Regan's Rumblings: Handing Out the Hardware

The last two months, all we've heard about this race is how incredible Jake Arrieta's second half has been, but isn't this award based upon a full season? Do April games count less than games played in September in relation to the standings? Look, I'm ready to be called a homer (yes, I'm a Dodgers fan), but hear me out. Since most of the narrative revolves around what these guys have done in the second half, here are those stats:

Funny enough, for Zack Greinke, a 1.68 ERA likely won't be enough this year. He's been incredible, but his 8.1 K/9 doesn't quite measure up, and I think his status took a slight hit when he missed his last start with a calf injury. In any other year, he's the winner, but there are two pitchers who have been just a hair better.

AL Cy Young

1. David Price, SP, DET/TOR
2. Dallas Keuchel, SP, HOU
3. Chris Sale, SP, CHW

This is a two-horse race, with Price still having a slight lead over Keuchel despite a sub-par last outing. For the year, the differences are minute between the pair:

Meanwhile, Chris Sale leads the AL with 267 strikeouts, but his 3.48 ERA isn't close to good enough. Feel free to make a case for Chris Archer or Sonny Gray here. I'd be fine with either in third.

AL MVP

1. Josh Donaldson, 3B, TOR
2. Mike Trout, OF, LAA
3. Lorenzo Cain, OF, KC

This was a close race between No. 1 and No. 2, but edge in my mind goes to Donaldson. In the juggernaut that is the Toronto offense, Donaldson leads the AL in runs (121) and RBI (122) while ranking third with 41 home runs. Trout leads in a handful of sabermetric categories, including wRC+ and wOBA, but Donaldson has him in WAR by a hair, 8.6 to 8.4. He plays Gold Glove-level defense at third base and is a pretty good base runner. A huge final week that propels the Angels into the playoffs could flip-flop these two, but Donaldson is my guy.

Cain is a distant third, but with a 6.6 WAR and .306/.360/.475 slash to go with Gold Glove-level defense (better than Trout's according to some metrics), he has nothing to be ashamed of. He's swiped 28 bases, scored 99 times and hit 16 home runs while playing in all but two of the team's 157 games. Safe to say the Royals did well in getting Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jake Odorizzi by dealing a year and a half of Zack Greinke's services.

NL MVP

1. Bryce Harper, OF, WAS
2. Clayton Kershaw, SP, LAD
3. Jake Arrieta, SP, CHC

This one really should be a unanimous vote for Harper, but with his perceived attitude issues, the brawl with Papelbon and the "he'll be home watching the playoffs just like us" baggage, this one could be closer than I might expect. Still, Harper leads the NL in WAR, home runs (tied with Nolan Arenado, 41), batting average and runs. He's second in walks with 124, first in OBP, first in SLG, etc. Guys like Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Joey Votto and Andrew McCutchen would be duking it out any other year, but this is Harper's trophy. I also like Kershaw, Arrieta and Greinke to finish in the top five.

Note: No, I did not seriously consider two months of Yoenis Cespedes.

NL ROY

1. Kris Bryant, 3B, CHC
2. Matt Duffy, 3B, SF
3. Noah Syndergaard, SP, NYM

Among rookies with 70 or more games, Bryant leads the pack in home runs (26), RBI (99), doubles (31) and OBP (.371). He's scored 86 runs while stealing 13 bases. Sure, the 194 strikeouts are more than a little high, but those should come down as he continues to develop. Duffy was neck-and-neck for a while, but Duffy has just three home runs since the end of June and a .674 OPS this month, giving Bryant plenty of separation. Duffy is never going to be a Bryant-level superstar, but it's safe to say that I'd rather be paying him the league minimum the next couple years than $18 million a season for Pablo Sandoval. He should be a solid contributor. In third, I went back and forth between Syndergaard and Jung-Ho Kang (.287/.355/.461). Syndergaard, though, really solidified the Mets rotation after Zack Wheeler was lost to Tommy John surgery.

AL ROY

1. Carlos Correa, SS, HOU
2. Francisco Lindor, SS, CLE
3. Miguel Sano, 3B, MIN

Correa should be the unanimous choice, batting .278/.345/.508 as a 20-year-old. He also swiped 12 bases and showed solid plate discipline, particularly given his youth -- 9.2 percent BB rate, 17.5 percent K rate. I wouldn't argue against him as a top-10 fantasy player next year given his SS qualification. Lindor has met expectations with the glove and at the plate and is outperforming his Triple-A numbers, batting .319/.356/.488 through 93 games. Lindor's offensive ceiling is quite a bit lower than that of Correa, but you don't hit this well by accident. Looks like we may have underestimated him. Sano is batting a robust .275/.388/.547 with 17 home runs, but he's played in 19 fewer games than Lindor and isn't as gifted defensively. Still, the 36.6 percent K rate is obviously a concern, but he has legitimate 40-homer power and at 15.5 percent, his BB rate is just fine. Sano is just 22 and without any Triple-A experience, so the high strikeout rate isn't as big of a concern given that.

All-Fantasy Value Team

Players in this group rose above their draft positions to provide plenty of value for fantasy owners with the foresight (or luck) to procure their services.

Numbers in parentheses are preseason rankings at their primary position followed by overall ranking.

C - Stephen Vogt, OAK (NR/614) - Vogt may not have qualified at catcher initially in some leagues, but he quickly became eligible and was a huge bargain, hitting 18 home runs so far at a tough position to fill.

1B - Adam Lind, MIL (29/248) - Not much went right for the Brewers this year, but they got Lind in time for his power to return.

2B - Odubel Herrera, PHI (62/841) - The 5 percent BB-rate needs work, but this Rule 5 pick was one thing Ruben Amaro Jr. got right. Herrera has hit .293 with 15 steals and eight home runs. He should start at second base or in the outfield on Opening Day 2016.

SS - Jung-Ho Kang, PIT (27/372) - It's hard to believe Jordy Mercer was the Opening Day starter, but that's well in the past. We touched a bit on Kang in the NL ROY section and while the 40 homers he hit in the Korean league last year have translated to just 15 in 126 games stateside, he still more than proved he belongs in MLB before his gruesome knee injury. If he's not fully recovered by next spring, he could end up being a bargain once again.

3B - Alex Rodriguez, NYY (31/365) - Pardon us for being less than optimistic about a guy set to turn 40 during the season who had six consecutive years of declining OPS, a year off due to a PED suspension and no real obvious place in the lineup. Chase Headley was brought back to play third base, leaving DH as his only real option. But 32 home runs later, Arod is a Comeback Player of the Year candidate, and though he's hitting just .250, he has drawn 79 walks and the power is obviously still there.

OF - Ender Inciarte, ARI (86/338) - Inciarte has been a bit overshadowed by A.J. Pollock, but he's had a nice year in his own right - .303/.338/.408 with 21 steals. We'll need to see his 4.6 percent BB rate go up for Inciarte to receive consideration for long-term leadoff duties.

OF - Billy Burns, OAK (180/886) - 509 at-bats, .295 BA and 26 SB. Yeah that's outperforming his 2015 preseason projections.

OF - Delino DeShields Jr., TEX (143/767) - The Rule 5 pick seemed destined for a bench role and a year of wasted development, but instead he's surprisingly received 411 at-bats and turned that into 24 stolen bases. At .258/.337/.372, he's yet to lock up a 2016 starting spot, and at 23, it's possible he could open the year in Triple-A.

SP - Jake Arrieta, CHC (20/113) - Ranking Arrieta behind the likes of Jeff Samardzija and Julio Teheran was obviously a huge mistake, but at least he was in the top 20. He'll be top 5 next year and a third-round pick at worst.

SP - Dallas Keuchel, HOU (92/300) - Oops. Guess we just didn't buy his 2014, but Keuchel has been even better this year.

RP - A.J. Ramos, MIA (51/282) - Ramos has been excellent since taking over for Steve Cishek earlier in the year, recording 30 saves with a 2.30 ERA and 10.8 K/9. He could stand to further improve his 3.3 BB/9, though.

All-Fantasy Bust Team

C - Yan Gomes, CLE (3/142) - A subpar walk rate (3.5 percent) has caught up to Gomes in a big way.

1B - Victor Martinez, DET (14/71) - From .335-32-103 to .245-11-64. Safe to say that is called "failing to meet expectations."

2B - Chase Utley, PHI/LAD (15/154) - We knew Utley was on the back end of his career, but we were not expecting ,211/.285/.344 either. He has career lows in home runs (8) and steals (4) and may look at retirement or a backup role in 2016.

SS - Alexei Ramirez, CHW (5/110) - Ramirez has seen his average drop 23 points with five fewer home runs and four fewer stolen bases. Ian Desmond was another candidate for this slot.

3B - Anthony Rendon, WAS (3/40) - Injuries were a part of Rendon's story coming out of college, and they've followed him to Washington. He should rebound in 2016 if healthy, where he'll have 2B and 3B eligibility.

OF - Carlos Gomez, MIL/HOU (6/10) - SB totals and ISO have now dropped in back-to-back seasons. He's probably a third- or fourth-round pick next year at best.

OF - Yasiel Puig, LAD (7/11) - Injuries are also a large part of Puig's story, so the trainers will need to figure out how to keep his hamstrings healthy next year.

OF - Marcell Ozuna, MIA (21/55) - Still plenty of hope given his youth and .290 BA in his last 100 at-bats.

SP - Julio Teheran, ATL (15/70) - A spike in his BB/9 from 2.1 to 3.3 is a large part of his disappointing season, but the velocity is still there. He could be a value pick in 2016 now.

SP - Jeff Samardzija, CHW (18/86) - This impending free agent picked a bad year to put up a 4.96 ERA. That said, his last two starts have been excellent.

RP - Greg Holland, KC (3/68) - 44.2 innings of 3.83 ERA ball and now Tommy John surgery. At least he contributed 32 saves.