We interrupt your mid-July search for your favorite tube of sunscreen for this important announcement: Somehow or other, the All-Star break is going to arrive in like 15 minutes.
So yes, it’s that time again — time for me to hand out my coveted midseason awards. Best I can tell, this year’s awards ceremony once again will not be hosted by Hugh Grant, Hugh Jackman, Reggie Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Juan Samuel, Juan Pierre or Pierre Cardin. So I’ll just have to do this myself. Ready? The envelopes, please!
AL MVP of the half-year: Aaron Judge, Yankees
Aaron Judge looks to the dugout after launching another long ball. (John Jones / USA Today)
Gunnar Henderson is a both-sides-of-the-ball game-changer. But he’s not the American League MVP. Bobby Witt Jr. and Juan Soto can play for my team any time. But they’re not the AL MVP, either.
No, the AL MVP is one of those rare humans who feels larger than life, larger than the Empire State Building, larger than the sport he plays. Aaron Judge towers over everyone and everything these days. So I appreciate that he made at least one of these awards soooo easy to pick.
Has it dawned on us yet where Judge is headed over these next few months? And by that I mean: Toward one of the most spectacular offensive seasons of our time, or any time. His current pace is absolutely mind-warping:
| OPS+ | HR | AVG | OBP | SLUG | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
202 |
55 |
.307 |
.424 |
.672 |
143 |
(through Wednesday)
Just so you know, only two other men have ever had that year: