break, as the season’s midpoint is always a good time to look back on how the season has gone and look forward to exciting pennant races. Well, perhaps not in DTBL itself, but one never knows!
Without further ado, here are your category leaders at the break.
»Batting Average: Miguel Cabrera, Naturals, .350
»Home Runs: Giancarlo Stanton, Jackalope: 27
»RBI: Nolan Arenado, Naturals and Paul Goldschmidt, Jackalope: 70
»Runs: Mike Trout, Mavericks: 68
»Stolen Bases: Billy Hamilton, Naturals: 44
»ERA: Zack Greinke, Moonshiners: 1.39
»WHIP: Max Scherzer, Kings: .780
»Wins: Gerrit Cole, Jackalope: 13
»Saves: Mark Melancon, Jackalope: 29
»Strikeouts: Clayton Kershaw, Mavericks: 160
On to the awards!
Rookie of the Year:
Dallas Keuchel, Moonshiners – 0.997 WHIP, 2.34 ERA, 10 W, 0 SV, 107 K, 6.8 PARJake Arrieta, Jackalope – 0.986 WHIP, 2.66 ERA, 10 W, 0 SV, 123 K, 6.7 PAR
Jacob deGrom, Darkhorses – 0.924 WHIP, 2.14 ERA, 9 W, 0 SV, 112 K, 6.6 PAR
As with the Memorial Day outlook, the Rookie of the Year category is dominated by pitchers. All three of Keuchel, Arrieta, and deGrom sat in the top 10 of pitching related PAR at the break. And, really, a case could be made for any of these pitchers to be the front runner for the award. deGrom holds a slight edge in WHIP and ERA; Arrieta and Keuchel are tied in wins; Arrieta holds the edge in strikeouts; and PAR gives Keuchel the slight edge. I don’t think anyone would be truly surprised if these three are at the top of the ballot come the postseason.
Honorable mention goes to a trio of outfielders, Charlie Blackmon of the Cougars (who cracked the top 10 of hitter PAR at the break), Mookie Betts of the Kings, and George Springer of the Darkhorses.
Cy Young:
Max Scherzer, Kings – 0.780 WHIP, 2.11 ERA, 10 W, 0 SV, 150 K, 9.6 PARZack Greinke, Moonshiners – 0.843 WHIP, 1.39 ERA, 8 W, 0 SV, 106 K, 7.6 PAR
Once again, Max Scherzer reigns supreme at the top of the Cy Young list. A ridiculous WHIP and strikeout total lead to a PAR that’s two full points above Zack Greinke. However, Greinke’s pre All Star break performance was nothing short of extraordinary in its own right, and makes him a worthy companion for Scherzer. Greinke hurled 35 and 2/3 scoreless innings going into the break, dropping his ERA to a ridiculous 1.39. With all the great pitchers in baseball this year, it remains to be seen if Scherzer and Greinke can stay on top of this list, or if any of the pitchers listed below can join the truly elite.
Honorable mention goes to Gerrit Cole of the Jackalope, Sonny Gray of the Jackalope, Chris Archer of the Cougars, and the trio of ROY candidates discussed above.
Most Valuable Player:
Paul Goldschmidt, Jackalope – .340 BA, 60 R, 21 HR, 70 RBI, 16 SB, 6.4 PARMike Trout, Mavericks – .312 BA, 68 R, 26 HR, 55 RBI, 9 SB, 5.4 PAR
Given Bryce Harper’s otherworldly season, it’s a bit strange not seeing him at the top of the MVP race. However, in fantasy baseball, stolen bases still matter, and while Harper mashes the cover off the ball, the speed simply isn’t there. In contract, the speed is there for the two leaders at the midway point, Paul Goldschmidt and Mike Trout. Surprisingly, Trout features the bigger power numbers, coming in at 26 homers to Goldschmidt’s 21. Unsurprisingly, Trout also leads the league in runs with 68 However, Goldschmidt dominates most of the other categories, with a sparkling .340 batting average, a league leading 70 RBI, and a remarkable 16 stolen bases (to Trout’s 9). In fact, the 16 steals for Goldschmidt are only two off his career DTBL high. Trout is an amazing player, and it will take a lot for Goldschmidt to hold him off, but as of now, this MVP nod is well deserved, for both Goldschmidt and the Jackalope as a team.
Honorable mention goes to Bryce Harper of the Darkhorses, Giancarlo Stanton of the Jackalope, and the surprising Todd Frazier of the Darkhorses.