DAILY DIRT: Cardinals have been one of major ’25 surprises, should Oli be in manager of the year consideration?

Daily Dirt for Saturday, July 5, 2025

At baseball’s midseason point, we have some predictions for you … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,333 of The Daily Dirt.

1. We’re roughly at the halfway point of the MLB season, and for teams in our region it’s been a relatively decent first three months.

The Cardinals have likely surprised even their most diehard fans with their performance in what has been a solid first half of 2025.

The Cubs have proven to be a legitimate contender, and are probably one major roster move away from running away and hiding in the National League Central.

The White Sox are much, much better team from the one they put on the field a year ago. The Sox are still probably two years away from contending again, but at least they are watchable. A year ago at this time it was painful.

The Royals, without question, have been the most disappointing of the four. Going into the season, I felt they had an opportunity to run away and hide in the American League Central, but now? Kansas City should simply be thankful the Chisox are in its division or last place would definitely be a possibility.

With baseball at its midpoint, here’s one man’s opinion on who the major award winners will be as the second half approaches:

National League

MVP: If you have any doubt Shohei Ohtani might not deserve this honor, just remember he will also become a viable part of the Dodgers rotation as the second half of the season unfolds. If not for Shohei, we might by talking about Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs. 

Cy Young: Zack Wheeler of the Phillies is be my favorite, but keep an eye on Robbie Ray of the Giants. Wheeler has been everything the inconsistent (and then injured) Aaron Nola was supposed to be for Philadelphia.

Manager of the year: I think Oli Marmol deserves serious consideration. St. Louis entered with no real postseason aspirations and then got off to a lukewarm (at best) start. Somehow, he rallied the troops and Cardinal fans should enjoy a run at the playoffs in July, August and September. Most likely winner, however, is Craig Counsell of the Cubs.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Please read my retort to Steve’s suggestion regarding Mr. Marmol. JRG

Rookie: This award is completely wide open, thanks to a rash of injuries among some of the top freshmen. Right now, I’m leaning toward pitcher Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers, who I think will play a key role in Milwaukee’s bid to reach the playoffs.

Breakout season: James Wood of the Nationals. My oh my, what a future this slugger appears to have.

American League 

MVP: Just give Aaron Judge of the Yankees this award right now. Judge now has 44 career multi-homer games. The Yankees’ record is 68 by some guy named Babe. Judge just moved past Lou Gehrig and is two shy of No. 2 on the list, a position held by The Mick.

Cy Young: Tarik Skubal of the Tigers, who wears his emotions on his sleeve, is a joy to watch as he dissects opposing lineups. If not Skubal, my choice right now would be Max Fried of the Yankees.

Manager of the year: A.J. Hinch of the Tigers. A slam dunk.

Rookie: Infielder Jacob Wilson plays in relative anonymity in Sacramento for the displaced Athletics, but he’s good. Very good.

Breakout season: Could there be a better a choice than The Big Dumper? Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh has become a household name, thanks to his 35 first-half home runs. Might be time to check his urine sample.

2. Did you know (Part 416)

• That since Joe DiMaggio of the Yankees hit in 56 straight games back in 1941 (84 years ago!), the closest any player has come to that mark was Pete Rose in 1978 when he hit in 44 consecutive games.
• That Tony Gwynn could have gone 0-for-his-last 1,183 at-bats and still batted .300 for his career.
• That in 2008, C.C. Sabathia led BOTH major leagues in shutouts. Sabathia had two shutouts for Cleveland, before being traded to Milwaukee, where he threw three.
• That father Cecil and son Prince Fielder each ended their MLB careers with 319 home runs.
• That Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye of the 2009 White Sox each hit their 300th career home runs in back-to-back at-bats.

3. This week’s celebrity birthdays include:

• Singer Huey Lewis, who is 74 today. “The Power Of Love” will always be my No. 1 fave from Huey and The News.
• Actor Sylvester Stallone, who turns 79 on Sunday. If you have not watched Stallone on “Tulsa King,” do yourself a favor and watch. Both he and the show are tremendous.
• Drummer Ringo Starr, who will be 85 on Monday. And he’s still going strong.
• Actor Kevin Bacon, who turns 67 on Tuesday. He will always be “the guy from Footloose“.
• Actor Tom Hanks, who turns 69 on Wednesday. Best-ever Hanks movie? It’s tough to get past “Forrest Gump,” but there are definitely some other possibilities.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – Some of those “other” Hanks possibilities might be: “Saving Private Ryan,” “Sleepless In Seattle,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “The Green Mile” and a sleeper: “That Thing You Do”. 

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Sylvester Stallone was in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” with Michael Rooker, who was in “JFK” with … Kevin Bacon. Tom Hanks was in “Apollo 13” with … Kevin Bacon.