Don't Burn the Puig

There seems to be some serious outrage coming from the curmudgeonly oldey timey baseball folks regarding Yasiel Puig's appearance on the NL Final Vote ballot for the All Star Game. Now, I think Tim Hudson clearly had a point when he stated that ESPN and Major League Baseball are pushing for Puig to win. Of course they are. He's a young, exciting, fun player. He's good for business. Who's going to get more eyeballs on that game Puig or Freddie Freeman?

The old guard has been coming out in droves to say how it would be ridiculous for Puig to play in the game based on only 33 games so far. Now, I could write this entire post about how despite the attempts at making "this one count", the All Star Game is just a scrimmage that's played for fun. But I won't do that (yet). I won't talk about the fact that Puig would be the most exciting addition to the game, I won't mention that Puig is already a star. I won't even talk about some of the putrid "all stars" of seasons past that were voted in based solely on named recognition.

What I will do is make the argument that Puig has been more valuable to his team than the rest of the field.

Like I had mentioned in my AL awards post, this isn't about sustainability, it's about performance. Puig has a .495 BABIP. Meaning that half of the balls he hits in play are basehits. That's going to regress and it's going to regress HARD. His line for the seasons, however, stands at .409/.436/.667, with a measly 3.6 BB%. Being that impatient, it's going to be quite difficult for Puig to remain the juggernaut he has been so far in 2013.

My point is none of that matters. Right now, he's the best hitter in the universe.

Let's just compare him with the rest of his competition:
Ian Desmond .278/.323/.495  3.2 WAR
Hunter Pence .265/.309/.458 2.3 WAR
Adrian Gonzalez .298/.351/.482 1.6 WAR
Freddie Freeman .305/.384/.459 1.4 WAR

In just 33 games, Yasiel Puig has amassed a 2.1 WAR. The only player who has been able to open a significant lead in more than double the games has been Desmond, who is having a fine season.

When taking all of the factors into account, if you are being objective, you really have to vote for Puig. He will make the game most exciting, he will help the National League team win the most, and frankly he deserves it the most.

National League Midseason Awards

NL MVP:
Paul Goldschmidt. After having a breakout season in 2012, Goldschmidt has continued what he started last year. Also making me consider fantasy baseball suicide after dropping him instead of Brandon Belt last April.
Anyway, Goldy's .302/.380/.553 line along with 20 homers and 8 steals put's him slightly over David Wright or Buster Posey in my mind. I also needed an excuse to include another picture from a Mike Myers movies.





NL Rookie of the Year:
Yasiel Puig. Like Iglesias, Puig will definitely not end the season batting over .400. Unlike Iglesias, Puig has the tools and talent to be a legitimate all star.  I think he can settle in at .320/.380/.550. Which are still crazy good numbers. He also pimps a HR like an absolute boss.












NL CY Young:
Since the theme of the NL awards seems to be young phenoms, I have to go with Matt Harvey. His ERA and FIP both stand at 2.00 even and through 117 innings, he's struck out 10.15/9, leading all NL starters. Wainwright, Lee, and Kershaw all make legitimate cases and could be considered. Since Harvey is the most interesting and strikes the most guys out, he's going to be my pick. He's also posing nude in the ESPN body issues. Which is unrelated, but goddamn I bet his glutes are rock solid.

American League Midseason Awards

It's pretty much smack dab in the middle of the season, so let's take a look at who I think would be winning the major awards at this juncture.

AL MVP:
Sorry Chris Davis, you're having a great year, but Miguel Cabrera is some sort of android. An android that runs on tequila and bad decisions, but an android none the less. Thus far Miggy has gone .369/.456/.672, which are just stupid numbers. Numbers rarely seen this side of Barry Bonds. I was firmly in the Trout camp in 2012, but Cabrera is the hands down choice this year.

AL Rookie of the Year.
Jose Iglesias, I guess. What he's doing is absolutely unsustainable. Iglesias boasts a .465 BABIP, so he's going to come crashing down to earth. In 133 AAA plate appearances this year he hit .202/.262/.319. Compare that to his .409/.455/.530 in 145 big league PAs and you know something is fishy. However this isn't about sustainability or real value. It's about performance. So, with those numbers and a lack of other good options, good on you Jose.

AL Cy Young
Max Scherzer. 12-0 is impressive. I know wins are wholly overrated, and indicate very little about a

pitchers actual performance, however to be 12-0 at this point in the season requires quite a bit of dominant pitching and good luck. So, still impressive. Scherzer has also managed to strike out 10.69 guys per 9 innings, while keeping his ERA at a lovely 3.10 (2.68 FIP). He was also dynamite in Wayne's World. 



If I have the time, I'll do a rundown of the National League tomorrow. Hint: Puig across the board!

Beer Status: Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA