Before college football betting starts to warm up, let’s check out who were the stars of the first half of the MLB season, and get ready for an exciting second half.
American League
MVP – Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
Texas teammates Josh Hamilton and Vladdy Guerrero come close, but Cabrera doesn’t have another bonafide slugger in the lineup to help him out. Cabrera leads the AL in average and RBIs, and he’s tied with Hamilton for second in homers….and he just turned 27 in April.
Cy Young – David Price, Tampa Bay
This would be the NFL football betting equivalent of Aaron Rodgers beating out Brett Favre and Peyton Manning for the MVP award, as the young Price gets the nod over New York teammates C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte. Price is tied for the AL lead in wins with Sabathia, while leading in ERA.
Manager Of The Half-Year – Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay
Boston’s Terry Francona, as well as all the division leaders, deserve a mention, but Maddon has done a wonderful job of getting this young and insanely talented team back on track after last year’s disappointment.
Rookie Of The Half-Year – Brennan Boesch, Detroit
The 25-year-old is fourth in the league in average, second among rookies in OBP, and first in homers, RBIs and slugging. Boesch is quickly becoming the Robin to Cabrera’s Batman in the Motor City.
National League
MVP – Albert Pujols, St. Louis
Listen to this: 10th in average, second in OBP, third in slugging, tied for second in homers and fourth in RBIs. Does that sound like an “off” year to you? Well, it is by “King” Albert’s standards, and all this means is that the gap this year has closed on him. But he’s still the best.
Cy Young – Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado
If he keeps this up, and the Rockies make the playoffs, Jimenez may be MVP. He leads the majors in wins, and he’s fifth in the NL in ERA. Seriously, if he can get to 25 wins, Jimenez is in the MLB betting conversation for MVP.
Manager Of The Half-Year – Dusty Baker, Cincinnati
Atlanta’s Bobby Cox could get it, as he’s retiring and his Braves are rolling through the East, and he has four of these things already. San Diego’s Bud Black doesn’t have one, but can he hold onto Adrian Gonzalez for the rest of the season? Baker gets it because no one in the baseball world expected the Reds to be anywhere near first in the Central this year.
Rookie Of The Half-Year – Jason Heyward, Atlanta
Chicago’s Tyler Colvin and New York’s Ike Davis gets a mention, but Heyward is living up to all the hype in Atlanta, playing for a first-place team. His wrist should be healthy enough to come back after the break to resume his assault, and Heyward may be the safest online betting pick in this list.