We've reached the All-Star break, the traditional midway point of the baseball season (even though, as everyone knows the actual halfway point is usually Fourth of July weekend, which is a weekend earlier). And since, after today, there won't be any regular season games on the schedule until Friday, this seems like a perfect time to hand out some hardware. Will these players still be in the conversation come November? That's a different question. But it's July. And here are the winners of my midseason awards.
AL MVP: Manny Machado, Orioles-With all due respect to David Ortiz, who sure doesn't look like a 40-year-old guy who's about to retire, or any of his Red Sox teammates, Manny Machado is the clear AL MVP at midseason. And not just because Machado is far and away the best player on the first-place Orioles. What he can do with the bat is pretty well documented, and Machado is having another stellar season at the plate. But look beyond that for a second. He's a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman who's been playing shortstop most of the year because of an injury to J.J. Hardy. And he hasn't missed a beat. (Yes, shortstop was Machado's position in the Minors, but that's not really my point here.) That made the team better, too. So, while you'd be perfectly justified in your arguments for David Ortiz or Ian Desmond or Jose Altuve or Robinson Cano or Xander Bogaerts or Mike Trout, to me the choice is pretty clear. And it's Manny Machado.
AL Cy Young: Chris Sale, White Sox-Is there really anyone else? Unlike the National League, it's been a weak year for American League starting pitching. Chris Sale is so far ahead of the field that Ned Yost's decision on a starter Tuesday night should be very easy. His numbers aren't as mind-boggling as they were early in the season, but they're still pretty staggering. Sale leads the league with 14 wins. And for those of you who think wins are an overrated stat, the White Sox are 14-4 in his starts...and 31-38 when somebody else starts. Sale has gone at least six innings in 15 of his 18 starts, and allowed two earned runs or fewer 10 times. Oh yeah, and he's struck out at least seven 11 times, with only two games where he's issued more than two walks. Like I said, it's not even close. Chris Sale is the best pitcher in the American League.
AL Rookie: Nomar Mazara, Rangers-There's only been one other Nomar in Major League history, and he won AL Rookie of the Year honors. And now it certainly looks like Mazara and Garciaparra could have more in common than just an unusual first name by the end of the season. Mazara has cooled off since his scorching start, but he's become so entrenched in the Rangers' lineup that he bats third for the best team in the American League. It's because of him that Texas basically told Josh Hamilton to take a hike for the rest of the year.
AL Manager: Terry Francona, Indians-Texas manager Jeff Banister won this award last year, when the Rangers came out of nowhere to win the AL West. They've got the best record in the American League this season, so it would be easy to say Banister again. It would also be easy to say Buck Showalter, who's finished second in Manager of the Year voting how many times in recent years? Or John Farrell, who's finally getting results from the Red Sox after back-to-back last-place finishes. But I'm going with a former Red Sox manager, Terry Francona. The Indians had that ridiculous winning streak and have a massive lead in the AL Central. Cleveland's good, but nobody expected them to be in first place, let alone by that much, in a division that includes the Royals and Tigers, at the All-Star break.
NL MVP: Daniel Murphy, Nationals-One guy changing teams flipped the entire balance of power in the NL East. Murphy has terrorized the Mets, his former team, during his first season in a Nationals uniform. Well, it's actually the entire National League he's terrorized. Leads the league in hits and batting average, ranks second in doubles and tied for second in RBIs. I was tempted to go with Kris Bryant, who's been the best player on the Cubs and might be the best player in the National League so far. But that Cubs team is full of stars and doing what everyone expected of them. Daniel Murphy's presence in the lineup is the main reason why Washington heads into the All-Star break with a five-game lead. That's why I give him the edge.
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers-The National League is full of awesome starting pitchers. But Clayton Kershaw has proven once again that even with all those outstanding arms, he's the best of the best. Jake Arrieta had that ridiculous second half last year to snag the Cy Young, and he kept it going over the first two months of 2016. His record from July 2015-June 2016 was something like 28-4. But as Arrieta cooled off, Kershaw reminded us that he's in a class by himself. Leading the league in ERA and strikeouts, and second in opponents' batting average (by one point!). Kershaw has walked nine guys all season. In 16 games. The Dodgers' record in those games? 14-2. That would get them home field advantage in the NFL playoffs.
NL Rookie: Corey Seager, Dodgers-For a while, I was all about Trevor Story here. But he eventually stopped hitting home runs and Seager continued to show the brilliance that we saw from him during his September call-up last season. Remember, he was already the Dodgers' starting shortstop against the Mets in the Division Series. This season, Seager has arguably been the best shortstop in the National League, as evidence by his All-Star selection. I just hope he doesn't have the same type of second half that Joc Pederson, last year's Midseason Rookie of the Year, had in 2015.
NL Manager: Don Mattingly, Marlins-Don Mattingly and the Dodgers parted ways because he couldn't get out of the Division Series. But he knows how to manage. This year he's proving that. The Marlins have a lot of talent. But did anyone expect them to be one game out of the wild card at the All-Star break? On paper, there are plenty of teams in the National League that are better than Miami. Yet the Marlins are in the thick of the wild card race with pretty much most of the same pieces that went 71-91 last season. There are plenty of reasons for that, not the least of which is their manager.
As we saw last year, a lot can change over the final three months of the season. Jake Arrieta was an afterthought at the 2015 All-Star break, only to become unhittable in the second half. So, how much of this is subject to change? Probably all of it.
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