I've never understood why someone would give out his mythical "awards" when there are still over five weeks left in the season.

Well it IS a bit early, but this excerpt does spotlight the most interesting thing about the awards-sweepstakes this year, namely Felix's remarkable late-season run at the Cy Young. It struck me as pretty fantastical when Jeff Sullivan first floated the idea after his perfect game, but two more extremely dominant starts later it's looking more plausible.

Would love to see him win back-to-back CYA from a last place team.

Because a daily column is a ravenous beast that howls for content. Sure, you could just do one end-of-year wrap-up column. Or you could do a preseason awards prediction, an all-star break awards, a five-weeks-to-go awards, and end-of-year awards, and a response to the actual awards.

Would love to see him win back-to-back CYA from a last place team.

He didn't win last year, though he did win the year before.

Also, I was hiking in Yosemite that week and had no idea that Felix had thrown a perfect game until just now. Wow.

What, have you been on top of a rock or something?

Also, I was hiking in Yosemite that week and had no idea that Felix had thrown a perfect game until just now. Wow.

I was hiking in the Olympic Peninsula when Rose tore his ACL in game 1 of the playoffs last spring.

Now that was some shitty ####### news to come home to.

Not quite the same thing, but I was on the Trans-Siberian during the Rodney King riots, then Eastern Europe and Middle East for the month after that. I had no idea they'd happened. Several months later it took three phone calls to random friends to convince me I wasn't being put on (remember, this was before teh interwebs)... and then THEY thought I was putting THEM on...

He didn't win last year, though he did win the year before.

Well then we're just going to have to write the 2011 season out of the history books, aren't we.

Also, I was hiking in Yosemite that week and had no idea that Felix had thrown a perfect game until just now. Wow.

I was just reading you might have hantavirus.

Hernandez is getting some big help from his competition, first Weaver and now Price were putting up dominant ERAs but got rocked recently.

5. Pierzynski. A reach, yes. But he leads AL catchers with 23 homers, and he is hitting .290 with 70 RBIs.

Well JJ Hardy leads AL shortstops with 17 homers. MVP!

Well then we're just going to have to write the 2011 season out of the history books, aren't we.

Terry Francona approves.

I was just reading you might have hantavirus.

Yes my wife and I have been paying attention to that story (the first guy died a day or two after we left) although we did not stay in Curry Village. When we walked by it, my wife commented on how unsanitary those tent cabins looked...guess she was right. Two kids also drowned in Vernal Falls the day after we were there.

The Cano thing really ####### irks me.

Dave, from now on please let us all know your vacation plans well in advance so we can stay the #### away from wherever you're going!

In a Chapman or Kimbrel thread, some of us contrarians were pulling out impressive pitching runs by starters this season that rivalled the incredible numbers those two were putting up at the time. We can obviously add Felix's run to the list:

Aug 4 to Aug 27: 41.2 IP, 1.02 ERA, 19 hits, 137/171/194, 31 K, 5 BB

Impressively he had a bad start in that mix, giving up 4 ER plus 1 UER in 7 innings. In the other 35 innings, he gave up 1 run.

But that's not all, in his 5 starts before that:

July 8 to July 29: 39 IP, 1.38 ERA, 26 hits, 31/9, 193/259/237

In fact, from June 17 until now, Felix has 109 IP with a 1.40 ERA (1 unearned run) while going 9-0. Batters are at 183/225/219 with 2 HR.

The Ms have gotten to within 5 games of 500 and have a small positive run differential and I'm pretty sure that's all Felix.

Walt, it's funny you mention that because we did our honeymoon in New Zealand (I believe that's where you live) last year...the day we arrived was also the day of the Christchurch earthquake.

I'll let you know if we ever come back, although it will probably be a while.

Felix looked at Video in June - apparenty for the first time ever - and decided his motion had drifted. So he fixed it.

Why more pitchers don't do that is beyond me.

The Ms have gotten to within 5 games of 500 and have a small positive run differential and I'm pretty sure that's all Felix.

No, it's because they traded Ichiro, that millstone.

Walt, it's funny you mention that because we did our honeymoon in New Zealand (I believe that's where you live)

Nah, I believe Walt now resides in a much, much, much nicer place...Australia!

Also, Dave, if you ever decide to come to Sydney, let me know as I want to get out of here in case disaster just follows you around...

Walt, it's funny you mention that because we did our honeymoon in New Zealand (I believe that's where you live) last year...the day we arrived was also the day of the Christchurch earthquake.

I now live in ... (spins globe) ... Timbuktu. Come visit me there!

Australia

WTF Hugh, do you want Oz to be hit by a massive nationwide storm of locusts or something? The man's idea of a holiday is to sow death and destruction!

I'll take NZ thanks ... if somebody there would bother to give me a job this good.

What is Posey's defensive reputation? The NL picks has Posey as the primary competition to McCutchen. Where would you rank Yadier Molina this year? Posey's .400+ obp and 160+ ops+ creates a good gap above Molina's .370 and 140. Molina gains a little bit of ground on the base paths(8 dps vs 14 and 11/2 sb/cs vs 1/1) and War gives Molina the advantage(5.2 to 4.9), but war doesn't really do a fair job at the more difficult aspects of rating a catchers defense and it's well within the margin for error anyway.

It's still McCutchen's in my opinion, but I do think that people will start needing to look at Molina as the Cardinals candidate.

4. Cano. The most feared hitter in what, at worst, is the second-most feared lineup in the game, is putting up his typical scary numbers (.310/.376/.553 with 27 homers).

Is this true? Rangers are the only team averaging over 5 runs a game, the Angels have a team ops+ of 116, the Cardinals without a DH are scoring more runs per game than the Yankees. At best I would say they are the 4th most feared lineup in the game.

Looking at the NL, there really should be no debate on the NL Cy Young award, I know people are pointing to the relievers, but Cueto is leading the league in ERA, while pitching in a hitters park and within 6 innings pitched pitched of the league leader. And it's not like anyone is particularly close to his 2.48/170 era/era+... next spot is Wade Miley with a 2.85/151 era+ and 20 fewer innings. Or Zimmerman with a 2.63/150 also in 20 fewer innings. I'm hoping Lohse gets a few 5th place votes though. (4th in era+, top ten in innings pitched, best winning percentage and of course the all important leader in wpa among pitchers.)

Is this true? Rangers are the only team averaging over 5 runs a game, the Angels have a team ops+ of 116, the Cardinals without a DH are scoring more runs per game than the Yankees. At best I would say they are the 4th most feared lineup in the game.

I think OPS+ is probably a better measure than runs (and I'm too lazy to look for anything better) but the Yanks are tied for 2nd there (I don't know how to find the actual ranking of team OPS+s and just checked teams I figured were good offensive clubs) and hit an ungodly amount of homers. I think it's a reasonable statement.

Is this true? Rangers are the only team averaging over 5 runs a game, the Angels have a team ops+ of 116, the Cardinals without a DH are scoring more runs per game than the Yankees. At best I would say they are the 4th most feared lineup in the game.

Second-most feared != second best.

You can' argue with teh fear!

I'm surprised that Verlander didn't even make the top five cut for Cy Young in the AL. He's third in ERA, third in WHIP, second in innings, first in complete games, and first in WAR.

Well, in TFE he names Rodney as his 5th pick, which is a little silly, but even taking that into account, the AL is stacked this year. Felix, Sale, Weaver, Verlander and Price have each been pretty much good enough to be the frontrunner in a typical year.

Molina gains a little bit of ground on the base paths

Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd read.

Molina gains a little bit of ground on the base paths

I've only ever seen a Molina gain little ground on the basepaths.

Cool, Yadier almost leads all catchers in speed score.