AL First Half Review

Well after completing the NL first half review yesterday, let’s take a look back on the First half of the year in the AL and what it has had to offer so far.

Biggest Surprise – The parody in the South and West

                The AL South and the AL West both boast the biggest parody amongst any divisions in our league.  Both divisions separate worst to first by only 7 games, leaving no team out of the division title race as the season approaches the All-Star break.  One hot streak may be all it takes for someone to run away in one of these divisions, setting up a nail biting second half

AL Cy Young – With much respect to everyone else pitching in the AL, it is Scooter Lee’s league and everyone else just gets to play here.  Despite having to pitch in Yankee Stadium, the winner of 2 of the last 3 Cy Young Awards is currently 10-3 with a sub 2.00 ERA.  He also leads the league in Strikeouts, WHIP and almost every other stat worth mentioning. 

AL MVP – I gave some thought to putting Scooter Lee’s name here as well, as his season has been that good, but you just can’t overlook the seasons Mariano Johnson and Paxton Harper are putting together.  Harper is 3^rd in HR, leading in RBI’s all while hitting .316 and playing superb D out in LF for Boston.  Johnson’s leading the league hitting .379, is first in slugging and OPS and is trying to help Arizona overcome the loss of Juan Dominguez over the off-season as he left for greener pastures in the NL.  All that being said Paxton Harper key’s the offense for the team with the best record in the league and has to be the first half MVP.

With half a season left to go, anything is possible in any division. The trade deadline is looming, and soon buyers and sellers will emerge, so here’s hoping the 2^nd half of this season is as competitive as the first all around.  If it is most races can expect to go down to the wire and be undecided heading into the last week of the season.

Coming soon: Season 19 Draft Review

NL First Half Review

Well the season is slowly creeping up on the halfway point, so let’s review where we stand.  By the looks of things currently it is shaping up to be a 7 team battle out west for 5 spots.  This should lead to an interesting second half as teams jockey for playoff contention

Biggest Surprise – Charleston Chews – After years of mediocrity the Chews have themselves positioned for a possible post-season run here.  The only question is whether or not their pitching can hold up over the second half.  This team will only go as far as their starting rotation and defense take them.  Currently 2^nd in the league in runs allowed but 13^th in runs scored, this team has surprised everyone as it tries to capture its first division title. 

MVP – While Juan Dominguez has been everything Atlanta has hoped for and more, I just can’t justify giving an MVP to a player whose team is under .500, so my choice in this matter is George Wood, Mexico’s Do It All SS, who is currently leading the league in RBIs and is the focal point of the team with the best record in baseball.

CY Young – The half season Cy Young winner is probably the hardest choice I’ve made writing this.  You could make a case for half an Anaheim’s pitching staff alone for the award.  But in the end I’m going with Henry Weinhardt. Calling the Sandbox that is Mexico his home, Henry has still put up a first half stat line that would make any manager blush. 10-3 2 complete games, 2.28 ERA all while logging the 2^nd most inning of any pitcher in the NL. 

If the second half of the season is anything like the first, all I have to say is we are in for a treat in the NL as the playoff races materialize and every game means something.

Coming Early Next Week - The AL and Draft Reviews