I thought we’d use the All-Star Break to run polls on first-half awards. Let’s start with the hitters.
Let’s start with MLB. This is a strange first half, because there isn’t a clear-cut choice for offensive MLB. Normally, there is one guy that stands out. This year, less so. Most have been good, but no one stands out significantly.
Let’s list the possibilities:
- Addison Barger had had stretches were he’s terrific and times when he’s been ok. If he hadn’t cleared his rookie status last year, he’d be an easy choice for team Rookie of the Year. Addison has a 1.5 bWAR, a .261/.317/.506 line with 13 home runs and 40 RBI. Defensively, he’s been fine at both third and right field.
- Bo Bichette come into the break on a nice run. He’s hit .357/.413/.571 over his last 11 games, his best streak of the season. That’s helped out his first half numbers, 1.7 bWAR, .282/.324/.446 with 12 home runs, 53 RBI. His defense? Well, he’s not getting a Gold Glove.
- Ernie Clement hasn’t had the power numbers I expected, just 4 home runs, he’s going to have to turn it on to get to 10 this year. But he has a 2.4 bWAR and a .288/.328/.387 line, just short of league average, 98 OPS+. But his defense, all over the infield, has been terrific.
- Vladimir Guerrero hasn’t had a good first half and yet he is leading the batters in bWAR at 2.7 (which surprises me, considering he plays first base and doesn’t get a positional bump to his bWAR. The batting line isn’t anything special, .277/.384/.434 with 12 home runs, 46 RBI and a team-leading 56 walks.
- Tyler Heineman hasn’t played enough to deserve serious consideration. He has a 1.2 bWAR in 34 games. He’s having his first slump with the bat (and the glove) in the last couple of weeks, but he still has a .329/.380/.463 line.
- Alejandro Kirk started off slowly, but he got his batting average over .300 in early June and has kept it there. He’s got a 1.6 bWAR, and a .303/.361/.408 line with 45 RBI. His defense has been terrific as usual.
- Nathan Lukes is on a hot stretch, which has moved him up to the top of the order. Over the last 11 games, he has a .355/.444/.581 line. On the season, he has a 1.1 bWAR and a .276/.371/.398 with 5 home runs and 32 RBI. He’s never going to be a power hitter, but he’s a solid hitter and can play all three outfield spots (though I’d rather not see him in center too much).
- George Springer is going through his first real slump of the season over the last week (but the week before was excellent). On the season, he has a 1.5 WAR (hurt some because he’s been DHing a lot), and a .270/.363/.490 line with 16 home runs, 54 RBI and 11 steals (without being caught).
Let’s have the poll: