Albert Pujols, Mark Teixeira, and the Rest of the Bunch: MLB Honors Predictions

As the end of the Major League Baseball season approaches, there aren't too many questions that are going unanswered.  The teams that will be participating in the postseason are all but set in stone, with the exception of the American League Central Race and the National League Wild Card.

We've all witnessed the Yankees run away with the A.L. East, and the same goes for the St. Louis Cardinals in the N.L. Central.  The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are three wins away from clinching the American League West, and the Philadelphia Phillies have the National League East well in hand.  The Los Angeles Dodgers have seemed to end their slump, and have the N.L. West Title well within reach.

So what questions do we have left to answer?

The honors that go to the best of the best, that's what.

I am going to preview, or rather, predict, the winners of the coveted honors in both leagues.  Some of the accolades are up for debate, but I will start off with the one that needs no debate at all—National League Most Valuable Player.

This honor will go to Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals, hands down.  You can bet the house on that.  Albert is a once-in-a-lifetime hitting talent, and one of the better defensive first basemen in baseball.

Pujols has belted a National League and major league-leading 47 home runs.  Barring any strange occurrence, he'll end up with 50-plus jacks.  He is one of, if not the most, powerful hitters in the bigs today.  Undeniable talent, undeniable swing.

Besides knocking balls out of parks like it's going out of style, Pujols strengthens his case for N.L. MVP with the intangibles.  His leadership, charisma, and attitude go unmatched throughout the game.  His league-leading, and best in the majors, 128 RBI helps a little, too.  Pujols is batting an impressive .329, which is second in the National League, and has the most runs scored, with 120.  If I had a vote to cast, Al'd B Sure to get my nod.

Let's move on to the American League MVP.

Let's also talk about the best team in baseball, the most storied franchise in the history of sports, the New York Yankees.

The Yanks missed out on the playoffs last year for the first time since 1995.  The postseason just doesn't look or feel right if the boys in pinstripes aren't involved.  Love 'em or hate 'em, it's the truth.

With the best record in the majors, seemingly the team to beat in the American League, what or who turned it around for the Bronx Bombers this year ?

Answer: the acquisition of Mark Teixeira.

Teixeira immediately made an impact on the Yanks from day one.  Teixeira's numbers are nothing short of MVP-worthy.  If you define "Most Valuable Player", it should sound something like this: "A player whose contributions directly affects the success of his team, and would be extremely difficult to duplicate without that player."

That's what Mark Teixeira has done for the New York Yankees.  37 visits to Souvenir City (i.e., home runs), which is good enough for second in the A.L., 118 RBI (first in the American League ), and a respectable .290 batting average.  The Bombers have been on a maniacal tear since the All-Star break, and owe a lot to Teixeira.  Granted, the pitching has been tremendous, and there are other contributing factors.  Teixeira happens to be the piece of the puzzle that New York was missing.

Kendry Morales of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim also has a strong case. 

Morales has been the hottest home run hitter since the midsummer break, and is a vital component to his American League West superior Angels.

Morales's numbers are comparable to Teixeira's in almost every facet of the game.  Batting average of .299, 31 dingers, and 99 RBI.  Both teams are in cruise control when it comes to their respective divisions, and both will have a target on their backs come playoff time.

I'd give the nod to Mark Teixeira, considering the position the Yankees are in, but Morales deserves an honorable mention.

Let's move to the pitchers.  The Cy Young Award is the highest honor any pitcher can hope to achieve in his Major League career.  My first mention has one under his belt, Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants, 2008's N.L. winner.

Lincecum has his Giants in the hunt for the National League Wild Card.  In his last outing against the fore-running Rockies, " The Freak " dominated.  Seven innings pitched, 11 strikeouts, and he gave up only one run.  Not too shabby for the shaggy hurler from the Bay.  Lincecum is 4-3 in his last seven decisions, but is sporting one of the best ERAs in the National League, at 2.47. 

Lincecum is 14-6 this season, and with approximately six starts left, he has the potential to be a 20 game winner this year.

"The Freak" is first in strikeouts in the N.L., second in ERA, first in complete games pitched with 4...and let's throw in his two shutouts as the icing on the cake.  Great numbers this year for Tim, and he has a strong chance to repeat as the N.L. Cy Young Winner.

Of course, there are the two Cardinal aces to mention as well—Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter.  Apples to apples, Lincecum has the numbers, but it should be close among the three pitchers.

The American League Cy Young gets a little sticky, too.

Felix Hernandez is having a lights-out year in Seattle, Justin Verlander is pitching well for the Detroit Tigers, and C.C. is doing it for the Yankees.

My pick is Kansas City's Zack Greinke.  Apparently the Royals have forgotten that they will not make the playoffs, but that hasn't kept them from giving teams fits.  One of those teams are the A.L. Central-leading Detroit Tigers.  The Royals swept Detroit earlier this month, and won 3 of 4 shortly there after.

Greinke's numbers are outstanding, and he can vastly contribute to the outcome of the American League Central.  With two more of his starts coming against the second place Twins, he can help the Tigers out by beating Minnesota.  With about five starts left this season, Greinke could end up with 18 or 19 wins by season's end. 

Let's get to this kid's numbers.

Zack is first in the American League in ERA, at 2.14.  He has thrown six complete games this year, which is good enough for second in the A.L. Greinke is second in the American League in strikeouts with 224, just 20 behind Detroit's Justin Verlander.

It's too bad the Kansas City Royals are so far out of reach when it comes to playoff contention, but you can't deny the talent of Zack Greinke.

Zack is 14-8 overall, 4-2 in his last six decisions, and absolutely dominated the division-leading Tigers in has last start against them.  Greinke had eight strikeouts in just five innnings, while giving up just three hits.  The Royals spanked the Tigers, 9-2.

What about Rookies of the Year ?

American League: Detroit Tigers Rookie right hander, Rick Porcello.  Pitching in a pennant race as rookie can only help his situation.  4.22 ERA, 13-9, and a great start for a future staple in the Tiger rotation.  

National League: The St. Louis Cardinals' Colby Rasmus.  Again, playing in a pennant race as a rookie can only help his cause, and Colby's doing just that.  In 136 games this year, Rasmus has knocked out 15 home runs, batted in 50 runs, and is hitting .253. 21 doubles accompanied with 100 plus hits to top it off, and I'd say he deserves consideration.

This concludes my predictions.  We can wait and see how they pan out.  Last but not least, I'm going to throw my World Series Prediction out there...New York Yankees vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.  Kind of a no-brainer, but I gotta go with my gut.  Thanks for reading!