2007 NL Midseason Baseball Awards
2007 Awards for Best NL Hitters and Pitchers at the All Star Break
Most Valuable Player
Winner - Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers (.278 BA, 27 HR, 66 RBI)
Fielder gets the nod because he is the best hitter on the biggest surprise team in the major leagues. In March, no one could have foreseen that the young and inexperienced Brewers would lead the National League Central Division by six games in early July. But they do, and Fielder has been the biggest reason for the Brew Crew's success. He's also got a good shot at fifty home runs, which would make Prince and his dad Cecil the first father-son combination to smack 50 each in a season.
Runner Up - Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies (.319 BA, 15 HR, 66 RBI, 59 R)
Chase Utley may be the most complete second baseman to come along since Rogers Hornsby. He can hit for average (.319), he has power (15 HR and 66 RBI), he can steal and he can run the bases, and he is one of the top defensive second baseman in the National League. He has done it all, serving as one of the lone reasons for hope when the team (and Ryan Howard) got off to a terrible start. Eventually, it was Utley who led the team out of its slump and back into contention by June.
Honorable Mention - Matt Holliday (.352 BA, 30 Doubles, 14 HR, 68 RBI)
In his fourth full season, Holliday continues to put up ridiculous numbers in the thin mile-high air. He and Todd Helton and youngster Troy Tulowitzki have brought the Rockies back to respectability, posting a 42-43 record at the season's midpoint.
Winner - Brad Penny, Los Angeles Dodgers (10-1, 2.00 ERA, 77Ks, 1.12 WHIP)
The guy has been lights out all season. The scary thing about Penny is that he has had five quality starts in games where he did not get the win. In other words, if the Dodgers could score some runs once in a while, Penny could be 15-1. Regardless of Big Blue's offensive woes (they rank 10th in runs scored and last in homers in the NL), Penny deserves the nod for the mid-season Cy Young award.
Runner Up - Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres (9-2, 2.09 ERA, 119 Ks, 1.05 WHIP)
When Jake Peavy went 11-14 with an ERA of 4.09 while pitching in the spacious Petco Park in San Diego last year, many questioned what was wrong the 25-year old Padres ace. After all, this was the same pitcher who went 28-13 with a 2.65 ERA and almost 400 strikeouts in 2004 and 2005 combined.
This season, it didn't take Peavy long to show that everything was just fine with his arm, his stuff and his head. The kid is clearly back, ranking second in wins, strikeouts and ERA in the National League. With Peavy and Chris Young hurling the rock for the Padres, San Diego has a lot to look forward to in the next five years.
Honorable Mention - Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies (10-4, 3.72 ERA, 124 Ks, 1.21 WHIP)
If Hamels didn't have to pitch in the cozy little bandbox that the Phillies call Citizens Bank Ball Park, he would probably have even more impressive numbers. When left-center field is just 365 feet away, it is hard for any pitcher, even one as talented as Hamels, too keep the ball in the park. The tall, lanky southpaw has still done a pretty damn good job, leading the NL in wins and strikeouts at the All-Star break.
Rookie of the Year
Hunter Pence, Houston Astros (.346 BA, 11 HR, 40 RBI in 60 games)
At the beginning of the season, Pence was one of the top hitters in the minor leagues. Since his late April call up, he has been one of the top players in the big leagues. Pence has the tools to be one of the best and most exciting players in baseball for a long time to come. He is an energetic presence on and off the field and has a flair for the dramatic, already hitting three game-winning home runs in the ninth inning for the Astros.
Biggest Free Agent Bust
Barry Zito,San Francisco Giants (6-8, 4.65 ERA, 63 Ks, 1.39 WHIP)
Zito hasn't been as horrendous as his American League counterpart free agent bust J.D. Drew, but it's hard to believe that the Giants are thrilled with Zito's performance during the first half of the season. Zito is just lucky that the other Barry has 751 home runs and counting. If Bonds wasn't in the midst of an historic (and highly contoversial) chase for Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, Giants fans may have drawn and quartered the floppy-haired lefty by now.
Comeback Player of the Year
Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants (.305 BA, 17 HR, 42 RBI, 1.131 OBP)
In 2005 and 2006, Barry Bonds took more hits in the media than he got on the field. History will determine whether he deserved it or not. But right now, the soon to be 43 year old Bonds is playing his best ball since he last won the National League MVP award in 2004. Now playing in the era of steroid testing, Bonds's numbers are certainly more worthy of trust than his incredible stats from 2000 to 2004. And his number are great. In addition to his average and power numbers, Bonds leads the National League in walks, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS. Hard to argue with that.
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Check out the American League Midseason Awards
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