The splendor and circumstances of the 2022 MLB All-Star Game are upon us, and meaningful matches for regular seasons will return later this week. When they do, 18 of the 30 teams will be within five games of a place after the season. With 57 percent of the regular season 2022 being in the books (1,386 of 2,430 games have been played), this is as good a time as any other to hand out awards in the mid-season.
To determine our midseason awards, our four CBS Sports MLB writers (R.J. Anderson, Mike Axisa, Dayn Perry, Matt Snyder) and fearless MLB editor (Stephen Pianovich) submitted a hypothetical ballot for the four major awards (MVP, Cy Young , Rookie and Manager of the Year) in each league. Our rules:
Just to show you how much can change, last year we did not give Bryce Harper a single NL MVP vote or Robbie Ray a single AL Cy Young vote in our midseason awards. The two took the hardware with them thanks to the other halves of the monsters. There is still so much baseball to be played and so many stories about prize races to build. This is just a snapshot in time. No more.
Below are our 2022 midseason award poll results as well as a brief blurb about the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie and Manager of the Year races. We are leaving…
AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Angels
My guess is that the referee would win the MVP if the season ended today, but on our ballots, Ohtani reigns supreme. He started slowly and has been hot lately (quite the opposite of Judge), and although the Angels are the baseball equivalent of This Is Fine dog, Ohtani’s historic play and transcendent two-way talent make him the league’s most valuable player in our eyes. Not even the Angels stink can keep this guy down in our poll. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing we are witnessing.
NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals
The Cardinals and Padres definitely get what they pay for with Arenado, Goldschmidt and Machado. They are three of the six highest paid position players in the National League this season, and they are in the top three in our mid-season MVP poll. Goldschmidt manages the other two thanks to his all-out attack on Senior Circuit pitching over the past two and a half months. He leads the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and (duh) OPS and OPS +. He also hits .413 with runners in scoring position and plays good defense. Yes it does.
AL Cy Young: Shane McClanahan, Rays
The simplest midseason awards call. McClanahan leads baseball – not just the American League – in ERA and WHIP, and he leads his league in ERA + and K / BB as well. The Rays have not had enough pitcher throws to qualify for the ERA title since Charlie Morton in 2019, but McClanahan is seventh in the league in rounds. Tampa does not handle him with children’s gloves. See the article : Shinzo Abe’s death reveals Japanese political party criticizing him. McClanahan is a workhorse who sets up ace numbers. A deserved Cy Young winner in the middle of the season, throughout. Verlander has to settle for our hypothetical AL Comeback Player of the Year award in mid-season.
NL Cy Young: Sandy Alcantara, Marlins
At a time when openers and pitchers are not allowed to go through the team lineup a third time, Alcantara is a setback, eating up innings and asking for seconds. He leads baseball in innings (with 11 2/3) and stroke players (with 36), and he has thrown at least seven innings in his last 13 starts. No other pitcher has thrown seven innings in more than 12 starting periods, in a row. To see also : How Rudy Gobert can fit on the court and in the book with the Timberwolves. And it’s not like Alcantara eats rounds of 4.00 ERA either. He is number two in baseball in the ERA and leads all players (pitchers and hitters) with 5.3 WAR. Just a wonderful, wonderful season.
AL Rookie of the Year: Julio Rodríguez, Mariners
This was Peña’s award in the first weeks of the season. Then Rodríguez took over and the two were in the neck. Now Julio is retiring and is simply one of the best players in baseball, not just one of the best beginners. Read also : Amazon Prime Video announces Season 3 of Comicstaan. He has a chance to go 30/30 as a rookie, something only the great Mike Trout has done, and he is a lock to become the 12th rookie who goes 20/20 as long as he stays on the field. Given the franchise’s problems in developing top – position player prospects over the last 10-15 years, Rodríguez’s having an immediate impact is a breath of fresh air for the Mariners’ faithful.
NL Rookie of the Year: Spencer Strider, Braves
Choose your brave. Strider and Harris dominate our voting. At this point in the season, Strider wins, although Harris can go ahead of his teammate at the end of the year, because Atlanta has to monitor Strider’s workload a bit down. It must be noted that the NL rookie class is stacked this year. Diamondbacks outfielder Alek Thomas, Cubs import Seiya Suzuki, Padre’s left MacKenzie Gore, and several others could make noise in this race before the season ends.
AL Manager of the Year: Aaron Boone, Yankees
Being the manager of the sport’s best team, a team that for large parts of the season has been on the move to challenge one season wins overall, is equal to this year’s manager votes. Boone is unlikely to walk away with the award in our voting. This year’s manager often goes to the manager of the team that exceeds expectations the most, and Hyde qualifies thanks to an Orioles club that is no longer a pushover and went into the All-Star break with a respectable 46-46. Note that six of the 13 AL managers who led their team all season (ie not Angels or Blue Jays managers) received a vote for manager of the year. Almost half.
NL Manager of the Year: Buck Showalter, Mets
Think this year’s manager race will be decided in the second half. Apart from NL West, all divisions and wildcard races are tight, and the team that a) gets hot and runs away with, or b) unexpectedly sneaks into the off-season can be the team that wins its manager some hardware. Currently, Showalter gets our vote in his first season with the Mets. New York has been one of the league’s best teams all year, and they have managed it without Max Scherzer for a long time and without the Jacob deGrom period.
