Midseason Awards

Be honest. You read the headline and said, “Midseason? Really?”

It’s hard to believe — it’s always hard to believe — but we are roughly halfway through the 2011 Cape Cod Baseball League season. Two teams are one game from the halfway point and two are one past it, but the others have 22 games in the books, with 22 left.

So it’s time for some midseason awards. I’ll give you my picks, along with a list of guys who were in the running. A lot can change in the next 22 games, but through the first 22, this is what we’re looking at. I’m not doing the full slate of awards — just MVP, outstanding pitcher and top relief pitcher.

Most Valuable Player
Victor Roache, Cotuit

If I were making these picks on reputation, Roache might have been the choice, too. But this one is based solely on production.

Roache led the nation in home runs at Georgia Southern this spring, and he has picked up where he left off this summer. He’s been in Cotuit since day one, and he’s been hitting since day one. At this point, he’s a legitimate Triple Crown candidate.

Through Wednesday’s games, Roache is hitting .359 with four home runs, 16 RBI and an on-base percentage of .500. He ranks first in the league in RBI and first in OBP, is tied for first in home runs and he’s tied for second in batting average. He’s also tied for the league lead in runs, and he leads in walks and slugging percentage. His .625 slugging percentage is more than 150 points higher than the next best mark.

In short, he’s been awesome. And he isn’t slowing down. Roache is 7-for-12 in his last four games.

If Roache keeps this up, I think he’ll be an easy MVP choice.

Also in the Running
Jason Coats, Bourne
Travis Jankowski, Bourne
Taylor Davis, Brewster
Andrew Toles, Brewster
Tanner Nivins, Brewster
Jabari Henry, Harwich
Steve Selsky, Orleans
Mason Katz, Y-D

Outstanding Pitcher
Joe Bircher, Falmouth

This one isn’t as cut-and-dry, but I would give Bircher the edge for now.

Dominant starters don’t seem to be as numerous this summer as they have been in recent years, but Bircher has certainly done his part. A junior at Bradley, Bircher leads the league in strikeouts with 31 in 23 innings and, amazingly, he has walked only two batters all summer. Combine that with an opponents’ batting average of .169, and you’ve got a pitcher who’s been lights out. He has surrendered only 14 hits and four earned runs in his four starts. He has an ERA of 1.57.

Bircher has only won one of his four starts, in part a product of Falmouth’s early-season struggles. But with the Commodores turning things around, Bircher is primed for a big second half.

Also in the Running
Ryan Eades, Bourne
Chris Pickering, Bourne
Tony Buccifero, Brewster
Keith Bilodeau, Chatham
Chris Beck, Cotuit
Andrew Aizenstadt, Falmouth
Dylan Floro, Hyannis

Top Relief Pitcher
Bobby Wahl – Cotuit

The way this season’s been going, bullpens have gotten a lot of work, and a number of relievers could make a push for overall pitcher of the year honors, because they’ve been as impressive as anybody.

For this category, the honor goes to Wahl, who’s been absolutely lights out as Cotuit’s closer. Wahl has made nine appearances, which is tied for second in the league, so we’re not looking at a small sample size, at least in relative terms.

And Wahl has made every appearance count. In 13 innings, he hasn’t allowed a run — earned or unearned — and has surrendered just five hits. He has struck out 23 — almost two an inning — and has walked just seven. He has saved four games, which is good for second in the league.

Wahl, who just finished his freshman season at Ole Miss, was a 39th-round draft pick out of high school last year. He had been pegged to go higher coming into his senior season, but he didn’t have his best year and slipped. The potential was there, though, and it appears Wahl is living up to it now.

Also in the Running
Zack Jones, Chatham
John Simms, Falmouth
Chris Overman, Harwich
Dietrich Enns, Hyannis
Nick Wittgren, Hyannis
Trevor Gott, Orleans
Mike Hauschild, Orleans
Konner Wade, Wareham

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