As the month of April comes to a close, we’ve seen some stellar performances by some of the top players in the game. Some have been youngsters making a name for themselves, while others just continue to impress. Here’s a look at the top candidates for MLB’s prestigious awards.
Most Valuable Player
American League Candidates: Mike Trout, Jacoby Ellsbury.
With the recent struggles of Miguel Cabrera, this could be the year Trout gets the honor. A MVP is able to do it all, crush the ball, show off some speed on the bases, and deliver gold-glove caliber play in the field.
Both Trout and Ellsbury possess these traits and are important pieces to their teams. Trout is currently batting .324 with six homeruns and 16 RBI. The former Rookie of the Year also has an on base percentage of .400 and a slugging percentage of .594.
Ellsbury is batting .312 with no homers, but eight doubles and two triples to accompany his 11 RBI. Ellsbury’s OBP is .369 with a slugging percentage of .441.
With a healthy Ellsbury leading off for New York, the Yankees are in business, but the Halos rely on Trout. The phenom is the MVP of the Angels, and just when you think he can’t get any better, he does. Trout is more than MVP caliber and this could be his year to take home the honor.
National League Candidates: Paul Goldschmidt, Andrew McCutchen, Freddie Freeman
Goldschmidt continues to be a force in the DBacks lineup. The young first baseman had a breakout season in 2013 and his success has continued this season. The 26-year-old is batting .319 with three homeruns and 17 RBI while posting a .366 OBP. Goldschmidt is vital to the Arizona lineup and can continue to put up MVP numbers this year.
McCutchen is one of the top players in the game and is always mentioned when it comes to MVP honors. This year, he’s hitting .286 with four homeruns and 14 RBI with a .408 OBP. McCutchen has been a big part of the recent success of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and has the ability to be a league MVP.
Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman is off to a hot start this year. The first baseman is batting .330 with six homers and 17 RBI with an impressive OBP of .405. Freeman has been one of the better hitters in the league and one of the top NL hitters through the first month.
Cy Young Award
American League Candidates: Yu Darvish, Martin Perez, Felix Hernandez
The Texas Rangers have two legitimate Cy Young candidates in their rotation with Darvish and Perez. Darvish has allowed only nine earned runs through five starts. The ace is 1-1with a 2.59 ERA. Perez has been a force in the Rangers rotation, however after a rough start against the Oakland A's, he is 4-1 with a 2.95 ERA.
You can’t talk about the Cy Young award and not mention the King. Hernandez is one of the best, and most consistent, pitchers in the game and gives the Seattle Mariners a pretty good chance at a W every five days. Hernandez is 3-1 through six starts with 47 strikeouts and a 2.40 ERA.
National League Candidates: Aaron Harang, Johnny Cueto, Adam Wainwright
The National League aces have been on their game through the first month of the season. Harang leads his respective league in pitching after posting a 0.85 ERA through five starts. He has allowed only three earned runs in that span while striking out 33. Needless to say, the Atlanta Braves love when he’s on the bump.
Cueto has also been impressive for the Reds this year.He’s 2-2 on the year, and has allowed only six earned runs in six starts. The 28-year-old has a 1.15 ERA and 50 strikeouts on the year.
Wainwright continues to be one of the best pitchers in the game and an important part of the St. Louis Cardinals success. In six starts this year, he’s 5-1 with a 1.20 ERA and 46 strikeouts while only allowing six earned runs.
Rookie of the Year
American League Candidates: Jose Abreu, Masahiro Tanaka
The Chicago White Sox have seen great power at the plate from their rookie first baseman. Abreu is proving to be no ordinary rookie as he is crushing the ball for Chicago. The 27-year-old is batting .270 with 10 homeruns and 32 RBI so far this season. 10 homeruns in the first month of play is beyond impressive, and there’s no reason to doubt improvement as the year continues.
Abreu’s only competition through the first month is the Yankees young ace, Tanaka.
Tanaka has made his name known and has settled in nicely with the Yankees creating quite the buzz around the league. Tanaka is 3-0 through five starts and already has an impressive 46 strikeouts. One of the most impressive things about Tanaka thus far, is the fact that he has only surrendered six walks in his five starts.
National League Candidates: Chris Owings, Billy Hamilton
Unlike the AL, there aren’t many rookies that stand out. There were high hopes and expectations for Cincinnati Reds centerfielder Billy Hamilton. The 23-year-old has impressed with his speed, but has had a slow start at the plate. In 25 games, Hamilton has nine steals, but is only batting .245 with one homerun and five RBI.
DBacks shortstop Owings won the starting gig out of spring training and has had an impact at the plate. With an OBP of .360 and a batting average of .305. Owings has been a pleasant surprise for a struggling Arizona team.