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The first half of the 2021 MLB season has been eventful, to say the least. Shohei Ohtani has thrived as a two-way player, numerous young position players have made a rise to stardom and a handful of teams have surprised. For instance, the Minnesota Twins are 11 games below .500 while the San Francisco Giants own the best record in MLB.
Heck, a once thought-to-be potent National League East division has just one team with a winning record. Meanwhile, the sport recently started inspecting pitchers for the use of illegal substances on baseballs. Best of all, fans are back in the stands.
Here are MLB award predictions at the All-Star Break for what has been an exciting first half of the regular season.
Ohtani has been a sight to behold. He has been as dangerous as any hitter in MLB, turning on and demolishing pitches into the stands and ambushing defenses with his speed on the bases. Simultaneously, Ohtani has pitched at a high level every fifth day, logging strikeouts at a high rate and grinding through at-bats. The Angels’ superstar has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Tatis has become quite possibly the best shortstop in MLB. He’s making absurd snags at the middle infield position and hitting for slug like nobody’s business. Per Statcast, Tatis is in the top-four percent of MLB in average exit velocity (93.5 mph), barrel percentage (21.7%) and hard-hit percentage (55.6%). The 22-year-old is the driving force of the San Diego Padres and one of the sport’s premier players.
Lynn has been a beast for manager Tony La Russa’s pitching staff. The veteran right-hander has been the best pitcher in the AL thus far and the clear-cut best pitcher on the White Sox’ staff. He’s getting hitters out with his four seamer and cutter, performing with efficiency and throwing the best baseball of his career. Lynn pitching at a Cy Young level has provided the White Sox with a new lead hurler.
deGrom has pitched pretty well this year. He has surrendered as many earned runs as he has walks (11). The right-hander is on a different planet at the moment. He’s blowing his 100 mph heater past hitters, surrendering a minuscule amount of base-runners and is putting together one of the best seasons for a starting pitcher in MLB history. deGrom is the best pitcher in the sport.
The Rangers are in the midst of a long rebuild but have a glowing bright spot in Garcia. In his first full season at the MLB level, the outfielder has been a steadily productive force in the batter’s box, hitting for power at a high level in a pitcher-friendly ballpark in Arlington, Texas. Regardless of them being at the bottom of the AL West, the Rangers have a player to build with in Garcia.
The Marlins have showcased a knack for developing young pitchers, and Rogers is the latest example of that ability. He has pitched at an elite level this season, mostly relying on his four seamer and changeup. After struggling in 2020, Rogers has become a mainstay for the Marlins’ pitching staff and yet another arm helping form an electric starting rotation. The best is yet to come for Rogers, especially if he gets his slider cooking more often.
The Red Sox went from finishing last in the AL East in 2020 to finishing the first half of 2021 atop the division. Their offense has been humming, pushing runners across the basepaths with frequency while Cora pushes all the right buttons with the bullpen despite a lacking rotation. This team is officially a player in the AL pennant race if they weren’t already. Cora’s return to the Red Sox has featured a return to contention status.
The Giants were a rebuilding team going into this season. Waiting for the second half of the season to commence, they possess the best record in MLB. A rotation of reclamation projects has been elite, their bullpen has been reliable and the offense has gotten the job done. Kapler has done an outstanding job with this ball club in his two years in the Bay Area. The Giants are the best story of the 2021 MLB season.