National League – first half grades and awards
MVP – Andrew McCutchen : There really is a shortlist of about 20 or so for this award, all of whom would be deserving first-half winners, but for me McCutchen just edges it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he leads the N.L. with a .362 average and secondly if you take him out of the Pirates line-up it’s instantly much weaker. While he’s hitting .362, his teammates are a combined .231. Other players may well be having better seasons, but McCutchen is clearly the most valuable player to his team.
Cy Young – R.A. Dickey : Maybe it’s just because it’s really cool seeing a knuckleballer thriving, and a 37 year old one at that, but R.A. Dickey stands out in a crowded Cy Young argument. While the win-loss ratio is hardly the most convincing statistic to determine the dominance of a pitcher, Dickey is 12-1 in 17 starts. His 120 innings pitched is just 0.2 behind the N.L leader and an ERA of 2.40 puts him in sixth place.
Rookie of the Year – Wade Miley : The popular choice may be Bryce Harper, but in my opinion, Harper’s numbers aren’t as impressive as those of the Diamondbacks starting pitcher. While both were All-Stars, Harper’s numbers don’t jump out. He’s certainly proven he can play at this league, hitting .282, but that ranks him 30th in the N.L. Miley, on the other hand, ranks 13th amongst qualifying pitchers with an impressive 3.04 ERA in 14 starts while has also issued just 21 walks in 100.2 innings.
Comeback Player of the Year – Stephen Strasburg : This was a battle between two pitchers with injury hit 2011 campaigns, but Strasburg just edges Johan Santana, although it does seem strange that somebody as young as 23 years old qualifies for this award. Strasburg is 9-4 with a 2.82 ERA and has given up either two or three earned runs, and pitched between 6.0 and 7.0 innings in five of his last six starts, suggesting a consistency that hasn’t always been there with Santana. The Venezuelan did, however, throw the first no-hitter in Mets franchise history.
Arizona Diamondbacks – C: After making the play-offs last year, more was expected of the Diamondbacks than a 42-43 record at the break. The solid starting pitching that gave them a division title last season isn’t there in the same force, Collmenter, in particular, was horrendous and relegated to the bullpen by the end of April, although he has since improved. Offensively, Justin Upton seems to be trade bait, which suggests he maybe isn’t the franchise cornerstone we all thought he would be. They have been cursed with niggling injuries that has prevented consistency in the line-up. Chris Young was on a tear prior to his injury but is hitting a lowly .143 since his return. He must do better if Arizona want to be in the play-off chase.
Atlanta Braves – B+: The N.L East seems to be a rather confusing division, with the teams that weren’t expected to make much of an impact riding high, while the Phillies sit 13 games under .500 and the much vaunted Marlins are struggling. The Braves, however, are ticking along nicely at 46-39. They have the 6th ranked offence in terms of batting average, while they are 4th in runs scored. Outfielders Bourn and Prado are setting the pace, both hitting above .310, while pitching wise Brandon Beachy was a major surprise. He held a 2.00 ERA in 13 starts but will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Jair Jurrjens’ early season troubles appear to be behind him.
Chicago Cubs – C-: The only reason the Cubs aren’t a D grade is simply that their poor play was to be expected and therefore one can’t really be too critical. Ryan Dempster currently leads the N.L. with a 1.99 ERA in 13 starts, but he is the arguably the only genuine bright spot in a tough season. Even then, he missed time through injury. He does currently hold a 30.0 inning scoreless streak. The Cubbies currently sit 19 games under .500 and that’s with a 7-3 run prior to the break. They rank second to last in runs scored and have gone 14-32 on the road.
Cincinnati Reds – B: They have been largely impressive this season, particularly, as expected, the bullpen. They enter the All-Star break one game back in the Central at 47-38. All but one of the 13 pitchers they have used this season hold a sub 4.15 ERA, suggesting not only consistently good performances, but also health. Offensively, they are ranked 3rd in home runs, thanks mainly to Votto and Bruce, while the Canadian leads the league in walks with 65, significantly more than any other player.
Colorado Rockies – D: We may not have expected much, but I think we all expected more than this. They sit at 33-52 and have the worst team ERA in the Majors at 5.26. In fact, the closest N.L team is Houston fully 0.79 runs better off. Such poor displays has already forced them to use eleven starting pitchers, of which Drew Pomeranz is the only one with a sub 5.10 ERA (3.06 in seven starts). They may be the second highest run scorers, but there’s only so much you can do. Gonzalez is hitting .330 (one of four players above the .300 barrier) along with 17 homers, while Troy Tulowitzki has missed just under half the games.
Houston Astros – C-: Just like their division partners the Cubs, Houston only avoids a ‘D’ because we all knew they were going to be rubbish. They ranks second bottom in team ERA and third bottom in team batting average. That pretty much says it all. Jose Altuve is their sole impressive offensive player, while they were finally able to trade Carlos Lee. Pitching wise, the bullpen has been decent, particularly given the poor starting pitching, while Wandy Rodriguez again seems like the only starter that genuinely belongs in the big leagues.
Los Angeles Dodgers – A-: They have been in impressive form this season, although they have somewhat slumped after such a fast start to the season. They do currently lie in first place of the N.L. West with a 47-40 record and slugger Matt Kemp is back having missed significant time with injury. He’s batting .355 and hitting a homer every 10 at bats. While the offence hasn’t exactly been dynamite, the pitching has. It’s no fluke that the Dodgers have the fourth best record and second best team ERA in the National League. Capuano and Kershaw both have 2.91 ERAs, while the bullpen has been outstanding. Six different pitchers have sub 3.80 ERAs in 25+ innings of work.
Miami Marlins – C-: Maybe we all just believed the hype, but the Marlins have been a major disappointment this season. They currently lie 9.0 games back and in fourth place in the N.L. East. While it is a talent packed division, Miami should be doing better. Jose Reyes isn’t living up to his contract, hitting .264, although that’s still considerably better than Hanley Ramirez (.248). Closer Heath Bell has a 6.75 ERA and has blown six saves too. There are, however, some positives. Stanton has hit 19 homers and all five starters have stayed completely healthy and been relatively successful (3.98 ERA). If the offence and bullpen can turn it around, they can still be a danger.
Milwaukee Brewers – C: It was always going to be different, and more difficult, without Prince Fielder, so it is perhaps no real surprise that the Brew Crew are the wrong side of .500. There is no doubt that the offence has taken a massive hit. So much so, that it currently ranks 13th in batting average. Although it does also rank second in home runs. Ryan Braun has hit 24 homers and 65 RBIs and Aramis Ramirez, signed to replace Fielder, is slowly but surely improving. The pitching staff is solid, but are let down by Randy Wolf and his 5.83 ERA in 17 starts, and a poor bullpen. Starting pitchers (Wolf aside) have a very respectable 3.61 ERA, while the bullpen sits at 4.60, with leads often being blown late in the game.
New York Mets – B+: Considering very little was expected of the Mets this season, it is something of a minor miracle that they are 46-40 at the break. Johan Santana has come back impressively after missing the entire 2011 season, while R.A. Dickey is another feel good story in New York. The bullpen, however, has been far from consistent and have cost wins on more than one occasion. Offensively, David Wright is on fire, currently batting .351 with 59 RBIs while outfielders Duda and Nieuwenhuis have been important pieces and are both playing above the expectations of many people.
Philadelphia Phillies – D: I’ve taken enough credit on calls I’ve made, so it’s time to be humble and take the flak for ones I got wrong. Yep, I said the Phillies would win the World Series and yep, that aint gonna happen. The Phillies sit at 37-50 and, even given all the injuries, have been truly woeful. Four pitchers have started at least 11 games and have a sub 4.00 ERA, but two have started a combined 30 games with a near 5.00 ERA. In the bullpen, however, Papelbon is the only pitcher to have thrown over 20 innings and have an ERA of under 4.50. No prizes for guessing where the problem lies in Philadelphia. Offensively, Utley and Howard have played just ten and two games respectively, while catcher Carlos Ruiz batting .350 is a rare bright spot.
Pittsburgh Pirates – A: Given the two decades of flat out awful ball in Pittsburgh, it would be wrong to give the Pirates anything other than an ‘A’ when they enter the All-Star break with the second best record in the N.L and atop the Central standings. As mentioned previously though, the big fear is that the offence revolves far too much around Andrew McCutchen. Should he go down injured, the Pirates may sink. They do have, however, have very solid pitching and in A.J. Burnett, the Pirates may have done the most astute piece of close season business. The ex-Yankee leads the fourth best pitching staff in the N.L. with ten wins. The bullpen is the real threat, though, with a 2.63 ERA being much better than the still very respectable 3.94 ERA of the starters.
San Diego Padres – C-: As ever with the Padres, the offence is offensive. Sure, they play in a pitcher friendly park, but can that be the only reason the offence is so poor? They rank bottom in batting average and runs scored, while their pitching ranks sixth in team ERA. The fact that only three players who have appeared in more than half of the games currently hold an average above .250 says it all. Chase Headley is the only player with more than 30 RBIs. The pitching staff has been decent though, so low scoring games are the norm for the Pads. Jason Marquis was terrible with the Twins but holds a 3.71 ERA in 7 starts, while injuries have meant that an N.L. high 13 pitchers have started for San Diego. If they can figure out how to score runs then they’ll start winning some games.
San Francisco Giants – B: The major reason the Giants aren’t more than six games above .500? Tim Lincecum. Who’d have thunk it? The two time Cy Young winner has a 6.42 ERA in 18 starts, making him the worst qualifying pitcher in the Majors. Do we have another Dontrelle Willis on our hands? Take Lincecum out of the equation and the team ERA goes from 3.63 (5th N.L.) to 3.23 (2nd N.L.). Vogelsong, Bumgarner and Cain all hold sub 3.25 ERAs, while Sergio Romo is as automatic as they come in the bullpen with a 0.72 ERA and five saves in five opportunities. Melky Cabrera is leading the way with the bat, hitting .353, but home runs have been hard to come by with Buster Posey leading that category with ten.
St. Louis Cardinals – B: Considering they lost such talismanic figures as Pujols and LaRussa, the Cards, even as defending champions, maybe weren’t expected to be right at the forefront of things this season. At the All-Star break, however, they are within striking distance, just 2.5 games back in the Central. Hitting .275, they are far and away the best in the N.L. in that category. They also lead the league in runs scored. No fewer than five players have hit at least 13 homers and driven in 40 runs. The pitching has been decent, if not lights out. Lohse leads the way on that front with a 2.79 ERA, while rookie Lance Lynn was named to the All-Star team.
Washington Nationals – A: We knew this might happen, but how many thought that the roster was too young to be this good? Behind outstanding pitching (1st in almost all categories) the Nats have the best record in the National League at 49-34. All five regular starters have a sub 3.75 ERA and they have three pitchers ranked between 10th and 20th in ERA among qualifiers in the Majors. The fact, however, that Zimmerman holds a losing record along with a 2.61 ERA shows the lack of offensive productivity with shortstop Ian Desmond being the only player that has really stood out. Even though he was called up to the All-Star game, Bryce Harper has put up merely respectable numbers, but I guess for a 19 year old rookie that in itself is special.
