With the second half of the baseball season kicking off today, here are the players in the AL who were the pre-All-Star Break leaders in the three major awards. This also happens to be how I voted in the on-going blogger voting being run by Rotojunkie. Expect the overall results to be up by Friday.
AL CY Young:
1. Justin Duchscherer, Oakland A's
2. Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
3. Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
There is no way I see Duchscherer having a second half to match his first, but, until then, he deserves the 1st place vote. My personal favorite to win it at season's end is Roy Halladay. To do so he will have to continue winning and lapping the field in innings pitched and complete games.
AL MVP:
1. Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers
2. Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
3. J.D. Drew, Boston Red Sox
I made Ian Kinsler the MVP because he is sparking the shockingly strong Texas offense. While one can argue Josh Hamilton is the MVP, Kinsler's across the board offensive production gets the nod.
AL ROY:
1. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
2. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox
3. Nick Blackburn, Minnesota Twins
Unless Joba Chamberlain goes on to post an 8-1 record in the second half, the Al ROY is Evan Longoria's to lose. With an .861 OPS and well-regarded defense (#1 amongst AL 3B in fielding percentage), Longoria is looking in his rearview mirror to see any other competitors.