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MLB Awards Watch: Clayton Kershaw headlines All-Star break update

By Brad Rowland

Jun 15, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) winds up to throw during the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 15, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) winds up to throw during the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits an RBI single against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits an RBI single against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

A look at the MLB award leaders at the 2016 All-Star break

The All-Star break is a lot of fun, but it is also very weird. MLB takes a four-day break mid-season and, by nature of the rest of the calendar, virtually nothing of note occurs in the entire sports world. Still, it provides baseball fans with an ample break to evaluate what has transpired to this point in the 2016 campaign, and we will do just that with a check-up on the league’s award races.

Let’s get started, beginning with NL Rookie of the Year (with a no-brainer at the top) and moving on all the way through AL MVP at the end of the line.

NL Rookie of the Year

<p>Seager is in a class of his own when it comes to the NL ROY race right now. The impressive shortstop leads the way among NL rookies with a 3.9 fWAR and 3.2 bWAR this season, and that comes along with a slash line of .297/.357/.521 over 389 plate appearances. As if that wasn’t good enough, Seager has added 17 home runs and lights-out defense at perhaps the most important position on the diamond, and he leads in a runaway.</p>. SS. Los Angeles Dodgers. Corey Seager. 1. player. 71

SS. St. Louis Cardinals. Aledmys Diaz. 2. player. 32. <p>There is real debate between Diaz and Colorado’s Trevor Story in terms of position players behind Seager, but I’m rolling with the advanced metrics on this one. Diaz notably outpaces Story in both fWAR and bWAR (where Diaz is a top-10 player in the NL) and Story’s biggest advantage (power) is mitigated by the presence of Coors Field. Diaz leads by 50 points in on-base percentage with better defensive evaluations, and that is enough for me.</p>

71. <p>More than 100 innings of top-notch performance means that Maeda is worthy of inclusion. In 18 starts, the “veteran” rookie has a 2.95 ERA and he leads the rest of the competition (including Story and Steven Matz) in both WAR categories. The Dodgers desperately need this performance to continue in aid of Clayton Kershaw, and Maeda looks to be up to the task.</p>. SP. Los Angeles Dodgers. Kenta Maeda. 3. player

Next: AL Rookie of the Year

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