Major League Baseball Midseason Awards: National League

It’s midseason award time

The 2017 Major League Baseball season is over halfway complete. As always, the first half has brought some stellar individual performances. The following is a breakdown of who I believe have been the best hitters/pitchers/relievers/managers for each league so far in 2017, with my second annual “midseason awards.” Let’s get into it, starting with the senior circuit.

To keep things relatively short, I have decided to break down both leagues in separate articles, starting with my favorite, the good old National League. Things have been unsurprising for the most part in the senior circuit. The Dodgers and Nationals are taking care of business in their divisions, as was expected by a lot of people. The biggest shock, however, comes in the NL Central, where the Milwaukee Brewers have a 5.5 game lead over the Chicago Cubs, the team that looked invincible just nine months ago.

A lot can change in a year. Some players who were lighting things up in 2016 are not doing the same this season and vice versa. As mentioned above, this piece will celebrate those who are killing it this summer.  Let’s get into it.

MVP: Bryce Harper
Season Stats (Through all-star break): 3.5 WAR, .431 OBP, .590 SLG, 162 OPS+, .422 WOBA, 161 WRC+, .325 BA, 20 HR, 65 RBI
There is no clear-cut candidate for NL MVP. As I looked through the numbers, it was difficult to decide between Harper and Arizona Diamondback Paul Goldschmidt. Both are having fantastic seasons, and Goldschmidt’s WAR is slightly higher than Harper’s. What made me decide on Bryce, however, were the other numbers.

Of all the statistics listed above, Harper bests Goldschmidt in just about every category aside from WAR. Although Goldy is right on Harper’s tail in nearly every number imaginable, so far, Harper has posted superior numbers. Not only does Harper have better stats, but he also has the advantage of playing on a better team.

The Nationals are a lock to win the National League Eastern Division. Although Goldschmidt’s Diamondbacks are having an excellent year as well with a 53-36 record through the break, he does not get by on the “better team” principle which, rightly or wrongly, often decides individual awards. So far this season, Harper is a slightly better player playing on a marginally better team.

I’d like to see Goldy win an MVP award. It seems overdue, as he has been one of the best players in baseball this decade and could well have gotten the honor  over Andrew McCutchen in 2013. With that said, the way things are going, Bryce Harper is set to walk away with his second such trophy in three years.

Cy Young: Max Scherzer

Numbers (Through all-star break): 5.0 WAR, 0.779 WHIP, 208 ERA+, 2.61 FIP, 12.1 K/9, 6.41 Strikeout per Walk, 173 K, 10-5, 2.10 ERA

I’ve heard some debate over the past few months about whether or not Scherzer has unseated the great Clayton Kershaw as the best pitcher in baseball. While I still think Kershaw is the king from a career standpoint, as far as current form goes, it’s hard not to give Max Max the upper hand.

Scherzer leads the NL in traditional stats such as Earned Run Average and Strikeouts, and also cuts the mustard to stat geeks like myself with an excellent FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching)

To show how dominant Scherzer has been this season, here are his pre ASG stats, listed above, compared to Kershaw’s, who has been the second best pitcher in the NL by a wide margin.

Clayton Kershaw: 3.8 WAR, 0.877 WHIP, 189 ERA+, 3.01 FIP, 10.8 K/9, 7.23 Strikeout Per Walk, 159 K, 14-2, 2.18 ERA

It’s close, but these numbers make it clear that Scherzer has been the superior pitcher so far in 2017. This can change, of course. The season is barely more than halfway over and Kershaw is still Kershaw. That said, Scherzer is the best pitcher in the National League right now. Therefore, he is on track to win his second straight Cy Young and third overall. Wouldn’t it be something if the Nationals had the NL’s Most Valuable Player as well as it’s Cy Young award winner, and still found a way to crash out of the playoffs in the divisional round?

Best Reliever: Kanley Jansen

Numbers: 1.8 WAR, 0.558 WHIP, 434 ERA+, 1.05 FIP, 13.6 K/9, 57 K, 2 BB, 4-0, 0.96 ERA

There may be a few of my fellow Pirates fans who are slightly disappointed that I chose Jansen over our mega-stud, Felipe Rivero. As good as Rivero is, Jansen is the best relief pitcher in the Senior Circuit in my opinion, and has been for over a year now.

Rivero does have a few things going for him. As of the all-star break, he had thrown almost ten more innings than Jansen has, and had a higher WAR according to baseball reference and baseball prospects. There is one big disparity between the two from a numbers standpoint that swings the argument in Jansen’s favor, however. That is Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP).

For those unaware, FIP measures what a pitcher’s Earned Run Average would be taking defense away from the equation. Through the break, Rivero’s FIP is a respectable 2.32, while Jansen’s is a staggering 1.05.

The debate of who has been the better of the two relievers is a close one. I’d listen to points from either side. Whenever I’m thinking of these types of comparisons if the question is challenging enough, team performance comes into play. Taking that into consideration, the Dodgers are the best team in the NL, while the Pirates will be lucky to finish .500. That seals it for me.

Manager of the Year: Bud Black

There are a few solid choices for NL MOY. Dave Roberts, Craig Counsell and Torey Lovullo all have done well with their respective clubs so far. With that said, what Black has done in his first season with the Colorado Rockies, particularly with the pitching staff, is superb.

As all baseball fans know, Coors Field is not an easy place to pitch. That is why, despite consistently producing one of the league’s best offensive attacks, the Rockies haven’t had a lot of success in their first quarter century of baseball. With household names like Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela and German Marquez at his disposal, Black has managed to get the Rockies pitching staff to respectability. As of the break, Colorado’s rotation ranked seventh in the majors with a WAR of 10.2. The Rockies have a team ERA of 4.04 and  FIP of 3.99.

Although those aren’t the greatest statistics in the world, they are a far cry from where this pitching staff usually is, and Black deserves a lot of credit for that.  Here is an excellent piece detailing what Black and the Rockies coaching staff have done to make these improvements. In short, the Rockies pitchers throw a lot of breaking balls.

Although Colorado has cooled down as of late, it’s playoff probability is still high and the Rockies are well on track to make their first postseason appearances since 2009.

Bud Black is a brilliant baseball mind, and it’s wonderful to see that on display in Denver. Meanwhile, the franchise that gave him the axe two years ago, the San Diego Padres, are 12.5 games behind Black’s new team in the NL West. Nice going.

Rookie of the Year: Cody Bellinger
Stats (Through Break): 2.4 WAR, .342 OBP, .619 SLG, 147 OPS+, .261 Average, 25 HR, 58, RBI, .389 WOBA, 145 WRC+
The obvious choice here. When Bellinger was called up April 25, he was supposed to be an emergency replacement. The Dodgers were off to a slow start at 9-11, and regular outfielder Joc Pederson was injured. So, the 21-year-old got the call from Albuquerque to Chavez Ravine, and since then, he has become one of the best players in the National League, and the Dodgers have become the best team in the Senior Circuit.

Bellinger is an unorthodox hitter. He has an odd batting stance and an uppercut swing that little league coaches probably wouldn’t teach. To say that whatever Bellinger is doing is working, however, is an understatement.

Next: Pirates Walk Off Cardinals

The Dodgers don’t have anything to prove as far as regular season success goes. They’re well on their way to winning the  West for the fifth year in a row. All that’s left for LA to do is get to the World Series and win it. If they are able to achieve that, the rookie who is barely old enough to drink will be one of the main reasons why. This kid is good.