2017 MLB midseason awards

Judge has taken MLB by storm this season, leading the league with a 5.2 WAR. He has a legitimate shot at the AL Triple Crown, ranking second in batting average, first in home runs and first in RBI. Judge also leads the AL in OPS by 165 points.

Arizona is in the playoff race due in large part to Goldschmidt's production. He ranks third in the NL in OPS and leads the league with a 4.2 WAR for position players, adding his terrific defense at first base. 2015 NL MVP Bryce Harper is certainly in the race, as well.

Sale has been a clear difference maker for the Red Sox this season. Acquired from the White Sox in the offseason, Sale ranks first in the AL in innings, second in ERA and first in strikeouts. He has a chance to run away with the award if his great pitching continues.

Scherzer is neck-and-neck with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw for NL Cy Young, which is really the way it should be. The defending NL Cy Young winner, Scherzer leads the league in strikeouts, ERA and WHIP, while Kershaw has thrown more innings and ranks second in strikeouts, ERA and WHIP.

This award is an easy choice. Even if Judge didn't play a game in the second half, he likely has the stats now to win the AL Rookie of the Year. Of course, the AL rookie class is strong behind Judge with Andrew Benintendi, Ben Gamel, Trey Mancini and Yuli Gurriel.

Bellinger has been a savior for the Dodgers, filling in as an outfielder and at first base while Adrian Gonzalez has been injured. Remarkably, he's tied for first in the NL with 24 home runs despite not getting the call up from the minors until late April.

There aren't many surprises in the AL, but New York is one of them. A team with a rebuilding roster, the Yankees remain a playoff contender despite the lack of a first baseman and ace Masahiro Tanaka's struggles in the first half. Girardi has Aaron Judge to thank.

Entering the year, not many teams had worse World Series odds than Arizona. Lovullo has been a breath of fresh air for the Diamondbacks, turning a 69-win team into a squad that has a pretty large lead for a Wild Card spot. Vastly improved starting pitching has certainly helped.

There are several terrific candidates for the AL reliever award, but Kimbrel currently leads the pack. Boston's closer is tied for the league lead with 23 saves and has shown nearly perfect control with a 65/5 K/BB in 36.2 innings. The result has been a 1.23 ERA and 0.52 WHIP. Andrew Miller (1.49 ERA, 0.71 WHIP) and Chris Devenski (2.09 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 72 strikeouts) also deserve mention.

Jansen is having a historic first half with 56/2 K/BB in 35.2 innings. The result has been a 1.01 ERA, 0.59 WHIP and 20 saves. It's no wonder that the L.A. bullpen ranks first in the NL with a 3.01 ERA.

Brantley missed nearly all of 2016 with a shoulder injury, but he's made up for lost time this year. He's helped the Indians by hitting .304-5-32 and making his second All-Star Game.

It's been a miraculous rebound for a player who looked finished last season. Zimmerman hit just .218 with a .642 OPS last season, severely handicapping the Nationals at first base. He's rebounded to hit .332-19-62 with a .983 OPS.

You could probably count the number of non-Brewers fans who predicted the team would lead the NL Central in July on one hand. They have a 4.5-game lead just days before the All-Star break despite missing star hitter Ryan Braun for a large chunk of the first half.

The Giants have struggled to fill the holes that were clear going into spring training, most notably left field and the back of their rotation. Even more significantly, they've been without ace Madison Bumgarner for most of first half due to a dirt bike accident. They're now 24 games out in the NL West and 15.5 games out in the Wild Card in what looks like a lost year.

Returning from Tommy John surgery last year, Vargas was expected to continue serving as a back-of-the-rotation starter for Kansas City. Instead, he leads the AL with a 2.62 ERA and 12 wins, making his first All-Star appearance at age 34.

Colorado remains in the playoff race despite Gonzalez's poor play. He's posted an OPS above .850 in seven of the last eight seasons, but the outfielder is hitting only .217-6-22 with a .634 OPS this season.

Hoskins continues to emerge as one of baseball's truly elite hitting prospects. After hitting .281-38-116 with a .943 OPS at Double-A Reading last year, Hoskins is hitting .292-20-66 with a .968 OPS at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season. Tommy Joseph has shown flashes at the MLB level, but Hoskins is clearly the team's first baseman of the future.

While Mahle has benefited from a pitcher-friendly environment at Double-A Pensacola, his performance has still been spectacular. He posted a 7-3 record with a 1.59 ERA and 87/17 K/BB in 85 innings prior to his promotion to Triple-A. Reds fans should be excited to see him later this year.

The son of former Rockies All-Star Dante Bichette, Bo has been unstoppable in his first full pro season. A second-round pick out of high school last year, the shortstop is hitting a staggering .384-10-51 at Low-A Lansing. He also hit .427 in 91 plate appearances during his pro debut last year.

Signed very late in the offseason, Holland has made a huge difference for the Rockies at closer. He leads the league with 28 saves and has a 1.39 ERA in 34 appearances. Holland has been a relative bargain at $6 million and has a chance to cash in after this season with a long-term contract.

Hazen certainly doesn't deserve all of the credit in just his first season as Arizona's general manager, but two moves in particular have made a huge difference for Arizona. The hiring of manager Torey Luvollo has clearly improved the team, and the blockbuster offseason trade with Seattle that brought Taijuan Walker has helped solidify the rotation. Hazen has also done a good job building an elite bullpen with castoffs like T.J. McFarland, J.J. Hoover and Jorge De La Rosa, as Arizona ranks fifth in baseball in bullpen ERA.

Claimed off waivers from Milwaukee on March 28, Gennett was an under-the-radar acquisition for Cincinnati who has paid huge dividends. He's been a super utilityman for the Reds, playing four different positions and posting a .971 OPS in the first half. Gennett is hitting .317-14-46 in only 218 plate appearances.