The unofficial first half of the 2026 MLB season concludes today. Tomorrow night, we will be enjoying the Home Run Derby, and then the All-Star Game on Tuesday. As we put a bow on the first half, let’s give some first-half awards. If the season ended today, who would be the MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year in both leagues?
As the title indicates, these are just my opinions. Last Word On Sports rarely uses first-person writing, but it is appropriate in this instance. The opinions you read are mine, not a comprehensive opinion by the staff.
MLB First-Half Awards
All stats and spots in the standings are as of Sunday morning, July 12th.
Manager of the Year
American League: Will Venable (Chicago White Sox)
After three straight 100+ loss seasons, who would have expected the White Sox to be in playoff contention at the All-Star Break? That is exactly the position they find themselves in. They head into play Sunday with a 49-45 record and are in first place in the AL Central. Are they benefiting from playing in a weaker-than-expected division? Yes. However, credit should be given where it is due.
Venable is the clear favorite for Manager of the Year at this point. He is in his second season with the White Sox. The team has slowly improved since he took over. It only makes sense to give him the first-half honor.
Honorable Mentions: Kevin Cash (Tampa Bay Rays), Skip Schumaker (Texas Rangers), Dan Wilson (Seattle Mariners)
National League: Oliver Marmol (St. Louis Cardinals)
Like the White Sox, the Cardinals are exceeding expectations this season. They are 50-44, just outside of the last NL Wild Card spot. A breakout season by Jordan Walker and a stellar rookie season by JJ Wetherholt have helped the Cardinals reach this point.
The 2023-2025 seasons were rough for Marmol and the Cardinals. Many naturally began to wonder if Marmol was the right man for the job in St. Louis. However, this season shows that when Marmol has the right talent on the roster, he can lead the team to wins. No one can deny that Marmol is a big reason why the Cardinals are overperforming this year. The first-half award is his.
Honorable Mentions: Walt Weiss (Atlanta Braves), Don Mattingly (Philadelphia Phillies), Clayton McCullough (Miami Marlins)
Rookie of the Year
American League: Kevin McGonigle (Detroit Tigers)
McGonigle was many people’s Rookie of the Year prediction before the season started, myself included. At the All-Star Break, he is doing more than enough to earn the award. He has been one of MLB’s top rookies, batting .285 with eight home runs and 34 RBI.
McGonigle does not have the home run or RBI totals that Kazuma Okamoto has. However, McGonigle has the third-best batting average in the AL and ranks among the top five in MLB.
Honorable Mentions: Tristan Peters (Chicago White Sox), Kazuma Okamoto (Toronto Blue Jays), Chase DeLatuer (Cleveland Guardians)
National League: JJ Wetherholt (St. Louis Cardinals)
As I mentioned earlier, Wetherholt has played a big part in the Cardinals’ success this season. Heading into play Sunday, he is batting .262 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI. His batting statistics rank in either the top five or top 10 among NL rookies.
As I have said in previous articles, Wetherholt’s glove has been almost as impressive as his bat. He has played a great second base despite it not being his natural position. He should be an All-Star because he is still gaining enough attention across MLB that, if he continues to play well, he should be the favorite to win the award at season’s end.
Honorable Mentions: Foster Griffin (Washington Nationals), Sal Stewart (Cincinnati Reds), TJ Rumfield (Colorado Rockies)
Cy Young
American League: Cam Schittler (New York Yankees)
Schittler’s 2.05 ERA does not just lead the AL- it leads all of MLB. Furthermore, his 118.2 innings pitched rank second in MLB. In today’s MLB, what makes a pitcher extremely effective? Pitch deep into games and don’t give up a lot of runs.
What may be more impressive than his ERA and innings is his opponent’s batting average. Opposing hitters are hitting just .200. That is only second best in MLB, and for that, I tip my cap to Dylan Cease (who I considered for this award).
Honorable Mentions: Dylan Cease (Toronto Blue Jays), Sonny Gray (Boston Red Sox), Nick Martinez (Tampa Bay Rays)
National League: Jacob Misiorowski (Milwaukee Brewers)
Just how great has Miz been this season? He ranks in the top five in the NL in the following categories: wins (tied for first- 11), ERA (first), innings pitched (fifth- 111.0), strikeouts (first-167), and opposing hitter batting average (first- .148). Behind his elite pitching, the Brewers lead the Central Division by six games and hold the second-best record in MLB.
The Miz is easily the best pitcher in baseball this season. There is one stat that solidifies this. The Miz has 167 strikeouts this season and has given up just 57 hits. He is averaging almost three strikeouts between hits he has surrendered. The Miz is tripling his strikeout-to-hit totals. Can he continue that pace in the second half? Time will tell. But for now, he is the clear NL Cy Young winner at this point.
Honorable Mentions: Christopher Sanchez (Philadelphia Phillies), Chase Burns (Cincinnati Reds), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Los Angeles Dodgers)
MVP
Now, for the moment we all have waited for!
American League: Yordan Alvarez (Houston Astros)
Miguel Cabrera is the last player to win the Triple Crown. How close is Alvarez heading into play on Sunday? He leads the AL in home runs (31) and RBI (70) and is second in batting average (.315). Furthermore, his home run and RBI totals lead the whole MLB.
Let’s compare Alvarez’s totals to the Astros as a team. The Astros are batting .241. The next closest to Alvarez in home runs is Christian Walker (20). Alvarez is also the only Astro hitting over .300. Because of Alvarez, the Astros are somehow managing to hang around in the AL postseason chase. He is the clear AL MVP right now.
Honorable Mentions: Jonathan Aranda (Tampa Bay Rays), Ben Rice (New York Yankees), Nick Kurtz (Athletics)
National League: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Would it be nice to see someone else win the MVP change? Yes. However, as long as Ohtani continues to dominate as a pitcher and a hitter, the award will always be his to lose.
Ohtani is 8-2 this season with a 1.79 ERA, good enough for second in the NL. At this pace, he will earn Cy Young votes (even if he loses out to the Miz). He consistently pitches six innings. He has only allowed 55 hits, the second fewest in the NL.
Then there is Ohtani, the hitter. Ohtani, the pitcher, has allowed 55 hits, but has 96 hits himself. Ohtani, the pitcher, has 95 strikeouts, but has only struck out 92 times himself. He is on pace for yet another 30+ home run, 100+ RBI season. All this has helped the Dodgers head into Sunday with the most wins in MLB.
It is his award right now, and it likely will still be in October. We are witnessing greatness right now.
Honorable Mentions: Jordan Walker (St. Louis Cardinals), Otto Lopez (Miami Marlins), Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies)
Final Thoughts
It will be interesting to see who emerges in the second half. Will someone emerge while someone else tails off? Baseball is unpredictable, so who knows what will happen.
Enjoy the Sunday slate of games and enjoy the All-Star Game! MLB has a fun next few days in store, so let’s have some fun!
Main Photo: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
