Bleacher Report's First-Quarter MLB Season Awards
Just like that, a quarter of the 2015 Major League Baseball season has come and gone. Teams have played roughly 40 of their 162 games, offering a pretty good snapshot of what this season is all about.
That includes the figures that are standing out the most, which brings us to today's mission: It's time to hand out some awards for the first quarter of the 2015 MLB season.
Rather than go off the rails, we'll stick to the usual five categories in the American and National League: Manager of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and Most Valuable Player. Each category can have only one winner, of course, but props will also be given to a runner-up.
Step into the box whenever you're ready.
AL Manager of the Year: A.J. Hinch, Houston Astros
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A.J. Hinch has the Houston Astros in a place where virtually nobody expected them to be at any point in 2015: atop the entire American League.
Their 26-14 record is the best the Junior Circuit has to offer. In the context of how the Astros averaged 104 losses over the prior four seasons, this alone makes it look like Hinch is doing a splendid job in his first year as the club's skipper.
What makes Hinch's work look even better is that the Astros haven't been an all-around juggernaut.
Their offense is getting by with lots of home runs (60) and stolen bases (39), sure, but it also ranks first in strikeouts (362) and in the middle of the pack in the AL in OPS (.722) and runs scored (176). And with a 4.25 ERA, Houston's starting rotation has been hit or miss outside of Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh.
Thus does Hinch seem to fill the key requirement for any legit Manager of the Year candidate: He's made the Astros greater than the sum of their parts.
Apart from Hinch, a shoutout is owed to New York Yankees skipper Joe Girardi, who has his club tied for first place in the AL East despite an aging offense and an injury-riddled pitching staff.
Runner-Up: Joe Girardi, New York Yankees
NL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, Chicago Cubs
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The Chicago Cubs hired Joe Maddon with hopes that he could lead a turnaround several years in the making. A quarter of the way through 2015, it sure looks like their hopes were not misplaced.
At 21-17, the Cubs are in the thick of the NL Wild Card race and putting some pressure on the MLB-best St. Louis Cardinals. That's a good look for a team that entered 2015 coming off five straight losing seasons, not to mention with a roster that's loaded with youth.
But one reason the Cubs wanted Maddon was because of his track record with young players in Tampa Bay, and that track record is translating over to his new environment just fine. Maddon has gotten the most out of uber-prospect Kris Bryant, and Jorge Soler and Addison Russell have come around lately.
And in general, Maddon is instilling confidence while also keeping things in perspective.
"I really believe our guys have the mettle to handle all that stuff," Maddon told Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune when asked about the expectations surrounding the Cubs. "We have to get there and live it first, and you have to teach yourselves how to win this year so we can do it on an annual basis."
Elsewhere, take your hat off to Los Angeles Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly. He may have an outstanding offense at his disposal, but he's also led the Dodgers to a 24-14 record despite a wave of pitching injuries.
Runner-Up: Don Mattingly, Los Angeles Dodgers
AL Comeback Player of the Year: Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians
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A year ago, Jason Kipnis was one of the worst everyday players in Major League Baseball. In 2015, however, the Cleveland Indians second baseman is back to being one of the best.
Through 38 games, Kipnis is batting .338 with a .914 OPS, four home runs and five stolen bases. He's one of the top 10 offensive players in the American League, and he's also playing a solid second base.
This is quite the bounce-back for a guy who hit just .240 with a .640 OPS in 129 games last year. Craig Edwards of FanGraphs highlighted how Kipnis' revenge stems from an improved ability to hit the ball the other way, as well as an improvement against off-speed pitches.
But the real factor may be as simple as Kipnis getting over an oblique injury that dogged him in 2014.
"In terms of the oblique, it just wouldn't let me be the player that I wanted to be," he said in an MLB.com interview, as transcribed by Edwards. "I'm not using it as a crutch, it just physically would not allow me to do the things that I try to do as a player, whether it's getting extended on an offspeed pitch, reaching that outside pitch, it just wouldn't allow me to do it."
Apart from Kipnis, Prince Fielder also deserves a shoutout. The Texas Rangers first baseman is looking no worse for wear after season-ending neck surgery in 2014, hitting an AL-best .348 with five homers.
Runner-Up: Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers
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NL Comeback Player of the Year: Matt Harvey, New York Mets
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Really, could it be anyone else?
Matt Harvey missed all of 2014 recovering from Tommy John surgery, but you'd never know that just from looking at what the young New York Mets ace has done through eight starts this season. He's dominated to the tune of a 1.98 ERA in 54.2 innings, striking out 56 and walking only eight.
That makes it look like Harvey has picked up right where he left off in 2013, a season in which he had a 2.27 ERA in 178.1 innings. And indeed, Harvey truly looks like the same pitcher, as he's once again mixing excellent command with a high-octane fastball and three swing-and-miss secondaries.
Let's put it this way: You know a guy is doing well whenever Pedro Martinez is in awe.
"I think that he has more talent than I do," said the Hall of Famer in a recent radio interview (via MLB.com's Joe Trezza). "And he has better chances to do better than I did."
Apart from Matt Harvey, you have to give it up for Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier. He looked finished while he was hitting .249 with a .691 OPS in a part-time role in 2014, but he has responded well to more regular playing time in 2015 with a .313 average and .956 OPS.
Runner-Up: Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers
AL Rookie of the Year: Devon Travis, Toronto Blue Jays
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In case you had doubts about how much of a difference a couple of weeks can make this early in the season, consider Devon Travis.
Through April 28, the Toronto Blue Jays second baseman was hitting .356 with a 1.063 OPS, making him one of the league's better hitters. But in 16 games since then, he's hit just .164 with a .517 OPS and has also developed a bum left shoulder.
Fortunately for Travis, his overall numbers are still solid. He's hitting .271 with an .839 OPS and seven home runs in 36 games, making him the AL's best offensive rookie. Factor in the solid defense he's played at second base, and he still stands out as the man to beat for the AL Rookie of the Year.
But the gap has definitely closed.
Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Steven Souza Jr. could emerge as a threat to Travis if he finds some consistency to go with his power. With a 0.83 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 21.2 innings, Blue Jays teammate Roberto Osuna is an even more threatening challenger to keep an eye on.
Runner-Up: Roberto Osuna, Toronto Blue Jays
NL Rookie of the Year: Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers
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The NL Rookie of the Year race is heading in the opposite direction of the AL Rookie of the Year race. Whereas one has become more wide-open, the other is becoming a blowout.
Currently in the lead is Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson, who is emerging as one of the most dynamic young players in the league. The 23-year-old may only be hitting .235, but that comes with a .395 on-base percentage, a .538 slugging percentage and 10 home runs.
That production looks legit, as Pederson has been combining a sharp eye at the plate with thunderously loud contact. To boot, he's also put his athleticism to good use out in center field.
"The sky's the limit for him. It's ridiculous the talent he has," Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire told Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today. "You're just seeing glimpses now. It's going to be ridiculous for the next 15 to 20 years."
But while Pederson currently reigns supreme among Senior Circuit youngsters, don't take your eye off Kris Bryant. The Cubs third baseman is hitting .290 with an .888 OPS and four homers, and it's scary that he's just now beginning to tap into his immense raw power.
Runner-Up: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
AL Cy Young: Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros
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Dallas Keuchel teased just how good he could be in 2014 when he posted a 2.93 ERA in 200 innings. But even while that was going on, it was hard to see him becoming this good.
The Houston Astros left-hander has been the American League's most dominant pitcher through his first eight starts, posting an AL-best 1.87 ERA and ranking second in opponents' batting average (.181) and third in innings (57.2).
Keuchel isn't achieving these lofty heights with excellent command or overpowering stuff, as he's only walking 2.8 and striking out 6.6 batters per nine innings. Rather, his trick is using his sinker/slider combination to stifle hard contact.
Exactly 64 percent of the balls in play off Keuchel are ground balls, and they don't tend to be well struck. FanGraphs had him ranked third in the AL in soft-contact percentage at the start of Tuesday, and Baseball Savant had him fifth in MLB in average exit velocity.
As for Keuchel's top challengers for the AL Cy Young, Sonny Gray and his 1.92 ERA over 61.0 innings stand out. But also keep an eye on Corey Kluber and Michael Pineda, whose modest ERAs are backed up by much stronger peripherals.
Runner-Up: Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics
NL Cy Young: Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
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The National League Cy Young race looks a bit more open than the AL Cy Young race, but the leader of the pack is a guy who already has one Cy Young on his mantelpiece: Max Scherzer.
The Washington Nationals veteran is off to a superb start, posting a 1.75 ERA in his first eight starts. That ERA ranks fourth in the National League, and he has more innings (56.2), more strikeouts (66) and fewer walks (eight) than any of the three above him.
It's the walks that stand out the most, as Scherzer has effectively cut his career BB/9 of 2.8 in half with a BB/9 of 1.3 in 2015. Ask him, and he'll tell you this is what he's most proud of.
"I'm really happy with that. That's one of the first things you look at as a pitcher: how many walks you give up," Scherzer told Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. "And when you have an outing where you don't give up any walks in seven innings, that's always going to put a smile on your face because you know you're going right after them and you know you're not going to give in in any situation."
As if Scherzer needed to be more unhittable, he's also managing contact better than ever. His soft-hit rate of 22.3 percent is the best of his career, and he entered Tuesday in the top 25 in average exit velocity.
But while Scherzer looks like the man to beat now, don't underestimate Shelby Miller. The young Atlanta Braves right-hander has an MLB-best 1.33 ERA, and he's also become a master of soft contact.
Runner-Up: Shelby Miller, Atlanta Braves
AL Most Valuable Player: Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals
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Mike Trout has been slumping a bit of late, so he doesn't quite work as the default MVP favorite in the American League. Rather, the honor belongs to another do-it-all center fielder: Lorenzo Cain.
The Kansas City Royals center fielder is following up last year's star-making turn in the postseason with a career year. Though he's also cooled lately, he's still hitting a rock-solid .307 with an .804 OPS, three homers and six stolen bases to establish himself as a well above-average offensive presence.
But it's arguably on defense where Cain has really shined. As of the start of play on Tuesday, Ultimate Zone Rating said he had saved 7.7 runs above average in center field. Defensive Runs Saved put his total at more like 13 runs saved. Either way, he's been superb.
Add it all up, and you get a superb overall player. FanGraphs has Cain battling for the Wins Above Replacement lead in the AL, and Baseball-Reference.com has him leading the charge by a mile. That makes him as big a reason as any why the Royals are sitting atop the AL Central.
All the same, don't forget about Trout. His recent slump hasn't ruined what's otherwise been yet another terrific season. And with the Angels just barely hanging on at 20-19, goodness knows they've needed it.
Runner-Up: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
NL Most Valuable Player: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
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Oh, if only we could just say "Duh" and leave it at that.
Bryce Harper has reached a whole 'nother level of awesome. Especially recently, as the young Washington Nationals slugger is in the middle of a 12-game hot stretch that's featured a 1.979 OPS and 10 homers.
Thanks to this, Harper now leads the NL with 15 homers, and he leads all of MLB in OBP (.474), slugging (.737), OPS (1.212), runs scored (37), RBI (38) and walks (37). In so many words, he's the best offensive player in baseball. Hands down.
There are several explanations for this, including a more patient approach and a simplified swing. Ask Harper, though, and he'll say the key is that he's healthy after being hurt for so much of 2013 and 2014.
"This is what I was like in high school and college," Harper told James Wagner of the Washington Post. "That's what people don't understand. I was healthy. Staying healthy is what I need to do. This is the type of player I need to be and the type of player I want to be."
Whatever the case, Harper is the runaway NL leader in WAR whether you ask Baseball-Reference.com or FanGraphs. And recently, his efforts have pushed the 23-17 Nationals near the top of the NL East.
Elsewhere, keep an eye on Anthony Rizzo. The Chicago Cubs first baseman has turned himself into one of the elite hitters in MLB, and he's done a fine job of anchoring such a young roster.
Runner-Up: Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs
Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.
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