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We are in the final week before the All-Star break, so I figure it’s a good time to hand out some mid-season awards. In particular, let’s vote to see who you think should be the Most Valuable Player of the first half. We have four candidates for your consideration, but feel free to vote ‘Other’ and specify your candidate in the comments, along with why you think they deserve the award. But here’s some information on the names I have listed on the ballot. All stats are going into play Tuesday.
Corbin Carroll
Carroll has followed up his strong second half finish last season with an excellent first half this year. He is already only five home-runs short of his previous career high, and just became the first player in franchise history to reach double-digits in home-runs before the All-Star break. His overall OPS+ is a personal best of 144, and despite missing significant time with a fractured wrist, he still did enough to receive his second All-Star selection. A franchise record for triples, and career highs in most offensive categories could well prove achievable if he maintains his first half production.
Merrill Kelly
It has not been a good year for the Arizona pitching staff. But Kelly has been the closest thing the team has had to a reliable starter. His K:BB ratio is the best of anyone in the rotation, and Kelly’s FIP is also a career low at 3.47. His ten quality starts is three more than anyone else this year, and includes the best two starts of the year by an Arizona pitcher. The were both seven innings of one-hit ball, against the Rockies and the Braves, which resulted in Game Scores of 83 and 82 respectively. As Preston noted, since coming into the league, Kelly is one of the best pitchers not have played in an All-Star Game.
Ketel Marte
Justifiably voted by fans as the National League’s starter at second-base for next week’s All-Star Game, Ketel has taken his game to the next level this year. Despite playing in only 63 games, he still leads the team in bWAR (3.0). His .982 OPS is behind only Will Smith and Shohei Ohtani among qualified hitters. In particular, Ketel’s walk-rate is a career-high 13.2% – it’s the fifth consecutive season his number here has increased, and his strikeout rate is the lowest it’s been over that same time. He is also averaging a home-run every 12.2 at-bats, and his current OPS+ of 168 is thirteen points above any previous season.
Eugenio Suarez
Suarez had had a year to remember – over the past 365 days, he has hit 51 home-runs, a figure rarely scene in franchise history by any hitter. Geno has also closest of the candidates to an everyday player, appearing in all but two games – the absence being solely due to him being hit by a pitch on his hand. We’re not even at the break, and he’s already =31st on the single-season HR list. A top three finish seems quite credible, possibly even surpassing the 44 hit by Mark Reynolds back in 2009. His OPS+ is twenty-three points better than it was last season.
So, who have you got? Answers later in the week…