Griff's MLB Notebook: Central Dominance, Rookie of the Year and the Boomin' Blue Jays

This week talk about the National League Central Division dominance, look at who I think has the best shot for each league to win Rookie of the Year and the incredible streak that the Toronto Blue Jays are riding to try to catch the New York Yankees in the AL East.

National League Central Domination

The St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are all among the top four teams in Major League Baseball. The Cardinals are the only team that's won over 70 games, and the Cubs and Pirates both sit atop the National League Wildcard Standings. The Cardinals have gone an incredible 30-17 against their NL Central rivals this season and have stretched their division lead to five games over Pittsburgh (which will either increase to six games or decrease to four games via tonight's game). Consistency has been the key for all three of these teams, and the NL Central will be a fun race to watch down the stretch of the 2015 season.

Rookie of the Year:

National League:

Matt Duffy, San Francisco Giants

Duffy has proven to be a great contact hitter, hitting for a .307 average over the course of 361 at bats. Duffy has 111 hits this season, which is 15 more hits than the next best total among NL Rookies (Odubel Herrera, 96). If Duffy can continue his consistency at the plate, he'll have to be a consideration.

Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs

Bryant was my prediction to win the NL Rookie of the Year for 2015 before the season started. It's obvious that Bryant is still learning the ropes at the plate at the Major League level, only hitting .249. Bryant has, however, shown us some tremendous power, already blasting 15 homers. Bryant hasn't just been a power hitter, he's also ran the bases well when gets on, ranking fourth among Major League Rookies with 11 stolen bases.

Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers

Pederson has been a slugger in his rookie campaign, already blasting 21 home runs so far in 2015. Pederson's weakness has been hitting for an average, as he's only hitting .221 so far this season. If Pederson can create a late surge during these last couple months of the season, he could make himself the obvious choice for this award.

American League:

Billy Burns, Oakland Athletics

Burns leads all Major League Rookies with 23 stolen bases this season and has proven to be a solid lead-off man. Burns has been very steady at the plate, hitting for a .294 average and ranks third among American League Rookies in runs scored with 46. He's also fifth-best among American League Rookies in on-base percentage at .338.

Carlos Correa, Houston Astros

Correa has made a major impact on the Astros' lineup this season, and he leads American League Rookies with 37 RBI's. Correa has certainly made a name for himself, already becoming one of the elite shortstops in the American League, as the Astros remain in first place of the AL West.

Steven Souza Jr., Tampa Bay Rays

Souza has only hit for a .214 average this season, but he's showed us some fantastic power and even a little bit of speed. Souza has hit 15 homers, which ranks him first among AL Rookies. He's driven in the second-most runs among AL Rookies with 34 and has also stolen 10 bases. 

So who do I think is going to win each award at this point? For the National League, I'm sticking with my pre-season prediction of Kris Bryant. I think Bryant continues to swing the bat well for the rest of the season, and if he can be instrumental in a playoff push for the Cubs, then it's going to be extremely tough to ignore his chances. 

For the American League, I really like Carlos Correa. The guy was plugged in to the Astros' lineup early in the season and has just been killing it. Before the Troy Tulowitzki trade to the Toronto Blue Jays, Correa was making it tough to name shortstops that ranked ahead of him in the American League. Another scenario where if Houston makes a wildcard appearance or wins the division, that Correa's value will be tough to ignore.

The Boomin' Blue Jays

So before I finish this article, I absolutely can't forget about the red hot Toronto Blue Jays. This team has been insane lately, winning NINE games in a row. Toronto has won 12 of their last 13 games and continues to track down the New York Yankees at the top of the AL East standings. I really like the direction that the Blue Jays are headed, especially after they were big buyers at the trade deadline with the acquisitions of David Price and Troy Tulowitzki. If the season ended today, the Blue Jays would be a wildcard team, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see them catch the Yankees before the season is over.

As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @griffaldo.