When looking straight at stats that effect fantasy, who should take home the hardware for the fantasy mid-season awards? I decided to take a look…
Josh Helmuth is the editor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JHelmuth or subscribe at Facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports for the latest in sports on your newsfeed.
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MLB Mid-Season Fantasy Awards
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AL Cy Young - Max Scherzer (SP) Tigers
Is Scherzer even better than Justin Verlander? So far he has been. He's #8 on the player rater, has an 0.95 WHIP and has already struck out 146 batters.
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AL MVP - Miguel Cabrera (3B) Tigers
Some say he's the first player to hit 30 home runs and 94 RBIs before the All-Star break...in the history of baseball. He's also hitting .366. We are witnessing one of the greatest hitters of this generation.
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AL Rookie Of The Year - Jose Iglesias (3B) Red Sox
The AL wasn't rich in talent with rookies like the NL during the first half, but Iglesias changed his batting stance ever so slightly and it made a huge difference. The former average minor-league hitter is raking a .387 average so far this season. He's the top ranked AL offensive player in fantasy.
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AL's Biggest Bust - R.A. Dickey (SP) Blue Jays
He was a top 60 player pre-season, now he barely cracks the top 500 on the player rater. With a 4.69 ERA, it looks like hitters have caught on to the knuckler.
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AL's Biggest Surprise - Chris Davis (1B) Orioles
In any other year, Davis wins the MVP. Unfortunately Miggy Cabrera is an even bigger monster who is going for his second straight triple crown, which would be the first in the history of baseball. Still, Davis joins an alite group of players to hit 34 home runs before the All-Star break, a list of non-steroid era players that includes Ken Griffey Jr. and Reggie Jackson. Davis is No. 2 on the player rater overall and has a line of .310/34/86. Most drafted him between pick #100 and #120 in the preseason. I know I did 😉
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NL Cy Young - Clayton Kershaw (SP) Dodgers
There is currently no better pitcher in baseball. The #1 pitcher on the player rater, Kershaw has an ERA of 1.89 and a WHIP of 0.90.
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NL MVP - Carlos Gonzalez (OF) Rockies
CarGo has outdone himself -- and he was already a stud. So far the Rockies outfielder boasts a line of .307/25/64 with 6 triples and 16 stolen bases, blending an unbeatable combination of power and speed.
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NL Rookie Of The Year - Jean Segura (SS) Brewers
I would have no problem giving this award to Matt Harvey. Literally this was a tie for me -- they're literally ranked side-by-side on the player rater as well. The #11 hitter in baseball, Segura has hit .319/11/36 with 27 swipes and 8 triples. Harvey has been amazing, but the tie breaker is taking a guy that plays every day as opposed to one-in-five.
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NL's Biggest Bust - Matt Kemp (OF) Dodgers
You drafted him first round and what you get in return is 4 home runs with a .254 average and multiple DL trips. I would have rather drafted Olivia Munn (pictured) -- no stats needed.
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NL's Biggest Surprise - Domonic Brown (OF) Phillies
Did anyone foresee this post-hype sleeper belting 23 home runs half way through the year? He's also hitting .281 with 64 RBI, 8 steals and 4 triples.
