The halfway point of the season always sneaks up on me. We’re roughly there now, with a couple of teams just past it and a few more right on the number.
It’s been an interesting year – not quite as eye-popping as last summer, but with some good storylines. Stars are starting to emerge, and these guys are the best of the best with 22 games in the books.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Kevin Cron, Falmouth
Cron’s teammate Rhys Hoskins has been the front-runner all season in my book, but in a 22-game sample size, one hot streak can mean a lot.
And Cron is on one.
He’s been steady all summer, with a nine-game hitting streak at one point, and in the last week, he’s been on fire.
At the halfway mark, Cron ranked fourth in the league in hitting at .367. He sat second in home runs with four. He led in RBI with 20. Cron’s triple-slash line was .367/.444/.620.
A former third-round pick, Cron had a great freshman season at TCU in 2012 but followed with a shaky sophomore year. It’s safe to say he’s back on track.
IN THE RUNNING
Rhys Hoskins, Falmouth
Dante Flores, Chatham
Mike Ford, Cotuit
Ian Happ, Harwich
Jose Brizuela, Brewster
Skyler Ewing, Hyannis
Jimmy Pickens, Chatham
Chris Marconcini, Orleans
D.J. Stewart, Y-D
Max Pentecost, Bourne
OUTSTANDING PITCHER
Erick Fedde, Y-D
This was the toughest of the three awards to pick. Nobody has run through the league with dominant outing after dominant outing. Fedde gets the nod with a blend of dominance, steadiness and durability.
The rising junior at UNLV delivered the best start of opening night and has kept doing it pretty much every step of the way.
In five starts, he leads the league in innings pitched with 30.2. He owns a 2.35 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, a league-high 26 strikeouts and just eight walks. Opponents are hitting just .204 against him.
IN THE RUNNING
Aaron Bummer, Harwich
Jaron Long, Bourne
Andrew McGee, Chatham
Bobby Poyner, Orleans
Ryan Kellogg, Bourne
Justin Kamplain, Brewster
Andrew Thome, Hyannis
Chandler Shepherd, Harwich
Lukas Schiraldi, Chatham
OUTSTANDING RELIEF PITCHER
Matt Troupe, Orleans
Troupe is one off the league-leading saves pace of Hyannis’ Eric Eck, but Troupe has been as dominant as any pitcher in the league.
The Arizona junior has five saves to go with a 0.00 ERA. He has struck out 16 and walked four in just 8.1 innings, giving him an eye-popping K/9 ratio of 17.3.
It’s still early, so that K/9 number will probably go down. But in the last four years, among pitchers with a good amount of innings, the highest number was around 15.
However it shakes out, it’s a safe bet Troupe will continue to dominate.
IN THE RUNNING
Eric Eck, Hyannis
Trace Dempsey, Bourne
Jacob Dorris, Chatham
Darrell Hunter, Y-D
Brian Miller, Cotuit
Sarkis Ohanian, Hyannis
Joel Seddon, Cotuit
Bradley Roney, Wareham
Patrick Corbett, Cotuit
Chad Sobotka, Chatham
Ryan Riga, Wareham