The All-Star Break, the unofficial halfway point of the MLB season, has snuck up on us all and is quickly approaching. With that in mind, there have been some stellar feats and performances to this point in the season, as old stars have continued to shine, while new ones have emerged. Here is my prediction for who would win every major award if the season ended today.
AL MVP: Aaron Judge, RF, New York Yankees
Judge has been absolutely phenomenal to this point in the season, as he is currently in contention to win the Triple Crown, which is reserved for a player who leads their respective league in batting average, RBI, and home runs. Judge would become the first player since Miguel Cabrera in 2012 to do so, and he would be just the third Crown winner since 1967, and it is simply incredible to watch a beginning to a career like this, as Judge has hit an MLB-best 26 home runs to pair with a .330 average, while also leading baseball in runs scored (67) and walks (50).
AL Cy Young: Chris Sale, SP, Boston Red Sox
Sale has been flat-out dominant in his first season in the hitter-friendly confines of Fenway Park, leading the American League in strikeouts with 155, well on pace to eclipse his career high, while also posting an MLB-best K/9 of 12.3. Earlier in the year, he tied a league record set by former Sox ace Pedro Martinez with eight consecutive games with ten or more strikeouts, while also posting a stellar ERA of 2.77. Considering he is allowing less than one baserunner per inning, it appears the five-time All-Star is closing in on his first career Cy Young.
AL ROY: Aaron Judge, RF, New York Yankees
Not much to say here that wasn't already said, other than the fact of how incredible it is that Judge is only a rookie and having the season he is having.
Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year: Craig Kimbrel, CP, Boston Red Sox
Kimbrel has returned to his incredible form from his days with the Braves this season, shutting the door extremely effectively with 21 saves and an ERA of 1.07.NL MVP: Ryan Zimmerman, 1B, Washington NationalsIf you had told me at the beginning of the MLB season that Ryan Zimmerman would be my MVP halfway through the season in the National League, there is no chance I would have believed you. The former face of the Washington franchise has sprung back to life, as in his 11th year, he is hitting .344 with 19 homers and 59 RBI, despite just making one All-Star team. Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks is right there with him though, so do not be surprised of the more established star in Goldy ends up taking home the honor.
NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Goldy has been right at the heart of the Diamondbacks resurgence this season, propelling the team to just 1.5 games back of the division lead in an NL West that looks like it will have three Postseason-bound clubs. He leads the Senior Circuit in OPS at 1.053 and RBI with 65. A resurgent Ryan Zimmerman is also having an incredible campaign in the nation's capital, and looks to continue challenging Goldy the entire way.
NL Cy Young: Max Scherzer, SP, Washington Nationals
The 2016 NL Cy Young winner appears to be well on his way to winning the award for the second consecutive season, as the Nats ace is the league leader in ERA at 2.09. This race has been fierce, however, and Scherzer will have to fend off Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw as well as budding superstar Alex Wood to hold on to the title by the end of the season.
NL ROY: Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Judge's counterpart in the National League has also been smacking the ball all over the pitcher-friendly Dodgers Stadium, leading the Senior Circuit in home runs with 24 despite not being called up to the Major Leagues for the first month of the campaign.Bellinger has already broken the record for the most multi-homer games to start a career as well as the fastest to ever reach 24 career homers. Baseball's future appears even brighter now, as two rookies lead each league in home runs, and continue to light up the stat sheet in this unprecedented era of home runs.
Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year: Kenley Jansen, CP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Jansen has turned the corner this season, developing from an All-Star into one of the absolute best closers in the game. Until it was recently broken, he had smashed the record of strikeouts recorded to start a season without conceding a walk. Jansen struck out his first 50 batters before finally walking his first batter in June, three months into the season, sadly lowering his K/BB ratio to a still astronomical 52. When paired with 17 saves and a 0.83 ERA, Jansen is posting one of the best seasons for a reliever in recent history, right on par with Zach Britton's 2016 campaign and Francisco Rodriguez's 2008 season for the record books.