AL MVP: Jason Bay

MLB Midseason Awards

Many are handing this honor to one of two Twins; catcher Joe Mauer or first baseman Justin Morneau. And there's no denying that the M&M Boys are having great years. But how can you claim that one is more valuable than the other? That's why Bay gets this vote. He may be hitting just .260 but his 20 homers, 72 RBIs and .908 slugging percentage have helped carry the Red Sox through David Ortiz's struggles. More importantly, Bay's been a Yankee-killer this season. He has hit .448 with three homers, 12 RBIs and a .568 on-base percentage against New York, leading the Sox to an 8-0 mark against their bitter rivals. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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AL MVP: Jason Ba... Many are handing this honor to one of two Twins; catcher Joe Mauer or first baseman Justin Morneau. And there's no denying that the M&M Boys are having great years. But how can you claim that one is more valuable than the other? That's why Bay gets this vote. He may be hitting just .260 but his 20 homers, 72 RBIs and .908 slugging percentage have helped carry the Red Sox through David Ortiz's struggles. More importantly, Bay's been a Yankee-killer this season. He has hit .448 with three homers, 12 RBIs and a .568 on-base percentage against New York, leading the Sox to an 8-0 mark against their bitter rivals. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
NL MVP: Albert P... The reigning NL MVP hasn't simply "picked up where he left off" last year ... he's been better. He's at or near the top of most offensive categories, leading the league in homers (32) homers, RBIs (87), runs (73), walks (71), on-base percentage (.456), slugging percentage (.723), on-base-plus-slugging (1.179) and is fourth in average (.332). While he's hitting at a clip that's 25 points lower than last season, he's just five homers and 27 RBIs away from matching last year's output. It's this type of production, combined with a pitching staff that owns the third-best ERA in the NL, that has the Cards leading the Central at the break. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)
AL Cy Young: Roy... The 2003 AL Cy Young winner might not be around to claim the award at season's end. Halladay has put together a brilliant first half, going 10-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 106 strikeouts – reaching 10 wins despite missing a few starts because of a stint on the DL. Yet, the Blue Jays have announced they will listen to offers for their ace at the trade deadline. "We have to see what's out there," Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said. Ricciardi better get some huge prospects in return if he expects the move to go over smoothly in Toronto, which is struggling mightily to attract big crowds to the Rogers Centre. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Darren Calabrese)
NL Cy Young: Tim... The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner is on his way to winning his second straight. Lincecum heads into the break with a 10-2 record and a 2.33 ERA, striking out a league-leading 149 against just 34 walks, which has helped him post a WHIP of just 1.05. The right-hander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Thursday's win over the Padres in which his 29-inning scoreless streak ended when he allowed three runs in the frame. His dominance is a major reason the surprising Giants are leading the way in the wild-card race. (AP Photo/ Tony Avelar)
AL Rookie of the... Andrus has been in the spotlight ever since the offseason when management announced Gold Glove-winning shortstop Michael Young would be moving over to third base to make room for the 20-year-old prospect. Andrus' offensive numbers won't blow you away (.253, 12 extra-base hits, 15 RBIs) but his defense is breathtaking. He leads all shortstops with 143 putouts and is second with 381 total chances. Without going completely Sabermetric, it's easy to see how much ground he covers – and why the Rangers are so high on him. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
NL Rookie of the... One reason the Cardinals are among the NL leaders in runs scored is because Albert Pujols now has a sidekick. The 22-year-old outfielder, who starred in the 1999 Little League World Series, is putting up a strong freshman campaign with a .277 average, 11 home runs, 34 RBIs and 45 runs scored. He's teamed nicely with leadoff hitter Skip Schumaker to set the table for the heart of a Cardinals' lineup that features Pujols and Ryan Ludwick. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
AL Comeback Play... Inge had a dreadful '08. He was bumped from third base after the Miguel Cabrera trade, wasn't granted his wish for his own trade, wasn't given a steady position to play (his role as a utility player even included catching duties) and couldn't stay healthy. He finished the season hitting just .205 with 11 homers and 51 RBIs. Heading into this season, Jim Leyland moved Cabrera to full-time DH and named Inge his everyday third baseman. Inge didn't disappoint. He opened the season by reaching base in 24 straight games and is hitting .268 with 21 homers and 58 RBIs. He has been rewarded by the fans for his resurgence, getting named to the All-Star team by winning the Final Vote. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
NL Comeback Play... The face of the Rockies and an integral part of their stunning World Series run two years ago, Helton endured a rough 2008 in which a back injury cost him half of the season threatened his career. But he's bounced back in a big way, hitting .319 with 10 homers, 25 doubles and 57 RBIs while playing in just about every game during the first half. Colorado heads into the break just two games back in the wild-card race, but that won't stop Helton's name from surfacing in trade rumors. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
AL Manager of th... After two straight losing seasons at the helm of the Rangers and a reported rift with Mark Teixeira, Washington entered the season with his job in jeopardy. But Washington (who comes off quite well in Moneyball, by the way) has turned the Rangers into one of the biggest surprises of the first half and has them in the hunt for the AL West crown. In fact, the Rangers had been leading the division until they lost two straight to the Mariners and the Angels swept the Yankees on the final weekend of the first half. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
NL Manager of th... Not only do the Dodgers boast the best record in the majors, but they put up 56 wins before the break despite dealing with the circus that came along with Manny Ramirez's 50-game suspension for using PEDs. And, of course, they didn't have Manny for 50 games. Somehow, Torre has kept his team together. Maybe it's his calm demeanor, his way of pushing the right buttons (except with his middle relievers) or maybe he just flat-out knows how to manage. Whatever the case, he looks to be heading to his 14th straight postseason. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)
AL Surprise: Sea... The M's were the worst team in the AL least season with 101 losses and were one loss short of tying the Nationals for the worst mark in the majors. Enter Jack Zduriencik. Hired in the offseason, the new GM cleaned house, named Oakland bench coach Don Wakamatsu his new manager and brought in a whole new coaching staff, including 1996 World Series MVP John Wetteland as bullpen coach. The result: a winning product on the field. The Mariners are four games above .500 heading into the break and are just four games back in the AL West. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
NL Surprise: Rau... Ibanez was a .286 career hitter – in the AL no less – before joining the Phillies in the offseason. But he's been on a tear from the outset, hitting .312 with 22 homers and 51 RBIs before going down with a groin injury last month. His production, which led to a ridiculous 1.027 OPS, has been so out of character that rumors of juicing began running rampant. Ibanez has denied ever taking PEDs and expects to rejoin the NL East-leading Phillies soon after the break. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
AL Bust: Chien-M... The right-hander won 19 games in 2006 and '07 and was making a run at 20 last year before breaking a bone in his foot running the bases. He hasn't been the same since. After Wang surrendered 23 earned runs in six innings over his first three starts, the Yankees placed him on the DL with "hip soreness." He appeared to be getting back on track during three straight starts late last month only to blow up again on July 4. The Yankees put him back on the DL with a shoulder strain; there is no timetable for his return. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
NL Bust: New Yor... Whether they're messing up in the field (as Luis Castillo infamously did when he dropped a pop up that would have ended a game against the Yankees) or running the bases (as Ryan Church infamously did when he missed third base trying to score what would have been the go-ahead run against the Dodgers), the Mets have just been awful this season. They head into the break three games under .500 and in fourth place in the NL East. Granted, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Billy Wagner, John Maine and J.J. Putz are all on the DL. But that doesn't mean that this team should be playing like the worst team beer league softball has to offer. (AP Photo/John Heller)