It’s been an exciting couple of months in Major League Baseball. Who are the best players in the first half of the season? Who could make a run in the second half?
The top players were in action during the All-Star Game at Globe Life Field on Monday in one of the most anticipated events of the summer. The questions for the second half of the season are not just what teams will make the playoffs and ultimately win the World Series, but who will win the Major Awards: MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year? The only way to find out who is deserving is to watch MLB on Fubo when the second half begins on Friday.
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American League Awards
MVP: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
Every year it seems like Judge has his name in the conversation and rightfully so. Going into the second half he has the chance to break the American League home run record he broke in 2022 with 62 home runs. Judge currently has 34 home runs and 85 RBIs through 96 games and has an unbelievable 1.112 OPS. He’s done much of this thanks to the help of teammate Juan Soto hitting in front of him. Soto is also having an MVP like season. He has 23 home runs and 66 RBIs and 79 walks in 94 games.
Cy Young: Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers)
While this is a little harder to predict, Skubal has come out of left field and had an amazing first half of the season. If he were to win, he’d become just the fourth Tigers pitchers to ever win the award. He has a 9-3 record and 2.32 ERA. Many will make the case for All-Star Game starter Corbin Burnes. Traded to the Orioles before the start of this season, he’s been a pivotal part of the team’s success. These two guys are so close in ERA (2.43 for Burnes, 2.41 for Skubal). But Skubal leads Burnes in WHIP, strikeout rate, opponent OPS, opponent slugging and opponent average.
Rookie of the Year: Mason Miller (Oakland A’s)
Over the past few seasons the Oakland A’s have had very little to cheer about. Not this year. Right-hander Mason Miller has been a bright spot in the pitching staff and is throwing smoke. He’s already thrown 286 pitches this season at 100 mph or faster. That’s more pitches at 100-plus, in three months, than Gerrit Cole, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Spencer Strider have combined in their whole careers (280). He has 15 saves with a 2.27 ERA. With those numbers is hard to argue, but Luis Gil of the Yankees is also having a great season. In such a high pressure environment as New York he’s managed to secure 19 saves with a 3.17 ERA.
National League Awards
MVP: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
This is a close one, but even in a year that Ohtani has been unable to pitch due to Tommy John surgery, his offensive numbers are hard to ignore. What also makes this decision tricky is that Ohtani is acting as the designated hitter in his first season with the Dodgers. If he were to win the award, he would be the first-ever DH. Ohtani leads his league in home runs (29), extra-base hits (56), OPS (1.035), slugging (.635) and runs scored (75).
However, because Ohtani is a DH this season, many believe Bryce Harper with the Philadelphia Phillies is the MVP. He began playing first base and has made a nearly seamless transition. He doesn’t lead the league in any offensive categories, but everywhere you look, he’s ranks in the top five, including batting average (.301), homers (21), RBI (61), on-base percentage (.403), slugging percentage (.579,) and OPS (.983).
Cy Young: Chris Sale (Atlanta Braves)
Finding a second life with the Atlanta Braves, Chris Sale has shown his dominance so far this season. Many could argue that he even deserved to start the All-Star Game considering he has the most wins in the National League (13) and is tied for second in ERA (2.70). Who’s the best active pitcher who has never won a Cy Young Award? It’s pretty much a dead heat between Zack Wheeler and Sale, who ironically have identical ERAs. One of the biggest reasons to pick Sale at the moment is that teams that are .500 or better he is 5-0 with a 1.27 ERA — the best ERA in baseball against the best teams. (Wheeler in that same category: 3-2, 3.47.)
Rookie of the Year: Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates)
With so many new and talented players in MLB this season, one name stands out above the rest: Paul Skenes. While he made his debut just two months ago, there’s a reason why people can’t stop talking about him. Skenes is 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA. His four-seam fastball is something to write home about, along with the rest of his arsenal, consistently hitting over 100 mph. Randy Johnson and Max Scherzer combined for two starts in their entire Hall of Fame worthy careers with zero hits allowed and 11 strikeouts or more. Paul Skenes now has two of those in the first 11 starts of his career. The biggest knock is that he came too late to the party. However, MLB thought enough of him to be the NL starter for the All-Star Game. Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga is another name that has also been thrown out there. He’s 8-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 17 starts (97 IP).
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