WHY THE NATIONALS ARE STILL THE NL FAVORITE

When Stephen Strasburg was shut down for the season by the Washington Nationals, many believed the team’s season was just about over. Though Strasburg was the best pitcher in the Washington rotation, the guy behind him isn’t too bad himself.

Gio Gonzalez, who was picked up by Washington during the offseason in a trade with the Oakland Athletics, has been even better than the Nationals could’ve expected. He is 19-8 with a 2.95 ERA. He is the Major League leader in wins and batting average against, he ranks 6th in the National League in ERA, 4th in strikeouts, and is 2nd in K/9 to Strasburg.

Though whether he deserves the Cy Young Award over RA Dickey is debatable, he is certainly in contention.

He isn’t the only really good Nationals pitcher either.

The rest of the rotation includes Edwin Jackson, Ross Detwiler, John Lannan, and Jordan Zimmerman. Edwin Jackson has the highest ERA in the rotation at 3.89. No other pitcher in the rotation has an ERA above 3.16. That is pretty impressive.

The Nationals swing the bat pretty well too. Led by Ryan Zimmerman and rookie sensation Bryce Harper, the Nationals rank 5th in the NL in runs, 4th in batting average and hits, and second in home runs.

They also have a solid bullpen, which features only three pitchers with an ERA above 3.00.

Even though losing Strasburg hurts them, the Nationals look like they still have a really good shot at reaching their first World Series.

AMERICAN LEAGUE AWARD CHOICES: MVP

The term most valuable player has two different meanings in major league baseball. Some people believe that it means the best player. Others, like myself, believe that it means the player who is the most crucial to their team’s success throughout the season. So, if asked who was the MVP of the American League in 2012, I would have to say Derek Jeter. The 38-year-old shortstop has hit .317 thus far with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs, but these statistics don’t tell the whole story.

With runners in scoring position Jeter hits a stellar .313 with 31 RBIs and 63 runs scored. He is even better when there are runners in scoring position with two outs in the inning, where he is 15 for 46 (.326) this season.

Another major component Jeter brings is consistency. In five months this season, Jeter has hit below .290 in only one, and has hit above .340 in three. Also Jeter is tearing up the American League East, hitting .323 and driving in almost one third of his runs against the Yankees division foes.

Incredibly, Derek Jeter is 38 and should be at a point where he is declining. Instead he has the most homeruns for a shortstop age 38 or older in history, and has a batting average well above .300.

That is only one side of the argument. If you believe that the MVP should go to the best player in the American League, the award belongs to Angels outfielder Mike Trout. The rookie sensation has hit .336 with over 70 RBIs out of the leadoff spot and has a league-leading 42 stolen bases while being caught just four times. Oh, I forgot to mention he’s only 21 and leads the American League with 107 runs scored.

Yes, Mike Trout is unbelievable. He has even drawn comparisons to Mickey Mantle, but where is his team? The Angels, though they had a good run, are 8.5 games behind the division leading Texas Rangers and 3.5 games out of the wildcard with five teams ahead of them. This is not an enviable position for a team with as much star power as them.

Look, I’d have to be crazy to blame Trout for his team’s misfortunes, which I’m not, but does he deserve the Most VALUABLE Player? No. Does he deserve to be recognized as the best? Hell yeah.