First Half Rewind

Chances are when we look back at the 2007 Major League Baseball season one name will stand out from the rest. Barry Bonds. It’s going to be tough to miss with that big asterisk right next to it. In all seriousness, breaking the career home run record is a remarkable feat and one that deserves recognition. But there are other reasons to remember the first half of this season. In just a few short months powerhouses have fallen and new ones have risen in their places. Fresh new faces have burst onto the scene and some old familiar ones have re-emerged as if they stepped right out of their Topps trading cards and back into the spotlight. In honour of what is sure to wind up as an award-winning season I have put together a collection of midseason awards. Please join me as we browse through the best and the worst of baseball’s first half.

Best team - Boston Red Sox

Despite close competition from the Angels and Indians I am declaring the Boston Red Sox the team to beat this year. This year’s Red Sox team has made a living off of patience and plate discipline as evidenced by their MLB best .359 OBP. Burly sluggers Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz have suffered through slow starts this year, but anyone who doubts the ability of these two men down the stretch run hasn’t been paying attention. The starting rotation has managed to remain healthy and productive all season and I pity the fool who has to go up against Curt Schilling, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield in a playoff series. Top it all off with closer Jonathan Papelbon, who has racked up an absurd 45 K’s in 32 innings of work, and you have the cream of the major league crop.

Most unexpected performance - Milwaukee Brewers

For years the only thing exciting about Milwaukee Brewers games was the between innings sausage races held at Miller Park. This year the young Brewers have been baseball’s most surprising team, sitting atop the NL Central division. How is this happening? Well, the Brewers have built their team the old fashioned way. Seven of the eight starting position players are Brewer draft picks. Milwaukee has been letting the kids play for a few years now and they are finally reaping the rewards. First baseman Prince Fielder is a legitimate MVP candidate, shortstop J.J. Hardy has already popped a career high 18 HR’s, centre fielder Bill Hall has been averaging 4 highlight reel catches a week and ace pitcher Ben Sheets is on pace to win 20 games. Is that enough for you? The rest of baseball should take note. This is how you build a ball club from the ground up.

Most up and down season - New York Yankees

Chalk this season up as one of the most bizarre years in recent memory for the New York Yankees. The club started off the year as the laughingstock of major league baseball. Jason Giambi looked like he was all out of those special vitamins. Bobby Abreu looked like he was playing dizzy bat race before heading out to right field. Johnny Damon looked like…well…he hasn’t really looked like Johnny Damon since he shaved off that beard. Then all of a sudden A-Rod got caught with that “mystery blonde” out in Toronto and the Yanks started reeling off wins like Ken Jennings on Jeopardy. However the 10 game winning streak was followed closely by a dismal 1-7 stretch which sent the Bronx Bombers plummeting back down the AL East standings. It does not look like the Yankees year.

Best return to stardom - Ken Griffey Jr.

Dust off your Super Nintendo’s folks because Ken Griffey Jr. is back with a vengeance! After years of pulled hamstrings, blown out shoulders and .250 batting averages, it is good to see the man back playing like the dominant force he was in the 90’s. Finally healthy, Junior has turned back the clock and is on pace for over 40 HR’s and 100 RBI’s. For those of you scoring at home, this would be the first time since 2000 that Griffey has reached these benchmarks. His return to baseball stardom was rewarded with a place in the starting line-up for this years all star game.

Worst performance in a contract year - Andruw Jones

The Braves superlative outfielder entered the season on a mission to secure a massive payday in the free agent market this off-season. Let’s just say that things have not gone according to plan for the native of Willemstad, Curacao. Jones has spent the first half of the season flirting with the Mendoza line (.203 BA). While he has managed to connect on 15 HR, he has offset that with a whopping 87 strikeouts. Those are numbers Rob Deer would be proud of. Unfortunately, nobody ever gave Mr. Deer a $100 million contract. To his credit Andruw is still a strong defender and you can be sure that free agent suitors will not forget his track record at the plate this winter. However the dollars are melting off that free agent deal faster than a creamsicle in the Georgia heat.

Best return of the Forgotten man - Carlos Pena

At this time last year Carlos Pena was hitting .260 while manning first base for the Columbus Clippers. It appeared to be the end for the once prized prospect, who had seen team after team try to unleash his immense potential. This year the Tampa Bay Devil Rays became the 6th team to employ the enigmatic Mr. Pena and thus far the return has been very lucrative. Pena leads the team in HR’s and RBI while still maintaining a .393 OBP. He has been a rock in the middle of a young D-Rays lineup and should remain a fixture for years to come.

Best emerging star - Prince Fielder

You’ve probably heard the stories of Prince hitting balls into the Tiger Stadium bleachers as a 12-year-old. Back then his “Big Daddy” Cecil Fielder was the king of Detroit. This season, thanks to his tape measure homeruns, the younger Fielder has become the “Prince” of Milwaukee. Prince has been among the MLB leaders in home runs all year long and has emerged as one of the premier power hitters in the game. He swings for the fences yet has shown a disciplined eye at the plate (.376 OBP). To properly grasp just how well Fielder has been swinging the bat, consider this: His father’s career high was 51 HR’s. Fielder is on pace to break that mark at the age of 23.

Most underrated - Dan Haren

He’s got a 10-2 record and hasn’t lost since April 7. He’s top 3 in innings pitched, ERA and Opponents batting average, yet how many of you would recognize him if he were standing in front of you in line at Costco? Danny Haren has quietly become one of the premier starting pitchers in all of baseball. The 6-5 righthander pitches deep into ball games with his low 90’s fastball, slider and changeup and is keeping the A’s in contention in the American League playoff race. Best of all for Oakland fans is the fact that he’s signed through 2009 with a contract that pays him just over $3 million a year. So go out and buy Danny’s jersey or at least add him to your fantasy team. This guy is the real deal.

Worst contract - Jason Kendall

As pleased as the A’s are with the play of Dan Haren, they are equally disappointed with the lacklustre season they are getting from catcher Jason Kendall. The veteran backstop is batting a measly .225 this year without a hint of power (2 HR) or plate discipline (12 BB). What makes things worse is that the small market A’s are shelling out $11 million this season for Kendall’s services. General Manager Billy Beane, the man made famous by the book “Moneyball”, would probably trade Kendall for a fungo bat and a bag of sunflower seeds if it meant getting rid of that contract.

Best Japanese Import - Hideki Okajima

Daisuke Matsuzaka has been good for Boston this year, but his fellow countryman Okajima has been ___ (that’s Japanese for great, in case you are not up on your languages). The lefthander with the herky-jerky delivery has been one of the best relievers in baseball. Opponents are batting .156 against him and you’ll need the Hubble Space Telescope to examine his microscopic 0.88 ERA. Suffice it to say that American league batters have been battling a serious case of Okajima fever this season.

Most annoying storyline - Roger Clemens’ return

No story has received more unnecessary media attention this season than the return of the great Roger Clemens to Yankee pinstripes. The fact that the Yankees basically presented a blank cheque to the 44-year-old hired gun is bad enough. Did we really need hordes of media following his every move as he suited up against powerhouse teams like the Fort Myers Miracle? Was it necessary to have daily updates on Clemens pitch counts in AA ball and on the status of his injured groin? Enough ink has been spilled over the man who I consider to be the most selfish in all of professional sports. All I have left to say about Roger is that he should not be taking to the field in Yankee pinstripes this season. He should pitch in black Adidas workout gear with a crest that reads “Team Clemens” across the chest. That is the team he’s playing for now.

Now that we’ve handed out our virtual hardware I will leave you with five bold predictions for the second half of the season. Enjoy the Barry Bonds watch! Oh, and the rest of the season too.

5 bold predictions

Houston rookie Hunter Pence wins the NL batting title.

The Rangers enter full-scale rebuilding mode and trade stars Mark Teixeira and Michael Young.

The LA Dodgers, behind young guns Russell Martin, Matt Kemp and James Loney, finish with the best record in the National League.

Philadelphia’s 2nd year pitcher Cole Hamels puts together a monster 2nd half and wins the NL Cy Young award.

Roger Clemens finishes this season on the disabled list.