National League First-Half Awards and Predictions

With about two weeks until Major League Baseball breaks for its annual All-Star festivities in St. Louis, it’s time to evaluate each league’s performances both from individual and team standpoints. This piece, highlighting the National League in particular, will offer the traditional MLB awards and will finish by predicting how each division race/playoffs will play out.

National League MVP: Albert Pujols/ 1B/ St. Louis Cardinals

.328 BA, 28 HR, 74 RBI, .451 OBP

What an easy choice. If you don’t agree with this one, then you must not watch a whole lot of baseball. Albert Pujols is having the most productive post-testing era seasons ever. Pujols is on pace for nearly sixty home runs, 157 RBI, and 125 walks.

Aside from his production at the plate, he is also on pace to steal nearly 20 bases to go along with his gold-glove work at first base. No other player in the league is as dominant and feared as this guy. It’s becoming more and more confusing as to why pitchers even offer this guy anything near the strike-zone.

If I’m an opposing manager with a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded with two outs and this guy in the box, I’m intentionally walking him regardless of who is on deck. His home run and RBI numbers at this point in 2009 are impressive enough for most hitters through an entire season, much less 76 games. If this guy doesn’t win the NL MVP Award, barring some injury, I’ll be the most surprised man on the face of the earth.

National League Cy Young: Tim Lincecum/ SP / San Francisco Giants

7-2, 2.57 ERA, 124 SO

Lincecum had a few struggles early in his 2009 campaign, but it seems the dominant 25-year-old pitcher has again figured it out, returning to the 2008 form that saw him win this very same award. Leading the upstart Giants to the National League’s second best record, Lincecum has combined with Matt Cain to become one of the best one-two punches featured in the NL.

The diminutive right-hander with the unconventional delivery is on pace for 16 wins and 275 strikeouts. In his last four outings, Lincecum has two complete game victories (one a shut-out) and has only allowed 6 ER in 33 1/3 IP.

If his club can surprise the baseball world by reaching the playoffs, you can bet Tim will be rewarded for being on of the main reasons why, and I can’t think of a better way to acknowledge that from a pitcher’s perspective than being handed the Cy Young Award.

National League Rookie of the Year: Pablo Sandoval/ 3B/ San Francisco Giants

.340 BA, 11 HR, 38 RBI, .391 OBP

Pablo “Kung-Fu Panda” Sandoval has taken the MLB by storm in his rookie season. The pudgy 22-year-old switch-hitting third baseman has been nothing less than phenomenal in 2009. Currently on a nine-game hitting streak (13-32 in those 9 games), Sandoval has been the offensive spark that the Giants so desperately needed to compliment its strong starting rotation.

This guy has been invaluable to this club and has a strong case for MVP consideration given his amazing .340 batting average. His ability to figure out major league pitching this early in his career is staggering to say the least and scary for the rest of the National League in the future.

National League Manager of the Year: Joe Torre / Los Angeles Dodgers

I don’t think this award is very debatable. Torre has lead a Manny-less Dodger club, chalked full of young players, to the best record in all of baseball. At 48-28, the Dodgers are a clear favorite to nab the No. 1 position in the National League come playoff time.

Torre has had his share of naysayers during his tenure with the Yankees given the amount of talent he had to work with, but he is really utilizing his time with LA to establish himself as one of the best in-game managers in all of baseball. This could potentially be one of the most intriguing post-seasons in recent memory.

A potential Red Sox/Yankees ALCS followed by a Dodgers/Red Sox World Series would be exactly what baseball needs to start forgetting about the steroid-era. Manny and Torre teaming up against the Boston Red Sox on the game’s biggest stage, how could you not tune in?

Breakout Performance of 2009: Yovani Gallardo / SP/ Milwaukee Brewers

8-4, 2.86 ERA, 102 SO

It’s hard not to choose Sandoval for this award as well, but for the sake of a little diversity, I’m going with Gallardo. It’s not as if the guy isn’t worthy himself.

Gallardo is only 23 years of age, and is already establishing himself as one of the premier aces in the game today. With the departures of C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets, Gallardo has been exactly what the Brewers needed to stay in contention in the NL Central following last season’s Wild Card bearth.

Yovani is sometimes a victim of poor run support, so his 8-4 record should be overlooked, and in turn overshadowed, by his impressive 2.86 ERA. If you’ve been fortunate enough to see this kid pitch, you’re aware that his stuff is as nasty as any other pitcher in the league.

If he can keep this up, Milwaukee could find themselves in the playoffs for the second consecutive season, and he will be widely regarded as one of the biggest reasons for that.

Division Finishes

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Florida Marlins
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Colorado Rockies
4. San Diego Padres
5. Arizona Diamondbacks

NLDS Results

Los Angeles Dodgers over Philadelphia Phillies (3-1)
St. Louis Cardinals over New York Mets (3-2)

NLCS Results

Los Angeles Dodgers over St. Louis Cardinals (4-3)