After a compelling All-Star game, MLB teams can now focus on buckling down and making a run at the playoffs in the second half of the season. Let’s take a look at what the awards would look like for the first half.

American League:
MVP – Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers. Miguel Cabrera could very well win the award, and possibly even the Triple Crown, but Josh Hamilton has been the man in 2010. Even though he hit .265 with only three bombs in April, Hamilton is still a legitimate Triple Crown threat at the All-Star break, which always sells plenty of MLB tickets. I fully expect Cabrera to continue to put up a monster season but Hamilton has been the best hitter in the league since May and continues to produce in the heart of a Rangers team that seems ready to coast to a division title. His strong arm in right field is also a game-changer.

Cy Young – David Price, Tampa Bay Rays. With a 12-4 record and the best ERA out of all A.L. starters (2.42), Price has finally arrived on the scene and should be a very good pitcher for a long, long time. The problem for Price is that Cliff Lee is in a zone and was just traded to the Rangers, which should guarantee many more wins than he had for the Mariners. Even after missing a month of the season and being backed by an anemic Mariners offense, Lee still went 8-4 with the best WHIP in the league (0.95), a 2.64 ERA and six complete games. Price deserves the award for the first half, but my money would be on Lee for the rest of the season.

Comeback Player of the Year – Vlad Guerrero, Texas Rangers. If you’re wondering whether or not the Rangers are for real, don’t. The Rangers have an outside chance of having players win the MVP, the Cy Young and the Comeback Player of the Year. After the Angels no longer wanted him, Vlad has been outstanding in the Rangers’ lineup. With a .319 average, 20 homers and 75 RBIs, Vlad is having one of his best overall seasons ever, which is nothing short of incredible. This one is probably a runaway.

National League:
MVP – Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres. This race comes down to three first basemen having great seasons. Albert Pujols and Joey Votto are both fine choices but Adrian Gonzalez is the only legitimate bat on the most surprising team of the season. Even though Gonzalez plays in the toughest ballpark to produce and has no other big bats in the lineup, he still has 18 homers, 56 RBIs and a .301 average so far this season. If the Padres can stay in first place and Gonzalez can push 40 long balls, Gonzalez should get serious MVP consideration. The problem is that Albert Pujols is having a bad season and is Kamagra Soft still one of the top producers in the National League. I’ll give Gonzalez the nod – for now.

Cy Young – Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins. Yeah, I know that Ubaldo Jimenez has 15 wins, but so what? Josh Johnson is the only N.L. starter with a sub-.200 ERA and is also leading the league with a 0.96 WHIP. If the Cy Young winner is supposed to be the most dominant pitcher in the league, then the award has to go to Johnson in the first half. The National League is stacked with pitchers having great seasons so it will likely go down to the wire, but Johnson would deserve the award based on his first half alone. The surprising thing is that Adam Wainwright is probably his biggest competition at this point, not Jimenez.

Comeback Player of the Year – Scott Rolen, Cincinnati Reds. After a plethora of injuries, it looked like Rolen’s career was about to be over. Instead, Rolen has been one of the best players in the National League in the first half this season with a .290 average, 17 dingers and 57 RBIs. Rolen is also still a very solid third baseman and is a crucial piece for a Cincinnati squad that was surprisingly in first place at the halfway mark. Troy Glaus is also having a nice comeback year as well, but not on the level of Rolen at this point.

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