2015 MLB Award Race Odds Updates with 2 Weeks to Go

With the 2015 MLB award season looming, Zack Greinke has some company in the chase for the National League Cy Young.

Jake Arrieta just keeps putting up zeroes for the Chicago Cubs. And don't forget about Greinke's Los Angeles Dodgers teammate, Clayton Kershaw.

The race for the NL Cy Young is far from the only one where the landscape has shifted since we last set the odds. That means it's time to update the field for all the most prestigious individual honors based on what's happened in the last week.

As was the case before, stats such as WAR, OPS, home runs, FIP, xFIP and ERA were the most important factors for the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards. For honors like Manager of the Year and MVP, the performance of a given candidate's team was also part of the equation.

While the field has been catching up to Greinke in the Cy Young conversation, Bryce Harper is starting to create some separation in the race for the Senior Circuit's top honor.

AL Comeback Player of the Year

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The Field

• Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees: 7-4
• Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles: 3-1
• Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles: 3-1
• Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers: 13-2

With just a couple of weeks to go, this remains one of the most crowded fields of all.

Alex Rodriguez, who has cracked 32 home runs and been the MVP of a New York Yankees team that is on track for a postseason berth, still leads the way. However, over the past week, Rodriguez hasn't done much to help his cause. The 40-year-old designated hitter batted .125 in his last seven contests.

No player saw his stock rise more than Prince Fielder. The veteran slugger was named the co-Player of the Week in the AL after slugging three bombs during a key four-game sweep of the division-rival Houston Astros.

The long ball has also helped keep Baltimore Orioles standouts Manny Machado and Chris Davis right in the mix. Machado (29 blasts) is closing in on his first 30-home run campaign, while Davis (43 homers) has gone yard more than any other player in baseball.

Honorable Mention: Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians; Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees; Kendrys Morales, Kansas City Royals

NL Comeback Player of the Year

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The Field

• Matt Harvey, New York Mets: 1-1
• Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds: 3-1

In the midst of an absurd second half, Joey Votto finally had a bad week. In his last seven games, the first baseman is hitting .238 for the Cincinnati Reds. Even with that slow stretch, Votto is still the owner of a .366 average, a .552 OBP and a 1.212 OPS since the All-Star break.

Matt Harvey has pitched only once since we last set the odds for this award. But his five shutout innings against the New York Yankees were enough for him to pull even with Votto in this race. That game turned into a disaster for the Mets, but Harvey's individual stat line just keeps getting better and better.

In his first season back from Tommy John surgery, the 26-year-old is now sporting a 2.84 ERA, which is the seventh-best mark in the NL.

Honorable Mention: Brett Anderson, Los Angeles Dodgers; Jeff Francoeur, Philadelphia Phillies; Cameron Maybin, Atlanta Braves

AL Manager of the Year

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The Field

• Jeff Banister, Texas Rangers: 13-8
• A.J. Hinch, Houston Astros: 5-2
• Paul Molitor, Minnesota Twins: 3-1
• John Gibbons, Toronto Blue Jays: 10-1

The winner of this award will be determined by how the postseason picture turns out. Right now, that picture is looking awfully murky.

Jeff Banister claims a slight edge in the race because his Texas Rangers have built up a two-game lead in the AL West over A.J. Hinch's Houston Astros.

Banister's squad is trending upward at just the right moment, winning six of eight and sweeping a crucial four-game set against the Astros last week. In Banister's first year at the helm, the Rangers have already tallied 14 more wins than a season ago.

For Hinch, he can blame the Astros' extensive struggles on the road if he ends up missing out on this honor. Houston's 29-46 mark away from Minute Maid Park is the worst road record of any team in the AL.

The unexpected success of the Minnesota Twins has also resulted in Paul Molitor emerging as a surprise candidate for Manager of the Year. But Molitor will need to guide the Twins into October if he's actually going to leap over Banister and Hinch.

John Gibbons, whose Toronto Blue Jays have compiled the second-best record in the league (86-65), will also merit consideration. But as was noted last week, Gibbons' candidacy has been hurt by the fact that general manager Alex Anthopoulos has earned much of the praise for the club's second-half rise.

Honorable Mention: Joe Girardi, New York Yankees; Ned Yost, Kansas City Royals

NL Manager of the Year

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The Field

• Joe Maddon, Chicago Cubs: 4-7
• Terry Collins, New York Mets: 5-1
• Clint Hurdle, Pittsburgh Pirates: 10-1
• Mike Matheny, St. Louis Cardinals: 10-1

With the Chicago Cubs having already racked up 16 more wins than a year ago, Joe Maddon remains the front-runner to snag this honor in his first season at Wrigley Field.

While Maddon leads the way, New York Mets skipper Terry Collins keeps building a compelling case for NL Manager of the Year. Collins found himself in an unenviable spot over the weekend during the Subway Series.

With the Mets limiting Matt Harvey's innings down the stretch, Collins was forced to pull the righty from the game after five shutout frames. The move backfired in a big way, as the Mets went on to lose 11-2 to the New York Yankees. Afterward, Collins didn't hesitate to offer his opinion on the unfortunate situation.

"There's lots of things in our game today I don't necessarily agree with," Collins said, via Mike Puma of the New York Post. "You either adjust to it or get out, so I'm adjusting to it. I might get out here pretty soon, but I'm going to adjust to it right now."

Collins' adjustments—especially in the second half of the season—have been working out, as the Mets retain a 6.5-game advantage over the Washington Nationals in the NL East.

Two other managers who continue to make brilliant adjustments are Clint Hurdle and Mike Matheny. Hurdle has guided the Pittsburgh Pirates to the second-best record in the majors, while Matheny's St. Louis Cardinals have the best mark.

Fair or not, both Hurdle and Matheny are often overlooked in the Manager of the Year conversation because both organizations have made such a habit of piling up wins in recent seasons.

Honorable Mention: Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants; Chip Hale, Arizona Diamondbacks; Don Mattingly, Los Angeles Dodgers

AL Rookie of the Year

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The Field

• Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians: 15-8
• Carlos Correa, Houston Astros: 15-8
• Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins: 9-4

Francisco Lindor has officially caught up to Carlos Correa in the chase for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

The Cleveland Indians shortstop has been on a tear in his past seven games, checking in with a .379 average and .621 slugging percentage. The strong showing at the plate is nothing new for the 21-year-old, who owns a .354 average and .546 slugging percentage dating back to the All-Star break.

Correa still has eight more home runs than Lindor, but the rookies are now extremely close in terms of OPS. Correa checks in at .853, while Lindor has logged a .827 OPS.

One department where Lindor has an advantage over Correa is with the glove. Lindor has saved the Tribe seven runs in the field (tied for the best in the AL), while Correa has cost the Astros one run, according to FanGraphs.

Miguel Sano doesn't provide the same kind of defensive value as Correa and Lindor, but his bat has kept him in the conversation. The Minnesota Twins designated hitter is hitting .280 over his past seven games and has cracked 17 home runs in 68 contests. His .956 OPS is actually higher than that of Josh Donaldson (.940).

Honorable Mention: Billy Burns, Oakland Athletics; Roberto Osuna, Toronto Blue Jays; Devon Travis, Toronto Blue Jays

NL Rookie of the Year

DAVID BANKS/Associated Press

The Field

• Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs: 1-4
• Matt Duffy, San Francisco: 11-2
• Jung Ho Kang, Pittsburgh Pirates: 20-1

The abrupt end to Jung Ho Kang's season is awful news for the Pittsburgh Pirates as the club angles to catch the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central and hold off the Chicago Cubs for the top wild-card spot.

Kang's broken left leg and torn MCL also all but guarantee that Kris Bryant will win the NL Rookie of the Year award.

The Cubs third baseman leads all first-year players with 26 homers and also sets the pace in WAR (5.8), per FanGraphs. And Bryant is showing no signs of slowing down. In his last seven games, the right-handed hitter is swinging at a clip of .481.

Even as Bryant continues to rake, Matt Duffy isn't ready to concede. The San Francisco Giants third baseman, who is second to Bryant in WAR (4.5), is hitting .296 in his last seven contests. With 156 hits, the 24-year-old leads all rookies in that department.

Honorable Mention: Maikel Franco, Philadelphia Phillies; Randal Grichuk, St. Louis Cardinals; Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers; Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets

AL Cy Young Award

John Bazemore/Associated Press

The Field

• David Price, Toronto Blue Jays: 1-1
• Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros: 3-2
• Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics: 19-1
• Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox: 19-1

David Price just keeps on rolling for the Toronto Blue Jays, and as a result the lefty takes over the top spot in the race for the AL Cy Young Award.

Price has reeled off an 8-1 record and 1.95 ERA in his first 10 starts for the AL East front-runners. And he's been nearly untouchable as of late. Since we last checked in on the field, Price has allowed just a single earned run in a pair of starts.

Dallas Keuchel hit a speed bump back on Sept. 16 in a road start against the Texas Rangers, serving up nine earned runs in 4.2 innings of work.

Keuchel bounced back on Monday, allowing just one earned run in 7.2 frames against the Los Angeles Angels. But if Keuchel ends up losing out on the Cy Young, it will be due to his poor road form. At Minute Maid Park, Keuchel owns a 1.47 ERA. Away from home, that figure rises to 3.82.

Sonny Gray has also been slumping his way out of the Cy conversation. On Saturday, the Oakland Athletics righty allowed five earned runs in 5.1 innings against the Astros. In his last seven outings, Gray has run up a 5.36 ERA.

Meanwhile, AL strikeout-king Chris Sale still has a Cy case according to the advanced numbers. Per FanGraphs, the Chicago White Sox lefty is leading the circuit in FIP (2.67) and xFIP (2.58).

Honorable Mention: Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays; Scott Kazmir, Houston Astros

NL Cy Young Award

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

The Field

• Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers: 2-3
• Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs: 9-4
• Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers: 9-1

Jake Arrieta is doing everything he can to track down Zack Greinke.

Since we last set the odds, Arrieta has thrown 17 innings across two starts and allowed just one earned run in the process. After posting a shutout against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, Arrieta has now compiled a 0.86 ERA dating back to the All-star break. As noted by Elias Sports Bureau, via ESPN Stats & Info, Arrieta has the chance to become the first pitcher ever to post a sub-1.00 ERA in the second half while making at least 13 starts.

Courtesy of that historic run, Arrieta has dropped his ERA to 1.88. As impressive as Arrieta's mark is, he still can't match Greinke (1.65 ERA).

Thanks to the dominance of Greinke and Arrieta, Clayton Kershaw remains stranded in third place on the ballot. The advanced numbers indicate that Kershaw deserves better. Per FanGraphs, Kershaw leads all starters in FIP (2.09), xFIP (2.17) and WAR (7.8).

Honorable Mention: Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates; Jacob deGrom, New York Mets

AL MVP Award

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

The Field

• Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays: 4-9
• Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels: 9-4

This race isn't over just yet.

Thanks to a big week from Mike Trout (four home runs in his last seven games) and a quiet week from Josh Donaldson (.192 average in his last seven games), the Los Angeles Angels center fielder has boosted his chances of snagging back-to-back MVPs.

Trout holds the edge in home runs (40 to 39) and OPS (.979 to .940). In terms of WAR, Donaldson has the advantage (8.1 to 7.8), according to FanGraphs.

When it comes to the MVP, it's not just about the stats but the overall impact a player makes. As Donaldson explained, via Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the third baseman also aims to make a difference with the Toronto Blue Jays off the field.

"There are times when I challenge my teammates. I challenge them in the clubhouse very often. This isn't to call anybody out right now, but it could be Jose Bautista or it could be the 25th man on the roster. I say things to guys to hopefully spark something in that day to get them ready to play."

Donaldson's vocal and unorthodox leadership style appears to be paying dividends, as the Toronto Blue Jays are 1.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals for the top seed in the AL. Meanwhile, Trout's Halos are 2.5 games back in the standings for the second wild-card spot and 4.5 games off the pace in the AL West.

Honorable Mention: Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals; Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners; Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles; David Price, Toronto Blue Jays

NL MVP Award

Nick Wass/Associated Press

The Field

• Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals: 1-6
• Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates: 13-1
• Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs: 13-1

The field for this award has shrunk considerably in the space of just a week.

That's not an indictment of guys like Joey Votto, Paul Goldschmidt and Yoenis Cespedes, who have been bumped down into the honorable mention category. Instead, it's an acknowledgement of just how remarkable Bryce Harper has been.

The owner of 41 jacks and a 1.141 OPS, Harper isn't just having the best season of any player in 2015—he's having one of the best seasons in recent memory.

As Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post noted, along with Miguel Cabrera and Barry Bonds, the 22-year-old is one of just three players since 2000 to lead the majors in average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He was recently tabbed the co-NL Player of the Week after hitting .519 and crushing five bombs.

The big knock on Harper is that even with his monster stat line, the Washington Nationals are staring at a 6.5-game deficit in the NL East.

For that reason, the door remains slightly ajar for either Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates or Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs to steal this award away from Harper. Neither McCutchen (.903 OPS) nor Rizzo (.920) has been anywhere near as productive as Harper, but they've both been the most valuable contributors for a couple of teams on the verge of the postseason.

Honorable Mention: Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies; Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs; Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers; Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks; Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers; Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants; Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds

Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and FanGraphs.

If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.