Midseason Awards

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals
This one is a no-brainer for me, especially looking at how the Cardinals, a team suspected of struggling in the division, are leading the Brewers and Cubs in a tight division race. He set a personal best for homers before the break (32), and leads the NL in homers, RBIs (87) and is fourth in average (.332). Not bad for a guy that teams avoid like the Plague when pitching.

NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, Giants
He is following his first Cy Young campaign with an equally amazing one. This time, though, the team is following. Last year, he won on a team that struggled to do much of anything. This year, the resurgent Giants are scoring runs and helping the pitching. Not that Lincecum needs it. His 10 wins and 2.33 ERA are second in the NL in both categories, and he leads the league with 149 strikeouts. This kid is the real deal, and he has the Giants in contention for the playoffs.

NL Manager of the Year: Jim Tracy, Rockies
This was a close one between Tracy and Joe Torre, but Tracy has done more with less since an 18-28 start by the team. Since then, the team is 29-13, getting back to within two games of the wild card leading Giants. He has pushed the right buttons and turned players that were considered declining into stars again. Jason Marquis, an offseason acquisition from the Cubs, leads the NL with 11 wins. Todd Helton, the career Rockie, is hitting .319 with 10 homers and 57 RBIs. And all this after trading away All-Stars Matt Holliday and Brian Fuentes. Not too shabby...

NL Surprise: San Francisco Giants
The Giants are coming off a 72-90 campaign with there eyes on a rebuilding process. Instead, they made some shrewd moves and find themselves leading the wild card in the NL. The team had some veteran presence in Aaron Rowand and Bengie Molina, but added Edgar Renteria and Randy Johnson to the mix. Both have led the resurgence, aided by Pablo Sandoval, Travis Ishikawa, and other younger players. The pitching, a strength in the preseason, has held serve, with Lincecum, Matt Cain, Johnson, and others pitching lights out. The offense, the big question mark, has been inspired. This team is no mirage, but no one expected these results.

NL Bust: Chicago Cubs
In a toss up with the Mets, the Cubs win because of the promise they showed last year before falling flat. They sent off productive players (such as Jason Marquis), only to land players that have been more headache than help. Milton Bradley has not provided the lefty power they craved. Moreover, no player is hitting over .300, with Ryan Theriot leading those with enough at bats with a .299 average. Injuries have been an issue, and the team has struggled to score runs with the pitching allowing only 353, third in the NL. Unless that stagnant offense finds a spark, it will only continue the countdown of The Curse.

AL MVP: Derek Jeter, Yankees
While the season started slow in New York, everyone panicked that the big new signings where more bust and not boom. In the tumult, fingers were waving all around the room, at Mark Texeira, AJ Burnett, CC Sabathia, and the poster child for steroids, Alex Rodriguez. But none fell on The Captain, and he plodded through, providing good defense to go with a solid bat. He is hitting .321, has 10 homer, and stolen 17 bases. More than that, he was able to keep everyone on track and help carry the team early, giving them the chance to shoot out and grab the AL wild card at the break. He helped Joe Girardi get out of the hot seat in two weeks and should help end the playoff drought soon enough.

AL Cy Young: Zack Greinke, Royals
Some thinking a winning team is a component, but I disagree. This kid was lights out early on, and has remained so after a short three start bump. He leads the AL in ERA (2.12), is second in wins (10), and third in strikeouts (129), all for a team 14 games under .500. He has won more than a quarter of the teams games, and must pitch brilliantly to get those numbers. His season is similar to Lincecum's year last season, and he shows no signs of letting up.

AL Manager of the Year: Don Wakamatsu
This was another close one, but he has turned a team that was terrible last year into one that is in the wild card hunt in the strong AL. The team was turned over in the offseason, seeing Raul Ibanez, JJ Putz, and Jeremy Reed leave via free agency or trade. The team rebuilt, mixing veterans with prospects, including Ken Griffey Jr. and Russell Branyan. After getting the pieces in place, Wakamatsu made them all work in unison. Similar to Tracy, he has pushed the right buttons to get this team to start winning again.

AL Surprise: Texas Rangers pitching
Every year, the Rangers score lots of runs. And every year, they give up just as many. But this year, the pitching has been as advertised, and the team is showing that it can compete. Kevin Millwood bought into the mantra to pitch to contact and pitch for innings. He leads the AL in innings pitched, and has let one of the best defenses in the league cover his back. Adding Elvis Andrus to short, allowing an already adequate shortstop-turned-third baseman Mike Young to shift over. Add in a solid outfield corps, and this staff was ready. It doesn't hurt to get good performances from players no one had heard of (Scott Feldman [8-2, 3.73 ERA]) or thought were long gone (Vincente Padilla [7-4, 4.53 ERA]). With the hitting continuing to mash, and the pitchers knowing how to throw it, the Rangers are looking like contenders for the September push.

AL Bust: Cleveland Indians
Narrowly edging out Oakland, which landed one of the best hitters available only to beat the Indians in the AL, the Indians have taken it on the chin this year. Reigning AL Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee started out looking like a AAA pitcher, and the scrap heap provided there only other starter (Carl Pavano). Meanwhile, offensive stalwarts Travis Hafner (injured), Grady Sizemore (.238), and Jhonny Peralta (.257) have not been able to get the offense going. The team. readying for a breakout performance following a supposed lull last year, might be looking to bust this apart and start again sooner rather than later.