Occasionally, a team’s most valuable player isn’t the one going to the All-Star Game.
Take the Pirates, for instance. Superstar Paul Skenes is the only Pittsburgh player who was named an All-Star when the teams were unveiled this weekend, despite his rotation mate Braxton Ashcraft having a lower ERA and more strikeouts in the same number of starts.
Meanwhile, Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds have helped lift the Pirates’ offense from the worst in Major League Baseball last year to one of the best this season, but both were among the biggest All-Star snubs after the initial announcement.
So, for this week’s Power Rankings, we’ll shout out every team’s first-half MVP. Many will be representing their team at the All-Star Game on July 14 in Philadelphia (8 p.m. ET on FOX), but there are a few exceptions, as you'll find below.
Mike Trout was named an All-Star starter, and he’s trending toward returning from injury this week. Playing close to home in this All-Star Game clearly means a lot to him. Trout has been one of the Angels’ only offensive standouts in a bounce-back season, and they need his bat back ASAP with yet another season in free-fall.
The season can’t end soon enough for Royals fans, but Bobby Witt Jr. is not to blame. The superstar shortstop leads the American League in WAR.
Hunter Goodman is Colorado's lone All-Star rep, but he’s not going to Philadelphia simply because the Rockies needed a delegate. He ranks second in the National League in home runs behind only Kyle Schwarber and has the highest OPS of any qualified MLB catcher.
Juan Soto is about the only good thing going this year for the Mets’ woeful offense. The superstar is still doing his thing, leading the National League in on-base percentage and OPS.
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Juan Soto has battled some injuries this season, including a back problem in June, but he still leads the National League in OBP and OPS. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Giants’ season has been a mess on and off the field, but their one-year, $12 million flier on three-time batting champion Luis Arraez has been well worth the investment. He leads all second basemen in batting average and OPS and, most strikingly, has graded out as one of the best defensive players at his position. He could be one of the few All-Stars wearing a different uniform down the stretch.
The Reds’ rotation ranks in the bottom 10 in MLB in ERA. That’s hard to do when they have Chase Burns, who is 10-1 with a 2.40 ERA that ranks sixth among all qualified MLB starters. At 23, he’s already one of the best pitchers in the league.
There’s a strong argument for Dillon Dingler here, but I’ll go with Kevin McGonigle, who has emerged as the clear AL Rookie of the Year favorite after White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami went down to injury. McGonigle is almost neck-and-neck with Witt in bWAR, which is remarkable for a 21-year-old rookie shortstop. The Tigers are on the rise, though the climb ahead is steep.
Nick Kurtz ranks second in the American League in runs scored and RBIs, third in OPS and sixth in home runs, but it’s his .415 OPS that really stands out. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year leads MLB with 76 walks.
The Boston offense would be nothing without Willson Contreras. He leads the team in every slash-line category as well as home runs and RBIs and ranks fourth in the American League in OPS. He was one of the biggest All-Star snubs, but there’s still time for MLB to correct that.
In his first season in Baltimore, Pete Alonso has been the Orioles’ top offensive threat. He has 19 home runs and is tied for third in MLB with 60 RBIs. The Mets could sure use a guy like that.
There were huge expectations for Dylan Cease after he signed a $210 million contract, and is living up to them. Despite missing time with a hamstring injury this year, Cease still leads the American League in strikeouts. This is a close call, though, given the way that Louis Varland has stepped up as Toronto’s closer.
Byron Buxton was named an All-Star starter and deserved the honor, leading all MLB outfielders with 25 home runs and a .574 slugging percentage. Hopefully, he’ll be available to play in the game after hurting his hip again this past weekend.
The Diamondbacks’ offense has underwhelmed this year, but Corbin Carroll isn’t to blame. He leads MLB with 10 triples and ranks in the top six among qualified NL outfielders in slugging percentage and OPS.
Mason Miller is a perfect 22-for-22 in save opportunities, has an ERA under 1.00 and is striking out almost half of the batters he faces. Last year, the best strikeout rate for a qualified reliever was 38% by Edwin Díaz; Miller is currently at 48.2%. He is just about the only reliable thing going for a Padres team that finally snapped its losing skid at eight games.
The Yordan Alvarez MVP season might finally be upon us. He has been the best hitter in baseball this year, and it’s not particularly close. He’s hitting almost 100% better than league average, he’s the only qualified MLB hitter with an OPS over 1.000, and the Astros will have a chance in the AL West as long as he stays healthy.
Jacob Latz is a deserving first-time All-Star, but considering how average the offense remains, I’ll go with Josh Jung here. He ranks third in batting average and fourth in hits among all American League hitters. Speaking of average, the Rangers are .500 again.
James Wood has the same OPS as Shohei Ohtani (.926) and has scored an MLB-high 78 runs this year — 16 more than the next-closest player.
If there's a pitcher who could challenge for AL Rookie of the Year, it’s Parker Messick, who ranks fourth in WAR and sixth in ERA among all qualified AL starters.
Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds can share this spot, considering the lift they have given to an ascendant Pirates offense and the fact that both were snubbed from the initial All-Star roster.
Lowe leads all NL second basemen in homers, RBIs and slugging percentage. Reynolds has the third-highest on-base percentage in the NL, behind only Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani. They both rank in the top 20 in WAR among NL position players.
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Bryan Reynolds and Brandon Lowe (5) have resuscitated Pittsburgh's offense, but they were both snubbed from the initial NL All-Star roster. (Photo by George Gaza/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
A Mariners offense that ranks 25th in MLB in OPS has needed the production of Randy Arozarena, who leads all qualified Seattle hitters in every slash-line category and also has a team-high 19 steals. Last week was finally a definitive step in the right direction for Seattle, but this week’s trip to Miami and Tampa Bay will tell us more about the club.
Rookie JJ Wetherholt has a strong case here in terms of overall value, but I’m giving first-half MVP honors to Jordan Walker. He’s tied for the MLB lead with 67 RBIs, and he also leads the Cardinals in hits, homers, batting average, slugging and OPS in a breakout season.
Similar to the Pirates, I’m shocked the White Sox only got one All-Star rep (sorry, Davis Martin and Colson Montgomery). But if Miguel Vargas is the only player the South Siders send to the All-Star Game, he’s at least a worthy choice. The former Dodgers prospect is putting it all together offensively at 26 years old, trailing only Junior Caminero for the highest OPS among AL third basemen.
What a year it has been for both the Marlins and Otto Lopez, who’s more than deserving of his first All-Star nod. Lopez leads MLB in hits and batting average, and he also has the highest slugging percentage and OPS of any qualified MLB shortstop.
Cam Schlittler is coming off his worst start of the year for a free-falling Yankees club, but he remains the AL Cy Young frontrunner. He has the lowest ERA among all qualified AL starters and ranks in the top three in strikeouts and WHIP.
This is one of the easiest choices on the list. Pete Crow-Armstrong trails only Shohei Ohtani in fWAR and leads the Cubs in hits, homers and every slash-line category. His .910 OPS ranks in the top 10 among all qualified MLB hitters, and he also happens to be the best defensive center fielder in the game.
There’s a strong argument to be made here for Kyle Schwarber, who could be on his way to a 60-homer season, but I’m going to take the pitcher with the most wins above replacement in MLB. In fact, Shohei Ohtani is the only player in baseball worth more bWAR this year than Cristopher Sánchez, who has a 2.00 ERA while throwing the second-most innings in the sport. He’ll be in the Cy Young race to the end.
The Junior Caminero rise to superstardom is a sight to behold. He has 11 home runs in his past 12 games and 26 on the year to lead all third basemen. His .939 OPS ranks third in MLB behind only Yordan Alvarez and Juan Soto.
Matt Olson leads all National League first basemen with 22 home runs, and he leads the Braves in hits, runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. It should come as little surprise that he leads the team in WAR as well, just a tick ahead of Chris Sale.
Jacob Misiorowski is putting together one of the most overpowering seasons we have ever seen from a starting pitcher. He has the lowest ERA and the most strikeouts in MLB, and he could challenge for the highest strikeout rate from a qualified starter in MLB history.
I mean, is there any question? As a pitcher, Shohei Ohtani is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA. As a hitter, his .926 OPS ranks third in the National League. You can start getting his fifth MVP trophy ready now.
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