So much can change in the second half of the MLB season, so awarding players for their first-half efforts is kind of pointless. But, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.



You could make a valid case for a variety of individuals for each award. Many players share similar stats as we’re just roughly 90 games into the season, so the second half is where we’ll see some of them really separate from the pack.

Anyway, if the season ended today, these are the guys I believe most deserve the hardware.

American League MVP

Josh Donaldson, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays

The reigning MVP looks well on his well to repeating the feat this season. Donaldson is slashing .304/.418/.598 with 23 homers and 63 RBI and his usual outstanding glove at the hot corner. He certainly has competition for the award, but it’s tough to argue against him.

Honorable Mentions: Manny Machado, David Ortiz, Mike Trout, Jose Altuve.

National League MVP

Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Chicago Cubs

Rizzo is the heart and soul of this Chicago Cubs team. He leads the NL in OPS and is among the top of the pack in every major offensive category. Per usual, the guy’s been a stud.

Honorable Mentions: Clayton Kershaw, Matt Carpenter, Kris Bryant, Nolan Arenado, Daniel Murphy, Jake Lamb.

American League Cy Young

Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox

This one’s a tough call, but I’ll give it to the AL’s All-Star Game starter. Sale was unstoppable for a while until he hit a bit of a rough patch in late May/early June. Despite a few tough starts, his numbers still are impressive. His WHIP is 1.04 and he has one of the better K/BB ratios in the AL (123:26).

Honorable Mentions: Steven Wright, Danny Salazar, Marco Estrada, Aaron Sanchez, Corey Kluber.

National League Cy Young

Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

No one and nothing could stop Kershaw in the first half of 2016 until he was placed on the DL with a lower-back injury. The three-time Cy Young award winner posted video game-type numbers, including an absurd .72 WHIP, 1.79 ERA, and 145:9 (!) K/BB ratio. That’s just bananas.

Honorable Mentions: Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner, Drew Pomeranz, Jose Fernandez, Stephen Strasburg, like five other guys.

American League Rookie Of the Year

Dae-Ho Lee, 1B, Seattle Mariners

In just 64 games played and 177 at-bats, Dae-Ho Lee leads AL rookies in homers and RBI. It’s tough to compare him with a guy like Nomar Mazara, who’s played in nearly every game this season, but offensively Lee has been more efficient.

Honorable Mentions: Nomar Mazara, Tyler Naquin, Michael Fulmer.

EDIT: OK, scratch everything I just said. I messed up. Fulmer is the guy. Did not realize his ERA was 2.11, that’s on me. I am dumb and bad, my apologies.

…I’m still taking Lee over Mazara, though. Sorry, Rangers fans.

National League Rookie Of the Year

Corey Seager, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers

If you want to go the pitching route, Seager’s teammate Kenta Maeda is deserving as well. I’m going with the Dodgers’ prized young shortstop, though. Seager, who participated in this year’s Home Run Derby, has been an integral part of Los Angeles’ lineup with his 17 homers and .879 OPS. If fan voting made any sense at all, he would’ve started for the NL All-Star team over Addison Russell,

Honorable Mentions: Trevor Story, Aledmys Diaz, Kenta Maeda, Steven Matz.

American League Manager Of the Year

Terry Francona, Cleveland Indians

The Indians went on a 14-game win streak and found themselves atop the AL Central with a 52-36 record heading into the break. They currently hold a 6.5-game lead over the second-place Detroit Tigers. Francona, who’s always been an A+ manager, deserves plenty of praise for how well Cleveland has fared thus far.

Honorable Mentions: Buck Showalter.

National League Manager Of the Year

Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants

This whole even year thing the Giants have going on is starting to freak me out a bit. San Francisco leads the NL West after the first half and aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. As usual, when the Giants are performing this well you have to attribute a lot of that success to Bruce Bochy.

Honorable Mentions: Dusty Baker, Joe Maddon, Don Mattingly.