MLB Midseason Report

We've reached the All*Star Break, which is always a good time to sit and assess the MLB season so far.  There have been plenty of players and teams who've performed exactly as expected.  There are plenty that haven't, both good and bad.  But who have been the best (and worst)?

I always like to have some fun with these midseason award predictions.  In addition to the four major awards that are handed on at the end of the season, as well as Comeback Player of the Year, I throw in two others "honoring" the worst over the first half--Cy Old and LVP.  So, who do the very prestigious Joe Brackets Midseason Awards go to?  Well, without further ado, here we go...

AL MVP: Aaron Judge, Yankees-It's a two-horse race between Judge and Cal Raleigh.  Raleigh has more home runs and one more RBI, but Judge has the edge in every other category.  And, let's not forget, he was hitting over .400 well into May.  Plus his defensive numbers.  Want the one stat that really makes a difference, though?  Judge has been intentionally walked 24 times.  That's already a Yankees single-season record.  Opposing managers would rather just put him on than face him.  They respect him that much!  And he'll only continue getting the Barry Bonds Treatment as the season continues.

AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal, Tigers-Skubal has picked up right where he left off after winning the AL Pitching Triple Crown and his first career Cy Young Award last season.  He'll be starting the All*Star Game, and rightfully so.  Skubal's the best pitcher in baseball right now.  His WHIP is a ridiculous 0.83.  He's also tied for the AL lead in ERA and second in strikeouts to go along with a 10-3 record for the team with the most wins in baseball at the Break.

AL Rookie: Jacob Wilson, Athletics-At the midway point of the season, the two leading candidates for AL Rookie of the Year are both A's.  Don't be surprised if it ends that way, either.  Jacob Wilson has been a revelation.  He's second in the American League in both hits and average, trailing only Aaron Judge, and he earned the All*Star Game start over Bobby Witt, Jr.  There's no reason to think he won't keep it up in the second half and run away with AL Rookie of the Year.

AL Manager: John Schneider, Blue Jays-Detroit being in first place isn't a surprise.  Neither is Houston being in first place.  Toronto, though?  No one saw that coming.  Not after the Blue Jays finished last in the AL East last season.  There are more talented teams and Toronto has a run differential of just +17.  Yet here they are.  Sitting in first place with a two-game lead at the All*Star Break.

AL Comeback: Jacob deGrom, Rangers-Remember when Jacob deGrom was the best pitcher in baseball?  It seems like so long ago, doesn't it?  That deGrom is finally back in his Age-37 season.  After making just nine starts in his first two seasons with the Rangers, he's made 19 this season and pitched to a 2.32 ERA.  This is the pitcher that Texas thought/hoped it was getting when deGrom signed.

AL LVP: Jorge Soler, Angels-There are plenty of candidates for who has the most useless contract on the Angels.  This is, after all, the team that's been paying Anthony Rendon to do absolutely nothing for the last five years.  But Jorge Soler gets the "honor" as the AL's first-half LVP because he's actually been in the Angels' lineup pretty much every day and is hitting a whopping .211, second-lowest among qualifiers.  He's struck out more times (91) than he's reached base (86).

AL Cy Old: Luis Severino, Athletics-When the A's signed Severino, it was a massive surprise.  He was getting the most guaranteed money for a pitcher in franchise history.  Severino's deal was for three years, aka the entire amount of time the team will spend in Sacramento.  He's been very vocal in his disdain for both Sacramento and pitching in a Minor League park, and the splits back it up.  Severino has been good on the road.  He's been awful at home.  It's added up to a 2-11 record and 5.16 ERA.  Not exactly what they were expecting from somebody who's being paid to be the staff ace (and badly wants to get traded at the deadline).

NL MVP: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs-Ohtani is doing Ohtani things.  So, would it be surprising to win another MVP?  Of course not!  He's just the default selection at this point.  But what Pete Crow-Armstrong has done (while playing an outstanding center field) can't be overlooked.  The Cubs probably wouldn't be in first place without his breakout season.  That's why PCA will be starting the All*Star Game.

NL Cy Young: Zack Wheeler, Phillies-Paul Skenes has absurd numbers.  I'm not saying he doesn't.  And it really is pretty remarkable that he leads the NL in ERA, yet only has a 4-8 record because the Pirates don't score any runs for him.  It'll be a very interesting test case at the end of the season if Skenes is still under .500 overall.  So why doesn't he get my midseason NL Cy Young?  Because Zack Wheeler has been just as good for a Phillies team that's in first place primarily because of its pitching.  And, I've used this argument in the past in the Felix Hernadez/David Price and Max Scherzer/Jacob deGrom debates, and I'll use it again here.  Since the Phillies are good, every start Wheeler makes matters.  Since the Pirates aren't, the stakes when Skenes pitches aren't nearly as high.  That should matter.

NL Rookie: Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers-Do I think Jacob Misiorowski should be an All*Star after only five Major League starts?  No.  Do those five starts make him the early frontrunner for Rookie of the Year?  Absolutely!  Misiorowski has been outstanding in four of those five starts.  He's only been in the Majors for a month, but he's already made an impact.  He's this year's Paul Skenes.  And, seriously, can you name any other NL rookie?

NL Manager: Pat Murphy, Brewers-Murphy won this award last year.  Is it crazy to think he could take it back-to-back?  Not when you consider all of the Brewers' pitching injuries this season.  They've used 14 different starters and 28 total pitchers.  Yet they're only a game behind the Cubs, who most people thought would run away with the NL Central, and currently holding down the first wild card.  The Brewers really are the National League version of the Rays.  No matter what, they're gonna be there every year.

NL Comeback: Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves-Acuna missed, essentially, an entire year after tearing his left ACL last May.  He didn't make his debut this season until May 23...and homered in his first game back.  And his second!  Acuna will be starting the All*Star Game in his home park, and rightly so.  He's got 52 hits, including 12 home runs, in 45 games and is hitting a robust .323.  Just imagine what his numbers would look like if he hadn't missed the first two months of the season!

NL LVP: Jason Heyward, Padres-Alex Verdugo's Braves career was basically over before it started, but he didn't even make his debut until June and not much was expected of him.  Jason Heyward, meanwhile, was signed to be the Padres' starting left fielder.  That lasted until June, when he was DFA'ed then released.  Heyward played just 34 games for San Diego, hit all of .176 and his OPS was under .500 (you know my thoughts on OPS, both his on-base and slugging were in the .200s, which obviously isn't good).

NL Cy Old: Justin Verlander, Giants-Verlander signed with the Giants hoping to get closer to 300 wins.  It's the All*Star break, and he's just as close to 300 wins as he was when the season started.  Verlander has made 15 starts this season, so at least he's been healthy.  His record is 0-7, though.  There's no doubt that Verlander is a future Hall of Famer.  In 2025, however, he looks like a 42-year-old.