2018 First "Half" Awards

AL MVP: Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
25 HR, .310/.454/.606, 15 SB, 187 wRC+, 6.5 fWAR in 97 games
When three American League players finished the first half with exactly 6.5 fWAR, it's going to be a narrow race, and I picked Trout just a hair ahead of Mookie Betts and Jose Ramirez. While Betts has hit at a better rate (202 wRC+ to Trout's 187 and Ramirez' 174), Trout has played 19 more games than Betts, and I have to take that into account that Trout has played in every single game for the 49-48 Angels. He has also been incredible consistent, never posting an OPS below 1.064 in any of the three full months (April, May, June) because his on-base percentage never dipped below .427 and his slugging percentage never fell below .593. Oh yeah, and he has walked more (84) than he has struck out (83), swiped 15 bases in 16 attempts, and played good defense in center field. Trout is the best player since at least Barry Bonds, and he's as good as ever in 2018.

Runner up: Mookie Betts (23 HR, .359/.448/.691, 18 SB, 202 wRC+, 6.5 fWAR)
Honorable mentions: Jose Ramirez (6.5 fWAR), Francisco Lindor (5.4 fWAR), Andrelton Simmons (4.0 fWAR)

NL MVP: Nolan Arenado (Colorado Rockies)
23 HR, .312/.395/.586, 2 SB, 145 wRC+, 4.1 fWAR in 90 games
I have been resistant to giving Arenado the MVP award in any season because his numbers have been more in line with those of others rather than ahead of them, and a Rockies MVP candidate really should be blowing his competition out of the water offensively. Well this year, he is, with his .412 wOBA (not park adjusted) second only to defensive butcher Jesus Aguilar's .414 in the National League, helping his 145 wRC+ (park adjusted, Coors Field effect mitigated) good for fifth behind Aguilar (159), Eugenio Suarez (158), Freddie Freeman (150), and Paul Goldschmidt (146). (On a side note, who the heck thought those two would be in first and second place?). Throw in Arenado's elite defense, and you have an MVP. He is currently setting career highs in all of his rate stats, including batting average (.312), on-base percentage (.395), slugging percentage (.586), wOBA (.412), wRC+ (145), walk rate (12.4%), and also strikeout rate (18.2%, not that that one is a good thing). He's really having a career year, and like Trout, he hasn't really slumped at all. The one thing I notice is that his home/road splits are even more drastic than you'd expect, as he is slashing .370/.447/.694 with 14 home runs in 46 games at Coors and .253/.343/.476 with nine home runs in 44 games on the road. The wRC+, which is not effected by Coors, is then 175 at home and 115 on the road.

Runner up: Jacob deGrom (5-4, 1.68 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 149/30 K/BB in 123.1 IP)
Honorable mentions: Max Scherzer (2.41 ERA), Aaron Nola (2.30 ERA), Scooter Gennett (3.3 fWAR)

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (Houston Astros)
9-5, 2.29 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 172/24 K/BB in 137.2 innings
Even at 35, Justin Verlander is at the top of his game, likely solidifying his Hall of Fame case with his performance this season. He's near the top of all the AL leaderboards this year, including ERA (4th), WHIP (1st), strikeouts (4th), strikeout to walk ratio (2nd), innings (1st), and pitching fWAR (3rd). While he has scuffled just a bit in his last few starts, he did go on a tear from April 9th to June 2nd where he pitched at least six innings in each of his eleven starts and gave up no more than two runs, earned or unearned. At the end of May, his ERA sat at 1.11 and his WHIP at 0.72, and while those numbers have risen to 2.29 and 0.84, respectively, and it's not like he has even been bad since then; his 4.11 ERA and 1.05 WHIP are pretty respectable for a "slump," or as I like to call it in this case, a regression. He's going up against tough opponents in the AL West including the surprisingly good Mariners and A's as well as the just-hanging-in-there Angels.

Runner up: Chris Sale (10-4, 2.23 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 188/31 K/BB in 129 IP)
Honorable mentions: Trevor Bauer (2.24 ERA), Gerrit Cole (2.52 ERA), Luis Severino (2.31 ERA)

NL Cy Young: Jacob deGrom (New York Mets)
5-4, 1.68 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 149/30 K/BB in 123.1 innings
It's easy to forget about him, as he pitches for the forgettable Mets, but deGrom is quietly shutting down opponents every time he steps on the mound. His 1.68 ERA is first in major league baseball by a long shot, and if you add in his three unearned runs, his 1.90 RA9 still crushes everybody else's ERA. He has allowed more than three runs in a game just once, when he allowed four on April 10th, and has allowed more than one earned run in just five of his 19 starts. That means in 14 out of 19 starts, he limited the opposition to zero or one earned runs, and he still had just a 4.05 ERA in those other five starts, a.k.a. his five worst starts of the season. Nobody has put his team in a better position to win game in and game out than deGrom, and it really takes that much to go 5-4 with that Mets offense behind you.

Runner up: Max Scherzer (12-5, 2.41 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 182/34 K/BB in 134.2 IP)
Honorable mentions: Aaron Nola (2.30 ERA), Miles Mikolas (2.79 ERA), Kyle Freeland (3.11 ERA)

AL Rookie of the Year: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels)
7 HR, .283/.365/.522, 2 SB, 145 wRC+, 1.1 fWAR in 54 games
4-1, 3.10 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 61/20 K/BB in 49.1 innings
Ohtani was supposed to run away with this award after a hot start to the season, but the injury makes it a race. With Gleyber Torres hurt as well, Ohtani is able to hold onto his spot into the All Star Break. At the plate, his .283/.365/.522 line is downright incredible for a rookie that is also pitching, and if he had enough plate appearances, his 145 wRC+ would rank 11th in the American League. Combine that with a borderline ace-like performance on the mound on a per-inning basis, one in which he has a 3.10 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP over nine starts, and you have something that's literally un-heard of. Unfortunately, he may not pitch again this season, but that means he'll get more plate appearances to beef up his offensive numbers. Among rookies, his 2.2 combined fWAR easily bests Torres' 1.6 for the most in the American League, but even if they were close, I'd still give it to Ohtani for the sheer difficulty of what he is doing.

Runner up: Gleyber Torres (15 HR, .294/.350/.555/ 2 SB, 143 wRC+, 1.6 fWAR)
Honorable mentions: Jake Bauers (1.5 fWAR), Miguel Andujar (1.1 fWAR), Lou Trivino (1.22 ERA)

NL Rookie of the Year: Jack Flaherty (St. Louis Cardinals)
3-4, 3.24 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 87/24 K/BB in 75 innings
This is a crowded NL Rookie of the Year field, with lots of players holding their own but nobody really standing out yet. I think that will change once Juan Soto catches up to everyone else from a volume of work perspective, but for now, we'll go with Jack Flaherty, who is pitching like a veteran in St. Louis. Through 14 starts he has a 3.24 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and an 87/24 strikeout to walk ratio, getting hit around a few times but also tossing some absolute gems. On May 20th, against the surprisingly good Phillies, he allowed one run on just two hits and one walk while striking out 13 in 7.2 innings. On June 22nd, against another good team, the Brewers, he allowed one run again, this time on just one hit, two walks, and 13 strikeouts over seven innings. You don't expect rookies to be consistent, and while Flaherty hasn't been an exception on that front, few can touch him when he's at his best.

Runner up: Brian Anderson (8 HR, .288/.363/.429, 2 SB, 119 wRC+, 2.3 fWAR)
Honorable mentions: Juan Soto (1.5 fWAR), Joey Lucchesi (3.34 ERA), Tyler Mahle (4.02 ERA)