Looking Back at the First Half of Baseball

The baseball season is similar to a presidential campaign. The front- runner in July isn’t always the winner in the fall.

But certain trends have developed during the first half of the 1988 season that seem certain to continue.

For instance, Cincinnati’s scrappy third baseman Chris Sabo is running away with Rookie of the Year honors in the National League.

A closer race, however, is developing for the American League MVP with Dave Winfield, Jose Canseco and Alan Trammell all in the running.

Here’s a survey of some of the winners and losers in baseball’s first half:

American League MVP The Detroit Tigers were counted out when they lost catcher Lance Parrish in 1987 and again this year when outfielder Kirk Gibson signed as a free agent with the Dodgers. But shortstop Alan Trammell has emerged as the heart and soul of the team. Trammell is hitting .330 with 10 homers and 40 RBI. His biggest homer was a two-out, ninth-inning grand slam to lift the Tigers over the New York Yankees on June 21.

National League MVP New York Mets right fielder Darryl Strawberry leads the NL with 21 home runs and has emerged as a team leader. His average with runners in scoring position isn’t all that great, but when the Mets have needed the big homer Strawberry has delivered.

Although Montreal is far behind in the standings, no one has been more consistent than first baseman Andres Galarraga. He is in contention for a triple crown and also leads the league in hits, runs and slugging percentage.

“This is my best time of my life,” said Galarraga, a native of Venezuela. “I play outside the United States and a lot of people don’t see me in Montreal. We don’t have too many fans. They’re getting to know me.”

AL Cy Young Award Minnesota’s Frank Viola has carried his success in the World Series into the 1988 season. Viola is 14-2 and has won 18 straight games at the Metrodome. The left-hander has a 2.24 ERA and 104 strikeouts. Viola’s main competition figures to come from two-time incumbent Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox. Clemens leads the league in strikeouts and has six shutouts.

“Any time Frankie takes the mound, it’s like Roger Clemens does for Boston,” Twins center fielder Kirby Puckett says. “He always keeps us close, and we take it from there.”

NL Cy Young Award Chicago’s Greg Maddux has been one of the big surprises of the 1988 season. Maddux is 14-3 with a 2.15 ERA. He has allowed only six home runs in 146 2-3 innings, a remarkable number for a starter at Wrigley Field. Last season, Maddux was 6-14 with a 5.38 ERA.

Unlike the two-man race developing in the AL, there are several chasing Maddux including Dwight Gooden and David Cone of the Mets and Orel Hershiser of Los Angeles.

AL Rookie of the Year No one seems interested in this race. The early favorite was Milwaukee slugger Joey Meyer, but he’s hitting .233 with four homers and 13 RBI in a utility role. Last September, Chicago’s Jack McDowell was unhittable but he’s 4-6 with a 3.98 ERA. The best AL rookie at the halfway point is Toronto reliever David Wells. Wells has three victories and four saves and has struck out 51 in 59 1-3 innings.

NL Rookie of the Year In a landslide, it’s Sabo. Sabo was suppose to be a “temporary” replacement for the injured Buddy Bell but he took the job away and forced the Reds to trade the veteran third baseman to Houston. Entering weekend action, Sabo had reached base safely in 61 of the 71 games he’s started this season and leads the league with 31 doubles.

AL Fireman of the Year Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley, a 20-game winner for Boston in 1978, is on a record pace with 25 saves. He also has a 1.55 ERA and has allowed only one homer in 40 2-3 innings.

NL Fireman of the Year Randy Myers of the Mets has become the most feared left-handed reliever in the league. He is 5-0 with 13 saves and a 1.26 ERA. In 35 2-3 innings, he has 36 strikeouts.

On the Rise The clutch player of yesteryear has given way to the impact player of today. Among those making an impact this year are Will Clark of San Francisco, Bobby Bonilla and Andy Van Slyke of Pittsburgh, Rafael Palmeiro of the Chicago Cubs, Kirk Gibson of Los Angeles, Kirby Puckett of Minnesota Jeff Robinson of Detroit, and Mike Greenwell of Boston.

Manager of the Year Pittsburgh’s Jim Leyland has kept the young Pirates close to the Mets even when others started to doubt. He also managed to survive injuries to starting pitchers Mike Dunne, Brian Fisher and Doug Drabek.

Ageless Wonders At 45, Tommy John has been the Yankees’ most consistent starting pitcher and seems headed for 300 victories. . . . Detroit’s Doyle Alexander, 37, was named to the AL All-Star pitching staff. It’s the first time in Alexander’s 18-year career that he’s been an All-Star team.

Comeback Player Luis Salazar hit three homers and had 17 RBI in 84 games with San Diego last season and was released by the Padres in October. Salazar was signed by the Tigers and he’s hitting .316 with 10 homers and 45 RBI.

Diamond Disappointment George Bell and his Toronto teammates have gone silent. Bell, last season’s AL MVP, hit three home runs on opening day in Kansas City but has hit only eight since then. He also went 170 at-bats before hitting a homer at Exhibition Stadium. In June, Bell, Jesse Barfield and Lloyd Moseby combined to hit .207 with six homers and 33 RBI. Mike Greenwell had eight homers and 31 RBI for the month.

“Everybody on the team is tired of hearing about our talent and ability,” Toronto outfielder Rick Leach said. “It doesn’t do us any good unless we go out and prove it on the field.”

Swings Cleveland’s Greg Swindell became the majors first 10-game winner on May 30 but has not won since and has dropped to 10-7.

Slumping Stars Playing with the woeful Atlanta Braves all these years must be getting to Dale Murphy. He’s hitting .220 with 13 homers. Life has also been tough in Boston for Jim Rice. The onetime slugger has only four homers.

In Detroit, the winningest pitcher of the 1980s is hearing boos. Jack Morris is 7-9 with 5.24 ERA. In his last 20 starts at Tiger Stadium, Morris has only four victories and his ERA at home this season is 9.97.

Philadelphia third baseman Mike Schmidt is making noises about calling it quits after struggling at .234 with six homers the first half.

Others having a tough time of it this year include Bob Horner, Eric Davis, Gary Carter and Fernando Valenzuela. Valenzuela hasn’t struck out more than four batters in any of his last 10 starts.

Executive of the Year Anyone who can last a month in the New York Yankees’ front office. In the span of three months the Yankees had a new president, general manager and manager.