Week 14 of Awards Wednesday and we are going to change it up for this week. Since the All-Star Game reduced the games played in the past week, we will do the local awards for the first half rather than national awards, which will return next week:
YANKEES MVP
1. Alex Rodriguez. 2. Jorge Posada. 3. Derek Jeter. Right now, A-Rod is locked in a battle with the Tigersâ Magglio Ordonez, the Angelsâ Vladimir Guerrero and, possibly, the Marinersâ Ichiro Suzuki for league MVP. The Yankees are essentially the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the first half without A-Rodâs brilliance.
YANKEES ANTI-MVP
1. Johnny Damon. 2. Bobby Abreu. 3. Brian Cashman. Damon and Abreu are symbolic of the thirtysomething failure of too many former Yankee stars. Abreu, at least, has given hints in recent weeks of perking up. Damon rarely even hits the ball solidly.
METS MVP
1. Jose Reyes. 2. David Wright. 3. John Maine. Reyes was a serious contender for the NL throne most of the first half. But he slipped near the end, and his non-hustle moments lost him points, as well. Wright, on the other hand, is surging.
METS ANTI-MVP
1. Carlos Delgado. 2. Jose Valentin. 3. Paul LoDuca. Delgado showed signs of life late in the first half. The Mets desperately need that player to stick around.
YANKEES CY YOUNG
1. Chien-Ming Wang. 2. Andy Pettitte. 3. Mariano Rivera. A hamstring injury kept Wang out early in the season and fostered a slow start or else he would be challenging for 20 wins and possibly league Cy considerations. Pettitte has stumbled recently and you wonder if that bodes poorly for the second half.
YANKEES ANTI-CY YOUNG
1. Kei Igawa. 2. Kyle Farnsworth. 3. Carl Pavano. Just keep remembering that the Yankee decision came down to investing in Igawa or Ted Lilly, and at present Lilly is 8-4 with a 3.67 ERA for the Cubs.
METS CY YOUNG
1. John Maine. 2. Billy Wagner. 3. Oliver Perez. It is ridiculous that Maine did not make the All-Star team. He was one of the NLâs five best starters in the first half. Maine first pitched for the Mets on May 2, 2006. Since that date, among pitchers with 150 innings pitched, Maine is sixth in the majors in ERA at 3.11.
METS ANTI-CY YOUNG
1. Mike Pelfrey. 2. Scott Schoeneweis. 3. Guillermo Mota. The Mets had hoped Pelfrey would be ready to be, at the least, a competent, bottom-of-the-rotation figure as he apprenticed in the majors. He has not been close to even that.
YANKEES ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Phil Hughes. He made only two starts, but the second one was a no-hitter for 6 1-3 innings before he was beset by a hamstring injury. It certainly makes you curious for more.
METS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Joe Smith. In the last month, the young righty has lost some of effectiveness, which makes you wonder if he will stand up to such a long grind this season. Nevertheless, on whole, he has been a blessing for a bullpen that has not been as effective as last year.
