By: Eric Michael (University of Miami)
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Major League Baseball has another month left in its regular season before they hit the playoffs. With that in mind here are some storylines to keep an eye on as the regular season winds up.
MVP Races
The MVP Races are always an interesting thing in baseball because in the past, players whose teams haven’t made the playoffs have come away victorious in the awards category. Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies is making a strong push in the NL for the award along with the Reds Joey Votto . In the AL Josh Hamilton looks like the man who will come home with the hardware. Hamilton is hitting .362 with 31 homers and 97 RBI’s for the AL West leading Rangers.
Wild Card Races
Usually the Wild Card Races in both leagues head down to the wire, but this year it appears its just the NL will come down to the wire with either the Rays or Yankees winning the division and the loser taking the Wild Card. The Phillies are currently leading the NL race by three games over the Giants, with the Cardinals five and a half games back.
CY Young Races
Early on it looked like Ubaldo Jimenez would run away with the award after going 15-1 and having an ERA that was .89. He has since cooled down though and there plenty of contenders in the National League with guys such as the Cardinals Adam Wainwright and Roy Halladay. In the American League C.C. Sabbathia and David Price are the two main contenders. Sabbathia has 19 wins this season and Price has been dominant since being converted back to a starter this year.
Triple Crown Races
Joey Votto Albert Pujols and Carlos Gonzalez are all making legitimate pushes to win the NL’s triple crown. Gonzalez is leading the NL with a .331 average. Votto is behind him at .323 and \ Pujols is hitting .311. Pujols leads the NL home runs with 35, Adam Dunn has 33, Votto has 32 and Gonzalez has 31. Votto leads in RBI’s with 97, Pujols has 96, and Gonzalez has 93. If either of these three can pull it off they will be the first person to win the triple crown in either league since Carl Yaztremski did it back in 1967.
