MLB awards watch

Even after back-to-back 40-plus home run seasons, Gallo's early 2019 performance should be considered a breakout. He was leading the AL in slugging (.669) and OPS (1.086) through 43 games played, and his OBP was up over 100 points compared to last season with Gallo's walk rate rising. Gallo has also patrolled center field for 20 games and played relatively well.

Minnesota has been the early season's most powerful team, and Polanco has been one of the offense's driving forces. Through 52 games played, he is second in the AL with a .335 batting average and has 69 hits. He already has nine home runs, nearly equaling his career high of 13. With a .988 OPS and strong defensive contribution, Polanco has been arguably the league's MVP through two months.

There are few sure things in sports, but Trout's presence as an MVP candidate is one of them. He is leading the AL in on-base percentage for the fourth straight year and has an impressive 1.014 OPS. Trout's season has been relatively quiet compared to some of the stars in the NL, but he's well on pace to put up his usual MVP numbers.

The Pittsburgh offense seemed to lack punch entering the year, but Bell has silenced the naysayers with his early-season performance. He is second in the NL with 48 RBI due in part to his 1.112 OPS and 17 home runs in 53 games. The first baseman has already surpassed his 12 home runs from last season and is well on pace to breaking his career-best 26 home run total from 2017.

Bellinger's numbers are simply unreal. Through 49 games, he was leading the NL in batting average (.389), on-base percentage (.471) and slugging (.766) and also had as many walks as strikeouts. He's on pace for record-breaking numbers in his third MLB season after regressing to .260-25-76 in his sophomore campaign.

The reigning NL MVP, Yelich has continued to be one of the great stories of 2019 with 20 long balls before the end of May. He was on an unconscious pace during the second half of last season, hitting .367-25-67 in 65 games, yet Yelich has barely slowed down with .325-20-42 over his first 45 games this year.

The ace of what has suddenly become a formidable starting rotation in Minnesota, Berrios has started the year 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA through 11 starts. He's among the league leaders in innings (70.1) and strikeouts (64), and his walks-per-nine rate is the best in the league at 1.4.

German didn't begin the year in New York's rotation, but a bevy of injuries pushed him into action early in the year. German has delivered as the team's best starter, going 9-1 with a 3.43 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 60.1 innings. It remains to be seen how long he can keep up this pace, but German's control improvement makes him an intriguing option for a team with World Series aspirations.

Verlander is in search of his second Cy Young, having finished second in the voting for the third time last year. The Astros ace led the AL in ERA (2.24) and innings (72.1) through May 24, and is well on his way to another spectacular year at age 35.

Castillo's ERA ballooned up to 2.38 with a poor start vs. Milwaukee, evidence of just how dominant he's been this season. The Reds ace is 5-1 with 82 strikeouts in 69.1 innings in 12 starts.

Arizona lost Patrick Corbin in the offseason, but Greinke is picking up the slack. Through 11 starts, he's 6-2 with a 2.78 ERA and 73/11 K/BB in 77.2 innings. The control he's shown early in the year is the best that we've seen from him, now in his 16th MLB season.

Injuries have continued to be an issue for Ryu, but he's showing that last year's sub-2.00 ERA wasn't a fluke with a 1.65 ERA through 10 starts this season. The lefty has displayed pinpoint control, walking one four batters in 65.1 innings.

With injuries to Dustin Pedroia and Eduardo Nunez, Chavis has been a revelation for the Red Sox. A converted third baseman, Chavis has been adequate defensively and has hit 10 home runs in only 149 plate appearances with a .903 OPS.

The Rays gave Lowe significant money before the start of the season, and he's shown why with his performance. Through 44 games, Lowe was hitting .280-10-28 with an .858 OPS as the team's regular second baseman. His high strikeout rate (69 strikeouts in 190 plate appearances) is a concern, but the Rays can't complain about the production thus far.

Detroit's early results have been somewhat better than anticipated due in part to Turnbull's performance. The team has missed several starters from their Opening Day roster, but Turnbull has made up for their absences with a 2.97 ERA in 11 starts. He's also fanned more than one batter per inning.

Alonso was a surprise addition to the Mets Opening Day roster, but he's been arguably the team's best player. Through 50 games, the big first baseman was at 17 home runs with a .937 OPS. 

Paddack forced San Diego's hand with a strong spring, and he's been their ace early in the year. Through nine starts, he's 4-2 with a 1.93 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. An innings cap will likely prevent him from getting real Cy Young consideration, but Paddack is quickly establishing himself as an elite pitcher.

Soroka began the year on the IL with a shoulder injury, but he's made up for lost time. Through eight starts, Soroka is 5-1 with a 1.07 ERA and 1.44 WHIP and is becoming one of the league's truly dominant pitchers. Soroka was also successful in 25.2 innings last year.

Baldelli is the clear early front-runner for AL Manager of the Year after Minnesota's dazzling start, 37-17 through 54 games. The team had both the best record and run differential in baseball over that time.

The Rays surprised with a 90-win season in 2018, and they're apparently not finished. Going into Memorial Day weekend, the team was 29-19 and in second place in the highly competitive AL East. Sporting one of baseball's lowest payrolls, Cash and Co. continue to do amazing things.

Woodward took over a rebuilding Rangers squad but has managed a 26-26 record through 52 games. Texas is greatly exceeding expectations with baseball's top offense and a makeshift pitching staff that has done just enough.

The Padres put themselves on the map by signing Manny Machado entering spring training and are in the thick of the playoff race at 29-26 through 54 games. Green does have a wealth of young talent to work with and has so far helped boost the performances of those young players, led by Franmil Reyes, Chris Paddack and Fernando Tatis Jr.

Not much was expected for the Pirates in the loaded NL Central, but Hurdle's squad is hanging with the rest of the division. The team has overcome injuries to starters Jameson Taillon, Chris Archer and Trevor Williams, among others, and remains just four games out of first place.

After losing Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock in free agency and trading Paul Goldschmidt, few evaluators gave the Diamondbacks a real shot of competing this year. However, the team is 28-27 through 55 games and just 3.0 games back in the NL wild card. Their plus-44 run differential has also been a huge surprise, with one of the best offenses in the NL.