PHILADELPHIA – With the All-Star game behind us and the regular season getting deeper and deeper, the question now becomes who are the top five most valuable Bros for the second half of the season?
Which Bros give the most value to their team as far as winning is concerned?
1. Aaron Judge
After having the season of his life by winning the AL MVP, almost winning the triple crown, and become the AL single-season home run record holder with 62 big fly’s, Judge’s nine-year, $360 million contract that he was paid over the offseason makes him one of the most valuable players in all of baseball in itself.
However, with the dominance of the Rays and the surprise of the Orioles, the Yankees season has been a bit underwhelming to say the least. They’re currently fourth in their division and a game out of the last Wild Card spot.
Part of the reason is that Judge has only played in 49 of a possible 92 games this season, as he’s on IL with a right toe injury, which he suffered on June 3rd when making a sensational catch at Dodger stadium, tearing down part of their back wall in the process.
It’s not clear at this point when Judge will make a return, but one thing’s for sure, the longer he’s out, the larger the risk the Yankees have of missing the playoffs, which would’ve been unthinkable at the start of the year.
2. Mookie Betts
We all know that Mookie is a top player in baseball, and he continues to show he is with the season he’s currently having. But with about 70 games left in the year, Mookie must continue to be the top player he is, and has no room to slump.
For the past decade, the boys in blue have ran through the NL West. However, this year has been much different, as it’s nowhere near as easy as previous seasons.
The Dodgers aren’t as strong as they’ve been before, and teams like The Diamondbacks and Giants are much better now as well. If Mookie doesn’t continue to be the player he is, then the Dodgers could be in big trouble.
3. Corey Julks
With Yordan Alvarez still on the IL and Michael Brantley’s return very shaky, and with the Astros having a run for their money on being the best team in their division, Julks instantly becomes more valuable to the defending champs.
The Astros are two games behind the Texas Rangers for the AL West, which they’ve won in five of the previous six years. Houston’s been dealing with an unreal amount of injuries, meaning the season could be a lot worse.
The 27-year-old rookie has a .282/.326/.408 slashline, which is tremendous for this being his lone year in the bigs. If he can continue his hot start, he’ll play a huge role in Houston staying afloat, as they should make the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season, whether that’s winning their division or in the Wild Card.
4. Hunter Greene
Greene is currently on the IL with a right hip injury, and isn’t expected to be back until August. In the 14 games he’s started, he has a 3.93 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 73 1/3 innings pitched in only his second MLB season.
The reason his IL stint becomes so much more of a concern is because, other than being their ace for the next 10 years, for the first time in a while, the Reds are atop of the division, and are trying to be atop of the NL Central for the first time since 2012. They’re going to need Greene to come back stronger than ever in order to make this dream become a reality.
5. Taijuan Walker
After being 2 games away from their first World Series since 2008, the Phillies have hopes to get back to October to finish what they’ve started. They’re currently 13 games back in the division, and one and a half a game back from the final NL Wild Card spot.
The Phillies signed Walker to a 4-year deal in the offseason, and overall, he’s been terrific. He’s 10-3 on the year, picking up the win in his last six starts. Even though he didn’t start off great, he’s definitely been the Phillies best pitcher in the last month and a half.
The Phillies have a lot of work to do to get back in the playoffs, and with Walker playing the way he is, he makes their chances a lot better.
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