As the calendar flips to July, that means the midway point of the 2026 MLB season has arrived. Every team has played roughly 81-85 games, so now’s a good time to look back at what’s transpired thus far.
There have been some major surprises, both with regard to teams and players, with many of those in the latter category deserving recognition.
Hardware for the 2026 MLB season won’t be handed out until after the postseason in November, but players can get their ceremonial trophies right now. Here are the current MLB award winners at the halfway mark of the season.
Most Valuable Player
AL: Yordan Alvarez, Astros, NL: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Arguably the two best positional players in the American League this year have been Bobby Witt Jr. and Kevin McGonigle. However, winning matters with this award—hence the word “valuable”—as Witt and McGonigle’s teams are out of the postseason picture. Thus, Alvarez gets the nod for keeping Houston afloat and posting a ridiculous split of .308/.424/.607. Alvarez leads the league in homers (25), OBP, SLG, OPS, and total bases as the Astros are on a 26-18 roll after being 10 games under .500 in mid-May.As for Ohtani, his unparalleled two-way brilliance makes him all but a lock to collect his fifth MVP award. While he’s not at a 50-homer pace like he was the last two years, his .412 OBP not only leads the NL but is a career-high mark. Then on the mound, his 1.58 ERA is second-best among those with at least 70 innings pitched. Thus, being a top five hitter in the NL, in addition to being a top five pitcher, makes Ohtani likely the second person ever to win five MVPs, only behind Barry Bonds and his seven wins.
Cy Young
AL: Cam Schlittler, Yankees, NL: Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers
Schlittler, a Boston native, looked like a future ace when he had 8 IP, 0 ER, and 12 K in a postseason win over the Red Sox last year, and the future is now. He’s been electric, topping the AL in ERA, strikeout-to-walk ratio, and pitcher’s WAR, and he’s doing it with truly only his fastball. Roughly 92 percent of Schlittler’s pitches this season have been some fastball variation, including his cutter and sinker. Amazingly, he’s generated swings on 53.4 percent of all of his pitches—second-highest in MLB—as the ball looks so appealing out of his arm but batters simply can’t get hits off him.While Ohtani has dazzled on the mound, the Dodgers using a six-man rotation means he simply won’t accumulate enough innings to make a run for this award. Thus, it comes down to Misiorowski and Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez. While the latter has the edge in WAR, his team has also played in three more games, allowing Sanchez to have one more start and rack up more innings than Misiorowski. Assuming health, this will all even out at the end, and Misiorowski holds the edge on nearly all of the other metrics, including ERA, strikeouts, FIP, and WHIP. Having 32 of the 36 fastest pitches thrown in 2026 certainly doesn’t hurt the lanky RHP, and he’s on the better team, which matters for some awards more so than others. The Brewers currently top the NL Central and have the second-best record in all of baseball, while Sanchez’ Phillies are second in their division and slotted fifth overall in the Senior Circuit.
Rookie of the Year
AL: Kevin McGonigle, Tigers, NL: JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals
McGonigle has been as good as advertised as the former No. 2 overall minor league prospect has lived up to the hype. He’s shown an uncanny batter’s eye for a 21-year-old, ranking in the top five in both walks and on-base percentage, while supplying elite defense at both shortstop and at third base. However, McGonigle is by no means a lock as if Japanese sensation Munetaka Murakami can continue his torrid home run pace once he returns from the IL, then this award will be a race until the end for a pair of AL Central rookies.The NL ROY is one of two awards that Wetherholt is on pace to take home, as the defensive whiz should also claim the Gold Glove award for his position. He leads all second basemen in defensive runs saved as that is just one of his many tools. He’s also on pace for over 20 home runs and is a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Cards, who jettisoned many veterans in the offseason. But Wetherholt’s breakout play has St. Louis in the Wild Card hunt at the midway point.
