By Dan O’Shea
As we approach the MLB All-Star break early next week, there again are rumors flying that the league is set to hand out suspensions related to the Biogenesis scandal. Of course, we have heard reports before that the league was this/close to suspending several players, and it still hasn’t happened.
If the suspensions do come soon, they may serve as a bit of a mood killer for the second half of what has been a pretty fun season so far.
The ongoing greatness of Miguel Cabrera, the arrival of Yasiel “The Natural” Puig, the 13-0 start by Max Scherzer, the 300-strikeout pace of Yu Darvish, the long-awaited revival of the Pittsburgh Pirates and a second career no-hitter from the once luckless Homer Bailey (whose first name for years suggested how much other teams hit off him, rather than how little) – all of this and more has made for a great half-season.
I don’t know how heavily the suspensions will loom over the months to come, but some of the feats listed above helped me forget about the Biogenesis scandal in recent weeks.
Maybe other good things are in store for the second half.
Here are my fairly obvious first-half MVPs:
Batters: Miguel Cabrera.
With 28 HRs, 90 RBI, 68 runs scored and 125 hits, he is somehow well ahead of the pace his 2012 season.
Only Chris Davis, who has an unexpected 33 HRs, seem to stand between Miggy and an unthinkable second consecutive Triple Crown.
Pitchers: Max Scherzer.
The Tigers are 5 1/2 games off of having the best record in baseball, which is kind of shocking, considering they have both Cabrera and Scherzer, who is 13-0.
Scherzer has not been dominant in every category – a 3.06 ERA proves he’s not unhittable – but any time a starter gets close to a 30-win pace for the season in this age of five-man rotations and over-eager bullpen usage, it’s something worth celebrating.
Expert Wire
* Bleacher Report lists the first half’s biggest shocks, including the epic fail of Starlin Castro.
* SI.com tallies who’s hurting this week.
* CBSSports.com has the latest on the Derek Jeter watch.
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Dan O’Shea is our man in fantasyland. He welcomes your comments.
Posted on July 10, 2013