Fansided

Let’s hand out some midseason MLB Awards

By Joshua Sadlock

TORONTO, ON - JUNE 17: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim bats in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 17, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JUNE 17: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim bats in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 17, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 02: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after his bases loaded walk, scoring Russell Martin #55 to win the game 5-4 over the Arizona Diamondbacks, during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on July 02, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 02: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after his bases loaded walk, scoring Russell Martin #55 to win the game 5-4 over the Arizona Diamondbacks, during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on July 02, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

National League MVP: Cody Bellinger

Mike Trout has always found himself atop the leaderboard for WAR across all of MLB, but he is actually well back of Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Cody Bellinger, who has registered 6.6 bWAR versus Trout’s 5.3 (both are clearly having very good seasons considering how few 10-WAR seasons there have been in the modern era). Bellinger has been so good that he is two wins clear of Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich, who would be running away with the MVP in most years.

Bellinger carried a batting average over .400 deep into the month of May before beginning to cool off slightly. He is still hitting .346/.442/.695 with 27 home runs and 67 RBI. He leads the major leagues with an OPS+ of 194 and has also played stellar defense in right field. Yet again, the Dodgers have the best record in baseball, and most of that falls on Bellinger’s offensive production.

Yelich’s performance cannot be overlooked, and there’s a case to be made that he deserves the award. Last year’s MVP has been even better this season, hitting .330/.428/.711 with 30 home runs and 66 RBI in 78 games. He has also stolen 18 bases.

Heading into the second half, the race between Bellinger and Yelich for NL MVP will be the best awards race to watch. They are both on track for historic seasons and are also leading World Series contenders.

Honorable Mention: Christian Yelich, Josh Bell, Pete Alonso

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