Five major MLB storylines to watch in second half of season

The second half of the 2025 Major League Baseball season starts on Friday. Let's get ready for it by looking at five big storylines to watch the rest of the way.

The American League MVP race

The American League MVP race is a two-man race between Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and New York Yankees superstar — and two-time MVP winner — Aaron Judge.

Both players are putting together compelling arguments.

Raleigh is re-writing the record book for both catchers and switch-hitters, and is on track for a potential 50-homer season while playing one of the league's most demanding positions defensively.

At the moment, he has some of the counting number advantages over Judge in home runs and RBI.

But Judge has a significant lead in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and WAR (Wins Above Replacement). 

Will voters favor home runs and a defensive advantage?

Or will they see a power hitter in New York with a .350-plus average and a nearly .200 advantage in OPS and conclude that Judge is the MVP again? 

Can Paul Skenes win the NL Cy Young with a losing record?

A starting pitcher has never won the Cy Young Award with a losing record. Pittsburgh Pirates second-year standout Paul Skenes might have to become the first if he is going to claim the Cy Young in the National League this season.

Skenes has been the best pitcher in the National League in the first half, leading all of the majors in ERA and WAR but only has a 4-8 individual record to show for it. That is entirely because of the Pirates' inability to score runs (for both him and the rest of the team's starting pitchers). 

Win-loss record does not have the same meaning that it used to have in Cy Young voting, but it would require a historic decision for Skenes to win it this season with his record. 

Shohei Ohtani's pitching

Pitching has been the big concern for the Dodgers this season, and injuries are at the center of those issues. Again. But just before the All-Star break they received a significant boost when Shohei Ohtani returned to the mound following last year's Tommy John surgery. He has only made a couple of short appearances as he has started to work his way back, but each one has become more dominant than the previous. He is already the best hitter in the National League. Getting him back on the mound will give the Dodgers the fully operational Ohtani they were anticipating when they signed him. 

How many games will the Colorado Rockies lose?

For the second year in a row we might see a Major League Baseball team lose more games in a single season than any other team in league history.

After the Chicago White Sox set a new benchmark for futility in 2024 with 121 losses, the Colorado Rockies are on pace for not only their third consecutive 100-loss season, but also a potentially historic, record-setting season. They enter the second half of the season on pace for 125 losses, which would clear Chicago's record by four games. 

Tight Divisional races

Playoff races are always going to be a big thing to watch in the second half of a season, and the league is set up for some great ones this season. 

The American League East has the Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays all within five games.

The National League Central has the Chicago Cubs trying to hold off the Milwaukee Brewers.

The National League East will be a fight down the stretch with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets separated by just half a game with still seven head-to-head games remaining.