David Lennon's MLB midseason awards 2022
The Yankees' Aaron Judge advances to third base on a double by Anthony Rizzo during the sixth inning of the team's game against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday at Yankee Stadium. Credit: AP/Frank Franklin II
The first half of this MLB season reminds me of that classic magazine cover from The New Yorker. In the foreground, looking westward, is a bustling midtown Manhattan for two avenues. But once it gets to the Hudson River, beyond that lies a vast wasteland, flat and empty, stretching to the Pacific Ocean. The only landmarks are a couple of big rocks; the random names Los Angeles, Utah, Nebraska and Chicago vaguely sketched in.
This year, New York is the center of the baseball universe. The Yankees and Mets not only have ruled their respective divisions from Day 1, but done so in dominant, electrifying fashion — much to the irritation of everyone else outside the five boroughs.
That’s not going to change anytime soon, either. The Yankees — underestimated early on due to a lukewarm offseason — will fortify their pursuit of history by the Aug. 2 trade deadline while trying to fend off the Astros for the AL’s best record. As for the Mets, they’ll get the best deadline upgrade without even making a move when Jacob deGrom returns later this month.
Looking back, the Yankees’ sizzling start also played a hand in the firing of two managers, with the Angels’ Joe Maddon getting the axe shortly after his disastrous visit to the Bronx and the Blue Jays’ Charlie Montoyo canned after flailing to keep up in the AL East (4-8 vs. Yankees). The Mets certainly greased the tracks for Joe Girardi’s exit in Philly with their late May three-game sweep in Flushing as he was dismissed five days later.
So what else of note happened west of the Hudson during the past four months? Well, Toronto still maintains the greatest home-field advantage in the sport due to Canada’s boycott on unvaccinated players (we’re fully in favor, by the way) and that doesn’t seem to going away before October. The Blue Jays, of course, will have to make it to the postseason for this to become an even greater issue, and there’s hardly any guarantee of that after the Royals had to leave 10 unvaccinated players home and still beat them, 3-1, in Thursday’s series opener.
Anyway, from an individual standpoint, here’s a look at our midseason award winners. And in the interest of full transparency, my preseason picks, which suggest my crystal ball was a little cloudy back in April — if not cracked in half. (Statistics are through Friday’s games.)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
MVP: Aaron Judge, Yankees
Difficult call. And this race is going to be a very interesting one down the stretch, with the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez building a solid case on the Yankees’ biggest challenger and Shohei Ohtani continuing to do things no one else has in a century. Judge gets the nod for now because he’s carried the Yankees to this point, and despite being one of his team’s three positional All-Stars, he’s clearly the engine, leading the majors in HRs (31) and ranking second in the AL WAR (4.2). He’s also spent more than half his games playing centerfield, not only adding another dimension to his value but allowing for Aaron Boone to be more creative with other elements of an inconsistent outfield. That’s critical to a team’s success as well. If Judge stays healthy — and that’s been a bigger concern with his recent leg issues — he should be able to take the trophy at season’s end.
Preseason pick: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
CY YOUNG: Shane McClanahan, Rays
The Rays' Shane McClanahan throws during the fourth inning of the team's game against the Reds in Cincinnati on July 8. Credit: AP/Aaron Doster
Going by the standard Cy indicators, McClanahan becomes an obvious pick (and no, we’re not counting the 10 wins, which is second only to Justin Verlander’s 11). We’ll start with the firsts — he leads the AL in ERA (1.71), WHIP (0.80) and opponents batting average (.176). McClanahan is second in strikeouts per nine innings with 11.95 and third in total innings at 110 2/3 over his 18 starts. In other words, he’s the total package, with everyone else pitching for runner-up at this point. Nestor Cortes was a fun story early on but he’s cooled and will have his innings slashed in the second half. As for challengers, keep an eye on the old guy, Verlander, who at age 39 is putting up the innings and could have his ERA below 2.00 soon.
Preseason pick: Robbie Ray, Mariners
MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Aaron Boone, Yankees
Yankees manager Aaron Boone walks back to the dugout after the was ejected during the eighth inning of an MLB game against the Athletics at Yankee Stadium on June 28. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Two things typically work against a Yankees manager winning this award: money and expectations. When a team annually restocks its roster by being one of the sport’s top spenders, the only thing a manager can do is screw it up. And for the Yankees, you don’t get any credit without a parade down the Canyon of Heroes. But it’s different this season for Boone, who helped quiet the early noise around this team and let the roster’s character shine through. It’s not that Boone stays out of the Yankees’ way — he just steers the focus to the important stuff, and defying the prognosticators to this degree means something. As for Montoyo, that may be a first — my preseason pick not even surviving the season.
Preseason pick: Charlie Montoyo, Blue Jays
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
The Mariners' Julio Rodriguez reacts after he slid safely into third base after he stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by Athletics catcher Sean Murphy during the first inning of a game on July 2 in Seattle. Credit: AP/Ted S. Warren
You know what makes a ROY debate easy? When a player transcends the rookie conversation, which Rodriguez has done with a first-half tour de force: 16 HRs, 52 runs scored, 50 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. He also plays centerfield, a premium defensive position, for a Mariners team that had won 12 straight through Friday and looks primed to make things interesting in the second half. Jeremy Pena, the Astros’ replacement for Carlos Correa, is runner-up, but at least my Witt pick is in the conversation (13 HRs, 48 runs, 46 RBIs, 17 SBs).
Preseason pick: Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals
NATIONAL LEAGUE
MVP: Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals
The Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt is congratulated by teammates after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a game against the Royals on May 2 in St. Louis. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
Perhaps the only way you could detract points from Goldschmidt’s MVP candidacy is the fact that he has Nolan Arenado right across the diamond from him. Having two MVP candidates in the same lineup sometimes can cancel the other out, but not in Goldschmidt’s case — he’s been great enough to stand out on his own. Through Friday, Goldschmidt had a clean sweep of the top spots in batting average (.329), on-base percentage (.414) and slugging (.584) as well as tying Mookie Betts for the most runs scored (63). His 67 RBIs were two behind the Rockies’ C.J Cron for second — Pete Alonso (also deserving of MVP consideration) was crushing the field with 74. On a side note, my April selection Juan Soto was hitting .214 on June 22, but has since rebounded over the next 18 games, batting .393 (22-for-56) with five homers, 11 RBI and a 1.314 OPS.
Preseason pick: Juan Soto, Nationals
CY YOUNG: Sandy Alcantara, Marlins
Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara delivers against the Mets during the first inning of an MLB game at Citi Field on July 10. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Max Scherzer, owner of three Cy Young awards, missed six weeks this season with an oblique strain. Jacob deGrom, a two-time winner, has yet to throw a pitch this year that counts. Into that void has stepped Alcantara, a brilliant pitcher in his own right and a rotation workhorse that makes him a throwback in this age of pitch counts and innings limits. Alcantara has a sizable NL lead at the top in two key factors: ERA (1.76) and innings pitched (138 1/3 over 19 starts). His 0.90 WHIP is tied with the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes for second in the NL — the Dodgers’ Tony Gonsolin (0.84) is No. 1. Listen to the Mets speak about Alcantara after facing him three times this year and there’s little doubt he’d have their vote, too.
Preseason pick: Walker Buehler, Dodgers
MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Buck Showalter, Mets
Mets manager Buck Showalter looks on from the dugout during an MLB game against the Marlins at Citi Field on July 10. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Finally got one right. Anyone who knows Showalter from his four previous stops, especially across town in the Bronx, could see this coming. The one thing the Mets desperately needed after giving two first-time managers a shot was a credible hand at the wheel. Basically, someone who knows what they’re doing, and Showalter will supply you with more baseball knowledge than you ever asked for. He’s also a master of handling the media — a huge plus for New York, and particularly the Mets franchise, which had turned self-sabotage into an art form through the years. It’s not even the in-game decisions necessarily. Just watch how the Mets play. The respect for Showalter is obvious, and that translates on the field. Showalter is proving why he was the perfect hire for the job and the team’s first-half performance is not a coincidence.
Preseason pick: Buck Showalter, Mets
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Michael Harris II, Atlanta
Atlanta's Michael Harris II watches his two-run home run in the fifth inning of a game against the Nationals on Thursday in Washington. Credit: AP/Patrick Semansky
Going with Harris, 21, values greater impact in a shorter amount of time as he’s a relative newbie to this race, having been called up Atlanta in late May — straight from Double-A Mississippi. But in his first 46 games, summoned to help chase down the Mets, Harris has a slash line of .277/.310/.494 with eight homers, 29 runs scored and 26 RBIs. In terms of production, that puts him right on the heels of the Pirates’ Jack Suwinski (33 runs, 25 RBIs) in 27 fewer games. Suwinski may have 14 homers, but he’s also hitting .198. The Cubs’ versatile Christopher Morel also is in the mix, with nine homers, 35 runs and 25 RBIs in 52 games. Harris’ teammate Spencer Strider has been phenomenal, with a 14.08 K/9 ratio and 2.56 ERA, but the nod here goes to the rookie centerfielder.
Preseason pick: Oneill Cruz, Pirates
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
