MLB Midseason Awards: Picks for MVP, Cy Young and more – CBSSports.com – CBSSports.com

CINCINNATI — Parity has marked the first half of this baseball season. But that goes mostly for the teams, not necessarily the players. In fact, there have been some real standout first-half performances.

Without further ado, the midseason awards …

AL MVP

Mike Trout, Angels: I know, I know. I picked Josh Donaldson only a couple days ago. A person can change their mind, can’t they? Trout maintains his otherworldly start into his fourth season and seems a likely bet to finish in the top two in MVP voting, for yes, a fourth straight season, with 36 home runs, a 1.019 OPS and 5.9 WAR to date. Anyway, here he gets the slightest nod over Donaldson, who’s been amazing in his initial season for the Jays, baseball’s best offense. Speaking of Trout, everyone’s a believer in his all-time greatness now. “He’s Mickey Mantle. That’s who he is, Mickey Mantle,” raved one hard-bitten old scout. Yes, at this point we are all on board.

Best of the rest: 2. Donaldson, Blue Jays. 3. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers. 4. Jason Kipnis, Indians. 5. Lorenzo Cain, Royals.

AL LVP (Least Valuable)

Robinson Cano, Mariners: Since this is graded on a curve, Cano gets it due to salary vs. production. And it’s not particularly close. He’s a $240-million player in the prime of his career. “We gotta get Cano going,” said one Mariners person here. And it could have been any Mariners person. “We need him to be the guy for us,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “And I see it starting to come.” And that’s true, he has been a bit better in recent days, though he still has a .251 batting average (and .290 on-base percentage), which are eons from his career norms and pay grade.

NL MVP

Bryce Harper, Nationals: Harper has stopped running into walls and injuring himself on the basepaths, and has, at the age of 22, established himself as the best player in the National League. He’s having an otherworldly season to date, with a 1.168 OPS that’s more than 100 points higher than second place (Paul Goldschmidt). Goldschmidt has been terrific, too. Another year maybe.

Best of the rest: 2. Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks. 3. Anthony Rizzo, Cubs. 4. Todd Frazier, Reds. 5T. Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins, and Nolan Arenado, Rockies.

Bryce Harper has emerged as the NL’s best player and leads the MVP race. (USATSI)

NL LVP (Least Valuable)

Matt Kemp, Padres: While the Padres are only paying $3 million of his deal this year, there’s some question as to whether he’s actually worth even that. To try to get him going, new manager Pat Murphy has made Kemp a leadoff hitter. But considering the astonishing lack of power in a park with adjusted dimensions (Petco), that may actually be the right spot for him. To this point, he has a -0.1 WAR. He is quite the gamer so perhaps his hips or knees are bothering him.

AL Cy Young

Dallas Keuchel, Astros: From start to finish, Keuchel, the American League All-Star starter, has been the most consistently great starter, and he has an 11-4 record, 2.23 ERA and neat 1.00 WHIP to show for it. The ninth-round draft choice was supposed to settle in as a crafty lefty. But he’s turned out to be way more than that.

Best of the rest: 2. Sonny Gray, A’s. 3. Chris Sale, White Sox. 4. David Price, Tigers. 5. Chris Archer, Rays.

AL Cy Old (Worst Pitcher)

Rick Porcello, Red Sox: Porcello appeared to be coming into his own last year in Detroit, and a nice spring seemed to solidify that theory. But once the season started, it’s been mostly a mess. A -0.6 WAR and 5.90 ERA isn’t going to cut it. Second-place CC Sabathia is paying for all those years as the willing staff horse.

Rick Porcello struggled mightily in the first half. (USATSI)

NL Cy Young

Zack Greinke, Dodgers: It’s hard to believe it’s anyone but Max Scherzer, but it is. Greinke’s 35 2/3 straight scoreless innings to end the first half lowered his ERA to an unreal 1.39, which is the fourth-lowest mark at the break since the All-Star Game started eight decades ago. (The three pitchers better than that were all in 1968, which was the year of the pitcher). Greinke is great all the time, but he’s especially unhittable with men in scoring position, as batters are hitting .134 against him in that situation. Somehow, he throws all his pitches one mph faster when runners are in those spots. Scherzer is a worthy choice, too, with his sparkling, baseball-best 0.78 WHIP, plus all those great highlights.

Best of the rest: 2. Scherzer, Nationals. 3. Jacob deGrom, Mets. 4. Johnny Cueto, Reds. 5. Gerrit Cole, Pirates.

NL Cy Old (Worst Pitcher)

Steve Cishek, Marlins. He’s settling in to a seventh-inning role now, but three early blown saves killed the Marlins’ season in early May. In all, he blew four of seven chances when he was closer. Among starters, Kyle Lohse and Kyle Kendrick are a tossup at this point. Who thought Kendrick in Coors Field would be a good idea?

AL Rookie of the Year

Billy Burns, A’s: The speed-burner seemed to have been an afterthought among all the ballyhooed kids coming up to the majors this year, but no one’s been better – at least not in the American League. He can fly, and he’s been a major bright spot with the disappointing A’s by hitting better than anyone expected, posting a .303 batting average with 17 steals in 20 chances (with two of the outs coming on overslides).

Best of the rest: 2. Carlos Correa, Astros. 3. Devon Travis, Blue Jays.

Billy Burns has quickly flown into the hearts of A’s fans. (USATSI)

NL Rookie of the Year

Joc Pederson, Dodgers: Now we can see why the Dodgers were so protective of this kid. With his great power at bat (20 home runs) and grace and skill in center field, he seems a bit like a latter-day Jim Edmonds, and maybe even better than that. He’s been a godsend, and is a MVP candidate.

Best of the rest: 2. Kris Bryant, Cubs. 3. Maikel Franco, Phillies.

AL Manager of the Year

A.J. Hinch, Astros: Everything you hear around the Astros is what a great climate Hinch has established there. That’s funny, because in his first managerial go-round Hinch was perceived as an egghead analytics guy out of the front office. But the reality is, he was a major-league catcher with a Stanford degree and upbeat persona that’s playing well with his young team.

Best of the rest: 2. Paul Molitor, Twins. 3T. Jeff Banister, Rangers, and Kevin Cash, Rays.

NL Manager of the Year

Mike Matheny, Cardinals: He was the perfect choice to replace Tony LaRussa, a smart guy (Michigan man) who continued in the Cardinals way without missing a beat. It’s amazing this year how they keep playing better while losing key players.

Best of the rest: 2. Chip Hale, Diamondbacks. 3T. Joe Maddon, Cubs, and Clint Hurdle, Pirates.

Mike Matheny has piloted baseball’s best team through the first half. (USATSI)

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