{"id":791433,"date":"2026-07-10T13:36:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/791433\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T13:36:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:36:20","slug":"mlb-midseason-awards-2026-mvp-and-lvp-cy-young-and-cy-yuk-top-rookies-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/791433\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB midseason awards 2026: MVP and LVP, Cy Young and Cy Yuk, top rookies and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your attention, please. Look, I know you\u2019re kind of busy right now, adjusting the recline on your beach chair. But while you were busy sipping your third pina colada of the day, a crazy thing happened:<\/p>\n

This wild little baseball season found itself pulling into the All-Star break. Which could only mean that \u2026<\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s that time again. Time for me to hand out my annual midseason awards. Unlike some major celebrities, I forgot to rent out Madison Square Garden for my glitzy ceremony \u2014 which, as usual, will not be hosted by Nate Bargatze, Nate Burleson, Rick Burleson, Mark Buehrle, the cast of \u201cThe Bear,\u201d Floyd (Honey Bear) Rayford or Floyd Mayweather Jr.<\/p>\n

So once again, I\u2019ll just have to do this myself. Remember to hold your applause until we empty the theater (so I can make the swiftest getaway possible). And now \u2026 the envelopes, please.<\/p>\n

AL MVP of the half-year: Yordan Alvarez, Astros\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Yordan Alvarez, who is leading the league in almost everything, was an easy choice for MVP. (Tim Warner \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Is there a more terrifying sight, for any pitcher, than seeing Air Yordan stomping toward home plate in a pivotal moment?<\/p>\n

Yikes. What a hulkster. Every time I see this, I get flashbacks to curse-smashing Big Papi \u2026 or prime-time, bicep-bulging Barry Bonds \u2026 or (if you\u2019d like to jump in a time machine) maybe Wilver D. Stargell \u2026 or Willie (Stretch) McCovey.<\/p>\n

If I were managing against this guy, I\u2019d definitely intentionally walk him about 300 times a year. But because that isn\u2019t what\u2019s happening, let\u2019s look at the staggering MVP campaign of Yordan Alvarez.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s Bondsian and Ruthian \u2014 If Alvarez\u2019s second half goes anything like his first half, he\u2019s heading for a more rarified season than you probably imagined: .310, 49 homers and a 185 OPS+. Ready for the complete list of left-handed hitters who have had that season?<\/p>\n

Babe Ruth five times, Lou Gehrig once, Barry Bonds once \u2026 and some mystery man named Shohei Ohtani. Heard of them?<\/p>\n

He\u2019s leading the league in (almost) everything \u2014 We\u2019ll somehow look past the part where Alvarez has an outside shot at the Triple Crown. (He\u2019s second in the AL batting average derby, trailing Yandy D\u00edaz by 17 points.) But we\u2019re only doing that because he has a realistic chance to lead the league in, well, pretty much every other category you care about.<\/p>\n

At last look, he was either leading the American League, or had led at some point this week, in runs, hits, homers, OBP, OPS, Slugging, RBIs and most times reaching base. Now here\u2019s everyone who has ever led any league in all those departments since RBIs became an official stat in 1913: Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 \u2026 and Rogers Hornsby in 1922 \u2026 and we\u2019ve officially reached the end of that list.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s power-lifting a lineup that isn\u2019t quite the 2017 Astros \u2014 It isn\u2019t easy to explain how an Astros team this ordinary still has a shot to play baseball in October. But here\u2019s an explanation that will definitely work:<\/p>\n

Air Yordan plays for their team.<\/p>\n

What does he mean to Houston\u2019s lineup? See if you can deduce the answer from this:<\/p>\n

OPS\u00a0SLGOBP<\/p>\n

Yordan Alvarez<\/p>\n

1.030\u00a0<\/p>\n

.614\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

.416<\/p>\n

Rest of Astros<\/p>\n

.688\u00a0<\/p>\n

.386\u00a0<\/p>\n

.302<\/p>\n

So \u2026 he\u2019s obliterating the dudes around him by over 350 points worth of OPS, by about 230 points of slug and more than 110 points in on-base presence? Got it! For the last decade, the Astros have rolled out a bunch of the most prodigious lineups we\u2019ve seen in the 21st century. But let\u2019s just say this isn\u2019t one of them \u2026<\/p>\n

Except when Yordan Alvarez is waving that bat and staring holes in pitchers\u2019 foreheads across this continent. So why is he the easiest choice I had to make in this column? That\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

MY AL MVP TOP FIVE (IN ORDER): Alvarez, Junior Caminero, Bobby Witt Jr., Nick Kurtz, Ben Rice<\/p>\n

NL MVP of the half-year: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Shohei the Hitter plus Shohei the Pitcher adds up to an unbeatable National League MVP candidate. (Ryan Sirius Sun \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Can baseball please create a new award for this guy already? Let\u2019s call it the prestigious M-V-Ohtani trophy. Every November, we can hand it out to that Shohei Ohtani dude, snap some photos of him and his dog, and then reveal the voting on the Most Valuable Human Not From The Mysterious Planet Ohtanus award.<\/p>\n

Maybe I\u2019ve just written these Yeah, him again sections of these awards columns too many times now. But I\u2019m starting to feel sorry for all the normal creatures in our sport. The MVP award used to be a really cool honor. But as long as the incredible Ohtani roams the Earth, how is anyone else in his league supposed to win it?<\/p>\n

Me to a friend of mine this week: Do I have to pick Ohtani as my MVP again? <\/p>\n

Friendly reply: You\u2019re legally obligated.<\/p>\n

Good point. So here we go again. Don\u2019t arrest me. I\u2019ve done what I had to do: Yeah, him again.<\/p>\n

This year, I tried to convince myself that it was Pete Crow-Armstrong\u2019s time. Maybe even Kyle Schwarber\u2019s time. They\u2019ve been special. Their teams have needed every ounce of special they have in them. Couldn\u2019t I argue that\u2019s been more \u201cvaluable\u201d than the latest edition of Shoh Time in L.A.?<\/p>\n

I could. I think. But that\u2019s not where I wound up. As usual.<\/p>\n

It really hit me this year how unfair this debate is. Unlike last year, just Shohei the Hitter alone probably hasn\u2019t been quite transcendent enough to run away with this half-trophy. Same with Shohei the Pitcher, in either the MVP or Cy Young Award races. But when we vote for Ohtani in a year like this, we can\u2019t escape reality.<\/p>\n

He might wear only one uniform, but there are two amazing players inside it. And there\u2019s no MVP power like two-for-the-price-of-one power. So here\u2019s why there was no way to ignore \u2026<\/p>\n

Shohei the Hitter \u2014 on pace to whomp 34 home runs, pile up a 158 OPS+ and flirt with the .300\/.400\/.500 Slash Line Club, which had only two members (Yordan Alvarez and Yandy D\u00edaz), among full-time players, last time I looked. That seems good. But then there\u2019s that other guy we know as \u2026<\/p>\n

Shohei the Pitcher \u2014 so freaking good at pitching that, if post-All Star Game Shohei matches First-Half Shohei, he\u2019d wind up with a 1.79 ERA, a 232 ERA+, a sub-1.00 WHIP and 10 strikeouts per nine innings. Just so you know, here are all the Dodgers starters in history who have had a season with a 232 ERA+ over at least 150 innings: Nobody! (Clayton Kershaw\u2019s best: 197. Sandy Koufax\u2019s best: 190.)<\/p>\n

What that means, part one \u2014 Shohei the Pitcher could give up a hit to the next 45 consecutive hitters he pitched to (which seems unlikely), and the batters who have faced him still wouldn\u2019t have as good a slash line this year as Shohei the Hitter.<\/p>\n

What that means, part two \u2014 Shohei the Pitcher also could give up a homer to the next 20 hitters he faced (which seems less likely), and they still wouldn\u2019t have as high a slugging percentage as Shohei the Hitter.<\/p>\n

What that means, part three \u2014 Neither PCA nor the Schwarbino can top Shohei the Hitter in OPS+. \u2026 And Shohei the Pitcher has a better ERA+ than every starter in baseball not named Jacob Misiorowski. In other words, what the heck! Ohtani is just unavoidable.<\/p>\n

So I tried. I tried to cure my chronic case of Ohtani MVP Fatigue every way I knew how. I couldn\u2019t do it. Not even the Mayo Clinic could do it. In other words \u2026 yeah, him again.<\/p>\n

MY NL MVP TOP FIVE: Ohtani, PCA, Schwarber, James Wood, Otto Lopez<\/p>\n

AL LVP of the half-year: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Vladimir Guerrero Jr.\u2019s demise, in Year One of his 14-year, $500 million contract, has been shocking. (Olivia Vanni \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t even believe I just typed that. Vladdy? As the Least Valuable Player in the American League? What alternative universe could that be happening in?<\/p>\n

Not to mention he just eked out Cal Raleigh in this upside-down LVP sweepstakes. And I can\u2019t believe I just typed that, either.<\/p>\n

Raleigh was the AL MVP runner-up last year. Vlad was the ALCS MVP. So that feels like proof that they\u2019re both pretty good. But baseball is hard. And this year, it\u2019s been shockingly hard for both of them.<\/p>\n

On one hand, Raleigh\u2019s statistical swan dive (.170, with a 68 OPS+) has been even worse than Guerrero\u2019s (.262, with a 90 OPS+ and just five homers in 373 trips to home plate). On the other hand, at least Raleigh had a long injury absence to use as an excuse. Plus his team, the Mariners, has spent most of the last month and a half in first place. So how Not Valuable has he really been?<\/p>\n

All right, then why Guerrero? I have many mind-blowing reasons. Let\u2019s work through them.<\/p>\n

Who is under-performing his paycheck more than him? The Man from Vlad is more than just a star. He\u2019s supposed to be the brightest star in the first-base cosmos. He\u2019s the highest-paid first baseman ever. In fact, this is only Year One of his 14-year, $500-million contract. And he just got more All-Star votes than any first baseman. So how can we not notice this:<\/p>\n

According to Baseball Reference<\/a>, the Blue Jays are 28th out of 30 teams in baseball in OPS by their first basemen \u2026 30th in home runs \u2026 24th in WAR \u2026 and 28 in Batting Runs Above Average. Let\u2019s just say that\u2019s not Charles McAdoo\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s taken the \u201chome\u201d out of homer \u2014 More than 60 first basemen have hit a home run in their home park this season. Guess who isn\u2019t one of them.<\/p>\n

Guerrero has dug into the batter\u2019s box in Toronto 190 times this year. But somehow, his last home run in the Rogers Centre was this one<\/a> \u2014 more than 260 days ago.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not just shocking. It\u2019s crushing a Blue Jays team with World Series dreams and an offense that desperately needs more Vlad magic. They were 17-4 when he went deep at home last year, counting the postseason. They were 7-1 when he homered anywhere in October.<\/p>\n

None of this makes sense \u2014 Vlad has always gone through stretches where he hit too many groundballs. But this feels like more than just an exaggerated case of groundball-itis.<\/p>\n

Since 2024, his hard-hit rate has plummeted from 54.8 percent to 50.7 to 44.2. His expected slugging percentage: from .578 to .504 to .410. His rate of home runs per fly ball: from 17.1 percent to 14.3 to 5.7. And somehow, his batting average on fly balls is only .104. That\u2019s more than 100 points worse than league average (.208).<\/p>\n

So what we have here is a guy who almost never hits the ball hard in the air anymore. And how could that be the same sweet-swinging monster who unleashed this mighty rocket<\/a> last October?<\/p>\n

This wouldn\u2019t be the first time an LVP pick made no sense to me. But I don\u2019t know that I\u2019ve ever made one that felt more bizarre than Vlad Guerrero Jr.<\/p>\n

MY AL LVP \u201cBOTTOM THREE\u201d: Guerrero, Raleigh, Corey Seager<\/p>\n

NL LVP of the half-year: Mr. Met, Mets\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Sorry, Mr. Met, but someone had to take the fall for the Mets\u2019 myriad mistakes. (Caleb Bowlin \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Just to be clear, I\u2019m not literally delivering this much-uncoveted honor to that beloved mascot thing pictured above. He\u2019s merely the fall guy for a bunch of Mets acquisitions who haven\u2019t stirred any fond memories of David Wright or Darryl Strawberry.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s identify the actual culprits. All of them would be more lovable at this point if they dressed up in mascot suits. But it\u2019s a little late for that now.<\/p>\n

Marcus Semien \u2014 In retrospect, did the Rangers seem a little too happy to unload him last winter (for Brandon Nimmo)? As a Met, Semien has been worth a grand total of 0.6 negative bWAR. That\u2019s dead last in the National League among hitters who would qualify for the batting title.<\/p>\n

Luis Robert Jr. \u2014 The Mets were proud of the trade for their new center fielder when Robert was going 5-for-11, with a homer and five runs scored, in his first three games of the year. Unfortunately, the season continued. Whereupon they got to witness the return of Luis Robert Jr., longtime White Sox heartbreaker.<\/p>\n

He hit .189, with a .556 OPS, over his next 21 games. He hasn\u2019t been seen on a big-league field since. Has anyone ever mentioned he can be slightly injury-prone? Oh, and since the end of March, he has been worth minus-0.1 WAR.<\/p>\n

Jorge Polanco \u2014 The Mets used to have a first baseman who played every darned day. Now Pete Alonso plays in Ripken-ville, where they appreciate that sort of thing. Meanwhile, the guy who was supposed to replace him, Polanco, only made it into 14 games before reminding his new team why his nickname has never been \u201cIron Man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Polanco just resurfaced after being missing in action for nearly three months. In his brief period of actually playing, he has hit .188 and also joined the Mets\u2019 negative-WAR Club (minus-0.3).<\/p>\n

Should I stop there, or not? Should I include the Mets\u2019 big pitching acquisition, Freddy Peralta (5-7, 4.68 ERA), even though he\u2019s not really LVP-eligible?<\/p>\n

Should I commute the sentence of Bo Bichette, just because he\u2019s been so much better since rolling up a .531 OPS in his first 46 games as a Met?<\/p>\n

Should I drag Mark Vientos into it all, even though he isn\u2019t new around Flushing? His minus-1.4 WAR ranks last among all National Leaguers regardless of playing time.<\/p>\n

Whatever. It\u2019s been such a strange year in Queens that if I added up the WAR total of all of these players, the most \u201cvaluable\u201d guy I\u2019ve mentioned in this whole section would somehow be \u2026<\/p>\n

Still so wild Mr. Met was celebrating behind the breaking news of Carlos Mendoza \ud83d\udc80 pic.twitter.com\/ghkVqAGUIX<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Big League Digest (@BigLeagueDigest) July 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

MY NL LVP \u201cBOTTOM THREE\u201d: Mr. Met, Manny Machado, Marcell Ozuna <\/p>\n

AL Cy Young of the half-year: Cam Schlittler, Yankees\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Cam Schlittler edged Dylan Cease for our prestigious AL Cy Young midseason honors. (Evan Bernstein \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s always one of these \u2014 that award that swirls around in my brain for way too long. Results in 4 a.m. tossing and turning. Inspires that little voice in my head to keep laughing at me, while screaming: You\u2019ve got this all wrong, you knucklehead.<\/p>\n

So even as I type this, I\u2019m still not 100 percent sure that I shouldn\u2019t be giving this totally imaginary half-trophy to Blue Jays whiff machine Dylan Cease. But my apologies to the entire nation of Canada, because I decided, in the end, that the correct answer was Cam Schlittler.<\/p>\n

You want to know why? I\u2019ll get lots of column material out of telling you why.<\/p>\n

The case for Cease \u2014 Well, for one thing, he has a (slightly) higher strikeout rate than Jacob Misiorowski! (It\u2019s 13.546 per nine innings for Cease, 13.541 for Miz.) That got my attention. But in other news \u2026<\/p>\n

Cease is also allowing a ridiculous .261 slugging percentage \u2014 and if that seems good, it\u2019s because, if he keeps this up, it would be the fourth-lowest SLUG ever allowed, in a full season, by a starting pitcher in a league with a DH. \u2026<\/p>\n

Not to mention the \u201cexpected\u201d stats are trying to convince us Cease has actually been better than Schlittler. Cease leads the AL in both Expected ERA (2.85) and Fielding Independent Pitching (2.20). Schlittler is at 2.94 and 2.58, respectively.<\/p>\n

But when I vote, I decided long ago to give much more weight to what has really happened than what stats like FIP tell us theoretically should have been happening. So that\u2019s where it\u2019s so much easier to make \u2026<\/p>\n

The case for Schlittler \u2014 It\u2019s just hard not to vote for big-time starting pitchers with a league-leading 2.01 ERA, who are rocking a dazzling 209 ERA+ and have compiled those numbers while rolling up a big advantage over Cease in innings pitched (112 to 98 1\/3) and batters faced (442 to 401). And in case you\u2019re wondering \u2026<\/p>\n

You know how many Yankees have ever had an ERA+ of 209 or better over a full season? Zero would be a stupendous guess. Ron Guidry made it to 208 in 1978. Spud Chandler was at 198 in 1943. But it\u2019s wild to see that Whitey Ford, Roger Clemens, CC Sabathia, Catfish Hunter, etc., never even got close.<\/p>\n

Finally, when you look inside the numbers, they tell you Schlittler finds another gear virtually any time he needs to.<\/p>\n

Opposing leadoff hitters have an OPS+ of 37 against him. \u2026 Opposing cleanup hitters are batting .140, with a 29 OPS+. \u2026 And when runners are in scoring position, good luck to the poor dudes who have hit .138\/.192\/.277 against him in those spots. If he keeps up this pace over a full season, that .192 OBP with RISP would be the lowest by any pitcher who made 30 starts in almost a half-century \u2014 since John Candelaria (also .192) in 1977.<\/p>\n

So obviously, Schlittler is a great choice. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized he wasn\u2019t the only choice. That\u2019s why I had to go \u2026<\/p>\n

Head to head \u2014 When any race is this close, I like to use history as my guide. I decided there were two fun little research projects I needed to do. The first was \u2026<\/p>\n

How many starters have won a Cy Young Award with an ERA a half-run worse than the runner-up? In the last 25 elections, I found only two times that happened: Max Scherzer (2.96) over Jon Lester (2.44) in 2016 and Barry Zito (2.75) over Pedro Martinez (2.26) in 2002.<\/p>\n

But Scherzer had a 20-strikeout game that year and piled up a massive lead in K\u2019s over Lester. And in 2002, Zito made five more starts than Martinez, faced 152 more hitters and won largely on volume.<\/p>\n

So that was interesting. But I also asked this:<\/p>\n

How rare is it for a starter with an ERA under 2.00 to lose the Cy Young Award to a pitcher with a much worse ERA? I had to go back further. But I found three instances where that scenario reared its confusing head.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Last time it happened: 2005, when Clemens had a 1.87 ERA and 226 ERA+ but finished third in the NL, behind Chris Carpenter (2.83 ERA) and Dontrelle Willis (2.63). Because \u2026 WINS! Those two both won 20, while Clemens went 13-8.<\/p>\n

\u2022 And before that: Kevin Brown had a 1.89 ERA in 1996, but finished second behind John Smoltz (2.94). This one wasn\u2019t as weird as you\u2019d think. Smoltz went 24-8 and piled up 117 more strikeouts than Brown. Also, it was pretty much the rules that some Braves starter had to win the Cy Young Award every year back then.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Last time in the AL: Now we\u2019re all the way back to 1990 \u2014 and it\u2019s a Clemens thing again. He went 21-6 with a 1.93 ERA, but lost the Cy to Bob Welch (27-6, 2.95) \u2014 because \u2026 1990! Welch trailed Clemens in bWAR, 10.4-2.9. But the world had forgotten to invent WAR back then, in a year when Welch chased 30 wins. So I get it.<\/p>\n

All of that was fascinating. But now that we live in more enlightened times, I had so much better info to weigh. In the end, it came down to this: The edge for Schlittler, in ERA and volume, was just too big. Can I stop wrestling with this at 4 a.m. now?<\/p>\n

MY AL CY YOUNG TOP FIVE: Schlittler, Cease, Drew Rasmussen, Joe Ryan, Louis Varland \u2014 with apologies to Sonny Gray, Davis Martin, Parker Messick, Logan Gilbert, Nick Martinez and so many AL aces.<\/p>\n

NL Cy Young of the half-year: Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Jacob Misiorowski has turned the \u201cgreatest Cy Young race ever\u201d into a one-man race \u2014 for now. (Dilip Vishwanat \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

How unhittable is Jacob Misiorowski\u2019s fastball? I asked the Pirates\u2019 Brandon Lowe about that last week. He laughed as he grappled with how to answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say: Think of the hardest fastball you\u2019ve ever seen \u2014 and just double it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo he\u2019s basically throwing 200 (mph)?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, basically,\u201d Lowe said.<\/p>\n

So should anybody who \u201cthrows 200\u201d just automatically win the Cy Young Award? I guess we have to go with no on that. On the other hand, if hitters think that\u2019s what it feels like to face the Miz, it probably explains all the stuff you\u2019re about to read about his unforgettable half-season. Such as \u2026<\/p>\n

He\u2019s going to throw 1,000 pitches over 100 mph! This is wild to try to fathom, but if Misiorowski just keeps pumping triple digits at the rate he\u2019s lit up that mph board so far, he would throw \u2014 ready for this? \u2014 1,167 pitches at 100 mph or harder this year. Does that seem like a lot?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say yes. Here\u2019s why: Pitch-speed tracking goes back to 2008. And at this pace, the Miz is going to throw 1,000 more triple-digit fastballs just this season than the Astros \u2014 all of them \u2014 have thrown over the last 19 seasons combined. That is nuts.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s heading for a season we\u2019ve never seen before! Bob Gibson was the man with the 1.12 ERA, in 1968. Nolan Ryan was the human K-Mart with 383 strikeouts, in 1973. Denny McLain was the last 30-game winner of the 20th (or any other) century, in 1968.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re a reminder that, once in a while, a pitcher has a season that reverberates through the ages. And I think we\u2019re witnessing one of those right now, in beautiful downtown Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

At his current pace, Miz is going to wind up with a 1.62 ERA \u2026 and 290 strikeouts in only 185 innings \u2026 while those poor mortals who have to hit against him compile a .148 average and a .450 OPS \u2014 which computes to a league full of guys simulating the blistering offense of 2017 Jon Lester (.148 average, .463 OPS).<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s tell you where a season like that would fit into the annals of pitching history.<\/p>\n

A 1.62 ERA? Since baseball lowered the mound 57 years ago, only two qualifying starters have had a 1.62 ERA or lower: Dwight Gooden (1.53 in 1985) and Greg Maddux (1.56 in the 1994 strike year). The Miz feels very Gooden-like FWIW.<\/p>\n

13.54 K\u2019s per 9 innings? Only two qualifying starters in history have reached those heights over a full season: Gerrit Cole (13.82 in 2019) and Spencer Strider (13.55 in 2023).<\/p>\n

A .148 opponent batting average? The live-ball era arrived in 1920. And if we toss out the 60-game 2020 pandemic season, the list of live-ball pitchers with an opponent average that low would have just one name: Misiorowski! The current record is .167, by Pedro Martinez in 2000.<\/p>\n

A .450 opponent OPS? Not even Gibson in 1968 (.469) beats the Miz. How is that even possible?<\/p>\n

Three times as many strikeouts as hits (almost)? Technically, Miz\u2019s strikeout number (167) is only 2.9 times greater than his hits-allowed number (57). But close enough. Not only has no starting pitcher ever had a K column that tripled his hits column in a season, but no one has even approached that. The closest any qualifying starter has ever come is 2.3 K\u2019s\/hits, by Cole in 2019.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s the tale of this Miz season for the history books. Remember back in May, when the NL seemed posed to deliver the greatest Cy Young race ever<\/a>? It\u2019s now a one-man race, because nobody beats the Miz.<\/p>\n

MY NL CY YOUNG TOP FIVE: Misiorowski, Cristopher S\u00e1nchez, Chase Burns, Zack Wheeler, Mason Miller \u2014 with apologies to Chris Sale, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Braxton Ashcraft, Max Meyer, Ohtani and a great group.<\/p>\n

AL Cy Yuk of the half-year: Brayan Bello, Red Sox\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Brayan Bello ranks last in bWAR, ERA, expected ERA, WHIP and opponent batting average, among other categories. (Todd Kirkland \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Is it possible that two quotes can tell the story of our 2026 AL first-half Cy Yuk-er?<\/p>\n

\u201cBrayan embodies everything that we value at the Boston Red Sox.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was Boston\u2019s chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, on the day Bello signed a $55 million extension in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just having a bad season. That\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was Brayan Bello himself, on June 4, after a game in which he coughed up six runs in another disastrous first inning at Fenway \u2026 and the day before the Red Sox told him to go figure this out in the minor leagues.<\/p>\n

So, um \u2026 this is trending well. Not that a high-speed pile-up between two onrushing, out-of-context quotes could clinch a Cy Yuk for anybody. But they give you a taste of just how wrong 2026 has gone for a guy who was once Fenway\u2019s brightest pitching ray of hope. Now let\u2019s serve the main course:<\/p>\n

He\u2019s allergic to the first inning \u2014 Here\u2019s an ERA you won\u2019t see much: 16.88. That\u2019s Bello\u2019s ERA in the first inning this year. Does that seem a little rough? If he doesn\u2019t return and spiff it up, it will be the worst first-inning ERA by a starting pitcher in Red Sox history (with a minimum of the eight starts he\u2019s made).<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a big-league starting pitcher\u201d \u2014 That\u2019s another cringe-worthy Bello quote, delivered the night before the Red Sox decided that\u2019s not what he was at all. His overall ERA, as a big-league starting pitcher this season, is 10.35. That, too, would be a Red Sox record \u2014 two runs worse than anyone else who ever made this many starts in any season.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s turned the whole league into vintage Fred Lynn \u2014 Fifty years ago, Lynn was a Red Sox rock star. If anyone in New England ever wondered what a whole team\u2019s worth of Fred Lynns would look like, now they know what a whole league of them looks like.<\/p>\n

Opponents vs. Bello this year: .310\/.367\/.484
Fred Lynn, 1976 edition: .314\/.367\/.467<\/p>\n

He made this too easy \u2014 How could he not win this thing? Among pitchers who have been out there as much as him this season (61 innings), Bello ranks last in bWAR, ERA, expected ERA, WHIP, opponent batting average, lowest rate of soft contact and a dozen more categories you don\u2019t need to hear at this point.<\/p>\n

You do need to know that I never look forward to hanging a Cy Yuk medal around anybody\u2019s neck. But sometimes these guys make me do it. So I\u2019m sorry, Brayan. You were That Guy.<\/p>\n

MY AL CY YUK \u201cBOTTOM THREE\u201d: Bello, Jeffrey Springs, Bryan Abreu<\/p>\n

NL Cy Yuk of the half-year: Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks\"\"<\/p>\n

\n What the heck happened to Zac Gallen? Cy Yuk stuff happened. (Joe Rondone \/ The Arizona Republic \/ USA Today Network via Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t you hate it when bad pitching stuff happens to great dudes? It was such a cool story when Zac Gallen used to be stunningly ace-like, for a team that always needed that to keep up its we\u2019ll be better than you think vibe.<\/p>\n

Three years ago, Gallen was such an accomplished 17-win craftsman, he even got a first-place Cy Young Award vote for the D-Backs\u2019 World Series Express. But now, here in 2026, he\u2019s 3-9 with a 6.34 ERA and the worst bWAR of any pitcher in the sport (minus-1.6).<\/p>\n

So what the heck happened? Here\u2019s what.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s turning the entire sport into Buster (World Series hero) Posey \u2014 That\u2019s not an opinion. That\u2019s just a fact.<\/p>\n

Posey in his 2010 Rookie of the Year season: .305\/.357\/.505
All opposing hitters vs. Gallen this season: .304\/.358\/.506<\/p>\n

His four-seam fastball is a meatball sandwich \u2014 It\u2019s hard not to notice that Gallen has lost all faith in his once-trusty four-seamer. That faith comes in handy in his line of work.<\/p>\n

Average against that pitch in 2022: .165
Average against that pitch in 2026: .331<\/p>\n

Give this guy an ABS workout \u2014 It\u2019s hard to be a nibbler in the post-ABS universe. Gallen could tell you all about it, in his not-actually-forthcoming book, I Miss the Shadow Zone.<\/p>\n

Last year, according to Statcast, opponents hit .204, with a .264 on-base percentage, on pitches Gallen dotted in that shadow zone, just off the actual strike zone. This year, that shadow-zone is never a strike \u2014 and Gallen\u2019s average in that zone is up 70 points. The OBP is up to .305. And his shadow-zone whiff rate is a career-low 18.3 percent. Which explains why \u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s BP for everybody \u2014 I took a trip through Gallen\u2019s Baseball Reference splits page, thinking I might find a silver lining. Um, nope. Take a deep breath as we run through how opposing hitters of all shapes and sizes have mashed against him.<\/p>\n

Leadoff men are hitting .314, with a .1.033 OPS, against him. \u2026 No. 2 hitters? They\u2019re at .380, with an 1.147 OPS. \u2026 With runners in scoring position? The league is hitting .365. \u2026 With men on base, they\u2019re hitting .323. \u2026 With the bases loaded? .385. \u2026 Runners on third, less than two outs? .438. \u2026 In high-leverage moments: .455, with a 1.415 OPS.<\/p>\n

I could keep going. But I\u2019m thinking you know Cy Yuk-ery when you see it. I want good stuff to happen to Gallen. Instead, Cy Yuk stuff has happened. And it\u2019s crushing a team that re-signed him because his 2023 highlight reel was still in their heads.<\/p>\n

MY NL CY YUK \u201cBOTTOM THREE\u201d: Gallen, David Peterson, Kodai Senga<\/p>\n

AL rookie of the half-year: Kevin McGonigle, Tigers \"\"<\/p>\n

\n Kevin McGonigle, the Tigers\u2019 21-year-old All-Star, is having a rookie season for the ages. (Junfu Han \/ USA Today Network via Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Kevin McGonigle fun fact \u2014 In case it wasn\u2019t clear McGonigle is destined for stardom, how about this: More than three months into his rookie year, he\u2019s still on pace to finish the season with more walks (103) than strikeouts (94) \u2014 in his age-21 season.<\/p>\n

See if you recognize the names of every hitter in the live-ball era who had a season like that (at least 90 walks, and more walks than strikeouts), at age 21 or younger: Ted Williams (twice), Mel Ott (twice), Rickey Henderson, Jimmie Foxx, Eddie Mathews and Joe Morgan. What do they have in common? You can learn all about them on their Hall of Fame plaques.<\/p>\n

MY AL ROOKIE TOP FIVE: McGonigle, Parker Messick, Kazuma Okamoto, Sam Antonacci, Munetaka Murakami<\/p>\n

NL rookie of the half-year: Foster Griffin, Nationals\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Foster Griffin would be a Rookie of the Year unlike any other. (Jess Rapfogel \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Foster Griffin fun fact \u2014 I didn\u2019t expect to be picking this guy as my rookie of the half-year \u2014 not in a league with JJ Wetherholt, Sal Stewart and Konnor Griffin (no relation) in it. But in case you missed it, Griffin has been awesome. He has now spun off seven straight starts in which he allowed one earned run or none. And at this rate, he\u2019d finish 17-4, with a 154 ERA+.<\/p>\n

Did you know \u2026 that over the last 70 years, only five rookie pitchers have had an ERA+ that far above league average, won at least 60 percent of their decisions and worked enough innings to qualify for the ERA title: Gary Peters, Mark Fidrych, Dave Righetti, Jos\u00e9 Fern\u00e1ndez and Michael Soroka. All of them were rookies of the year except Soroka, who finished second to Pete (53 Homer) Alonso in 2019.<\/p>\n

Bonus fact \u2014 We\u2019ve never had a Rookie of the Year like this guy! Why? Because he made his big-league debut six years ago and also three teams ago. He was a Royal in 2020. He finished the 2022 season pitching for the Blue Jays. Now he\u2019s a National (and still a rookie) after three seasons in Japan. Oh, and he turns 31 this month! So \u2026<\/p>\n

He\u2019d become the first Rookie of the Year to debut six years before he won. Lou Piniella holds the current record, at five years. \u2026 Griffin also would become only the second player to win this award while playing for his third team. Only Piniella (Orioles, Indians, Royals) has ever done that. \u2026 And Griffin would be the second-oldest American-born Rookie of the Year, trailing only Sam Jethroe (age 32), whose debut was delayed by segregation. What a story.<\/p>\n

MY NL ROOKIE TOP FIVE: Foster\u00a0Griffin, Wetherholt, Stewart, TJ Rumfield, Konnor Griffin<\/p>\n

AL reliever of the half-year: Louis Varland, Blue Jays \"\"<\/p>\n

\n Louis Varland has been lights out. (Olivia Vanni \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Louis Varland fun fact \u2014 Did you forget that the Baseball Writers\u2019 Association of America will start giving out relief pitcher awards<\/a> this year? Full disclosure: I chaired the committee that proposed this award, so I didn\u2019t forget. And Toronto\u2019s new closer looks as if he\u2019d like to display the first AL trophy in his man cave.<\/p>\n

If he keeps up this pace, Varland would finish the season with 31 saves, no blown saves, 115 strikeouts and a sub-1.00 ERA (0.94). Does that sound like a good year? Yup! Since the dawn of the modern save rule in 1969, only one other reliever has had a 30-save season with a sub-1.00 ERA and more than 100 strikeouts: Blake Treinen, for the 2018 A\u2019s.<\/p>\n

MY AL RELIEVER TOP THREE: Varland, Cade Smith, Bryan Baker<\/p>\n

NL reliever of the half-year: Mason Miller, Padres\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Good luck hitting Mason Miller. (Orlando Ramirez \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Mason Miller fun fact \u2014 I wrote two months ago that the Padres closer was the most unhittable pitcher ever<\/a>. That\u2019s my story, and I\u2019m sticking to it. Incredibly, Miller has now faced 142 hitters this year. None of them got an extra-base hit.<\/p>\n

If we take this streak back to last August, he is up to 217 consecutive hitters in the regular season without an extra-base hit. That\u2019s the third-most in history \u2014 and just 17 behind the record of 234, set by the Royals\u2019 Luis Aquino in 1988-89.<\/p>\n

No full-time reliever has ever gone a complete calendar year (barring injury) without an extra-base hit. So mark Aug. 5 on your calendar \u2014because that\u2019s the one-year anniversary of the last one off Miller (a home run by Lourdes Gurriel Jr.).<\/p>\n

MY NL RELIEVER TOP THREE: Miller, Jhoan Duran, Dylan Lee<\/p>\n

AL manager of the half-year: Will Venable, White Sox <\/p>\n

Will Venable fun fact \u2014 In Venable\u2019s first season managing the White Sox (last year), they lost 102 games. If the season ended today, they\u2019d be in the playoffs. If we don\u2019t count the 2020 pandemic season, with its expanded playoff field, only two men in history have managed a 100-loss team one year and a playoff team the next: Paul Molitor (2016-17 Twins) and Matt Quatraro (2023-24 Royals). But \u2026<\/p>\n

What if the White Sox go on to win their division? If that happens, Venable would become the first manager to go from a 100-loss season one year to first place the next. The current record-holder: Buck Showalter (from 97 losses to 100 wins with the 1998-99 Diamondbacks).<\/p>\n

MY AL MANAGER TOP THREE: Venable, Kevin Cash, Derek Shelton<\/p>\n

NL manager of the half-year: Don Mattingly, Phillies<\/p>\n

Don Mattingly fun fact \u2014 When Mattingly took over the Phillies on April 28, they were 10 games under .500 and 10 1\/2 games out of first place. A little over two months later, they\u2019ve somehow made it to 10 games over .500 and only three games out of first place.<\/p>\n

But if Mattingly had that d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu feeling when he was handed this (interim) job, there\u2019s a good reason. Back when he managed the Dodgers, his 2013 team was 9 1\/2 out of first in June, and his 2014 team was 10 out the next June \u2026 and amazingly, both finished first<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to Baseball Reference\u2019s Kenny Jackelen, only one manager has brought his team back from at least 9 1\/2 games behind to finish first two seasons in a row. Yep, Don Mattingly. And only two other managers had two seasons like that in their whole careers: Bobby Cox (1991 and \u201993 Braves) and Sparky Anderson (1973 Reds, 1987 Tigers).<\/p>\n

Could Mattingly make it three? If he does, I like his chances of having to nudge his Gold Glove, MVP and Manager of the Year trophies over a tad \u2014 to make room for one more Manager of the Year trophy on that shelf.<\/p>\n

MY NL MANAGER TOP THREE: Mattingly, Walt Weiss, Clayton McCullough<\/p>\n