It is mid-season and the All-Star break, It has been one wild first half, to say the least. Home runs are up 20 percent from last year. Teams are on pace to break the single-season overall home run record set back in 2917, which is 6,105.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are running away with the National League West with a 60-32 record. They currently have a 13.5 game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The American League-best record race is going to be fun to watch. The Houston Astros, New York Yankees, and Minnesota Twins are all close together in the record. Here are the picks for mid-season baseball MVPs.
NL MVP Cody Bellinger
Cody Bellinger is the best player on the best team in baseball. Christian Yelich made it a tough decision because he is having an outstanding season himself. Yelich is hitting .329 with 31 home runs and 67 RBIs. Bellinger is hitting .341 with 30 home runs and 71 RBIs. Also what separates Bellinger from Yelich is that he is a stronger defender. The Dodger star has eight outfield assist on the season and just one error. It will be interesting to see how these two guys play the rest of the season. At the Plate Bellinger has dropped his strike rate from 23 percent down to 14 percent so far this season. It looks Bellinger has finally figured out big lead pitching.
AL MVP Mike Trout
Mike Trout is the clear cut front runner for the mid-season American League MVP this year. Mike Trout is batting .300 with 26 home runs and 63 RBIs. Also, he leads the AL in slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Trout has lowered his strikeout rate 20 percent to 18 percent so far this season. With Trout strikeout percentage going down, he raised his contact percentage to 85 percent this season. In the Last game before the all-star break, Trout homered twice and made a nice grab in the outfield. Hopefully, the Angels can get it together soon so us as fans can see Mike Trout in the Playoffs.
