MVP
Albert Pujols – The Big Red Machine leads the majors in dingers with 41, as he’s done for basically the entire season, and he is third in the NL in RBIs with 110. Pujols is hitting .320 which is good for fifth in the NL. He also has 14 steals to go along with an already amazing stat line.
Runner up
Ryan Howard - Howard was just named NL player of the week when he hit 5 home runs, 12 RBIs, and hit .393. He’s third in the NL in home runs with 37, and second in RBIs with 111. He is clearly making this Phillies offense go, and at the pace he’s going now he might jump Pujols for the MVP.
Cy Young
Chris Carpenter – It is his first full year back in the bigs since 2006 and he is dealing. Carpenter is 14-3 and leads the majors with a 2.20 ERA in 151.2 innings. In that time, he has struck out 115 batters while only walking 25. Those numbers will only get better with the new team he has around him.
Runner up
Tim Lincecum – Lincecum is a solid 13-4 posting a 2.33 ERA in 193.1 innings. He leads the league with 222 strikeouts and has tossed four complete games, two of which have been shutouts. If the Giants make the playoffs he could jump Carpenter and take home the award.
It’s a stretch to say anyone is going to beat out Pujols for the MVP. That Cy Young race is still wide open, though. Don’t forget about Carpenter’s teammate Wainwright either. 16 wins and a 2.47 ERA.
Howard’s HR and RBI total could easily beat our Pujols’. The avg won’t happen though haha.
Pujols/Carpenter for MVP…that would be a first