We have reached the All-Star break of the 2023 season, which is just a shade over the actual middle part of the season, but it is time to give out the ITD midseason awards.
American League Midseason Awards:
American League MVP: Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Angels
This award may go to Ohtani no matter what league he is in, but he has been on fire this season. At the break, he posts a slash line of .302/.387/.663, an OPS of 1.050, 32 home runs, and 71 RBI. Not only is he doing that at the plate but on the mound, he is 7-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 17 starts; he also posts a 4.02 FIP, a 1.09 WHIP, a 3.9 BB/9, and an 11.8 K/9. He does it all for the Angels, and hopefully, in the second half, they can make a run to get him in the playoffs, or if they end up trading him, he goes to a team that makes the playoffs so that we can see an October with Shohei.
Honorable Mention: Corey Seager – Texas Rangers / Randy Arozarena – Tampa Bay Rays
American League Cy Young: Shane McClanahan – Tampa Bay Rays
This was the toughest award out of all of them to decide on, but I went with McClanahan because of what he has meant to the Rays, and they own the second-best record in the big leagues and the best record in the American League. McLanahan is one of the biggest reasons the Rays are where they are, with an 11-1 record and a 2.53 ERA. He posts a 3.85 FIP, a 1.16 WHIP, a 3.6 BB/9, and a 9.5 K/9.
Honorable Mention: Gerrit Cole – New York Yankees / Nathan Eovaldi – Texas Rangers
American League Rookie: Josh Jung – Texas Rangers
Jung was my original pick to win the Rookie of the Year award for the American League, and he is living up to the expectations. He has played 88 games with a .280/.331/.504 slash line with a .835 OPS. He has 19 home runs and 56 RBI and has been a big part of the Rangers lineup that produces the most runs scored and averages 5.8 runs a game.
Honorable Mention: Masataka Yoshida – Boston Red Sox / Gunnar Henderson – Baltimore Orioles
American League Manager: Brandon Hyde – Baltimore Orioles
Hyde is easily the pick as he has led the Orioles to the second-best record in the American League, you could make a case for Kevin Cash with the Rays having the best record, but the Rays were expected to be in the playoffs; the Orioles were thought to be good but not this good and they have a chance after the break to pass the Rays for the division lead in the American League East which after April and May seemed unlikely for any team in the East to catch them. Hyde has done a great job with the young guns that the Orioles have and has this team primed to make some noise in the second half.
Honorable Mention: Kevin Cash – Tampa Bay Rays / Bruce Bochy – Texas Rangers
National League Midseason Awards:
National League MVP: Ronald Acuna – Atlanta Braves
Acuna is putting up one of the best offensive seasons we have seen as he enters the break with 21 home runs and 55 RBI, and 41 stolen bases, which are the second most in the majors and the most in the National League. There has been talk of Acuna possibly making a run at finishing the season with 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases. Acuna has helped lead the Braves to the best record in all of baseball at the break, and if he can stay healthy in the second half should take home the MVP award and help lead the Braves on a run to another World Series Championship.
Honorable Mention: Luis Arraez – Miami Marlins / Mookie Betts – Los Angeles Dodgers
National League Cy Young: Zac Gallen – Arizona Diamondbacks
The National League Cy Young award could go any way, but what Gallen has done to this point has the Diamondbacks in first place in the National League West. This season, Gallen is 11-3 in 19 starts with a 3.04 ERA. He also has a 2.77 FIP, a 1.04 WHIP, a 1.7 BB/9, and a 9.5 ERA. The Diamondbacks came from nowhere to be atop the NL West, especially when everyone was picking the Padres to win the division, but Gallen has been a big reason why they are where they are at the break, and when he takes the mound every fifth day, he provides them a chance to pick up a win.
Honorable Mention: Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers / Marcus Stroman – Chicago Cubs
National League Rookie: Corbin Carroll – Arizona Diamondbacks
The Reds are full of rookies, and you could pick any of them to compete against Carroll for this award; Elly De La Cruz could even make a run by the end of the season, but right now, this award is Carroll’s. Carroll even has a chance at the MVP award, but some other names are ahead of him right now. Carroll, this season, like Gallen, is one of the main reasons why the Diamondbacks lead the National League West; he posts a slash line of .289/.366/.549 and an OPS of .915. He has 18 home runs and 48 RBI; he also has 26 stolen bases and has only been caught stealing twice; he has 63 runs scored and 20 doubles, as well as three triples. If De La Cruz keeps doing what he has the rest of the season, then this award could be a lot closer.
Honorable Mention: Matt McLain – Cincinnati Reds / Spencer Steer – Cincinnati Reds
National League Manager: Skip Schumaker – Miami Marlins
Schumaker deserves this award more than any other manager. In his first season with the Marlins, he has them playing fantastic baseball; even with reigning Cy Young award winner Sandy Alcantara struggling this season, the Marlins entered the break with the second-best record in the National League and even the fourth-best record in all of baseball, I’d be willing to say no one saw that coming, but I did say it back in February that the Marlins could make the playoffs this year; there is a lot of baseball left, and it remains to be seen if they can make the playoffs, but what they have done to this point is thanks to what Schumaker has been able to do with this lineup and pitching staff.
Honorable Mention: Brian Snitker – Atlanta Braves / Torrey Luvullo – Arizona Diamondbacks
Wrap Up
The second half of the season will start on Friday, and so much can change throughout the rest of the season, but right now, the players listed above are who I think deserve the award to this point. If you read my preseason awards post and agree with what I have now, I would have only had two awards, right, and a lot of the names weren’t even on my radar. I hope everyone enjoys their break and is ready to go for what I expect to be a fantastic second half with many great storylines to follow, so make sure Inside the Diamonds is your go-to spot for news, reports, and betting picks.
