The All-Star break is a week away and we here at MLBbro.com are giving out our first half awards to the brothas who made a difference on the diamond… so far.
Outstanding Player: Aaron Judge, Yankees — All Rise!!! Man, this guy can wield the stick. Judge is 33 and there isn’t any sign of slowing down. Entering Sunday’s action against the Mets, Judge has reached base safely in 80 of his 89 games and has a slash line of .361/.471/.731 with 32 home runs and 71 RBIs. According to Baseball Reference, Judge leads the Major Leagues in WAR at 6.6 and that’s 1.6 points above the next highest player, Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Best Rookie: Cam Smith, Astros — Last July, he was drafted by the Cubs. Five months later, he was traded to the Astros as part of the deal that sent outfielder Kyle Tucker to Chicago. All Smith has done since that is play like a 10-year veteran. Cam is second only to Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez in Baseball Reference’s Wins Above Replacement among rookie position players at 2.5. Smith has a slash line of .292/.359/.446 with seven home runs and 39 RBIs. He also ranks second on the team in defensive runs saved with eight.
Best Defender: Denzel Clarke, Athletics — He’s been in The Show since May and has already won the Electric Play of the Week four consecutive weeks from the week of May 26 to the week of June 16 for his acrobatic catches in center field. He won the award by making either a diving catch or climbing the walls to rob an opponent of a home run. Guess who his defensive hero is? Former Red Sox Bro Jackie Bradley Jr., who won a Gold Glove for the Red Sox in 2018.
Outstanding pitcher: Hunter Greene, Reds — There aren’t many Bros on the hill, but Greene stood out. When he wasn’t hampered by groin issues, Greene was dealing on the mound, striking out 73 batters in 59.2 innings with a 2.72 ERA. He relied heavily on his four seamer and slider and opposing hitters went a combined 39-for-208 [.188] against those two pitches. Greene will likely return to action after the All-Star break. He is going to have a rehab assignment this coming week.
Best closer: Kenley Jansen, Angels — Still going strong at 37, Jansen is a reason the Angels are one of the most improved teams in the American League. Besides saving 15 games for the Halos, Jansen has allowed three runs in his last 13.1 innings for an ERA of 2.06.
Comeback Player: George Springer, Blue Jays — Entering the season, it’s safe to say that Springer was a bust with Toronto after signing a six-year, $150 million deal with the Blue Jays in December of 2020. In his first four years with Toronto, Springer had a slash line of .251/.328/.764. Year Five is a different story as he has a slash line of .284/.379/.513 with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs. The way he is going, Springer could drive in 90 runs for the first time since 2019 when he was with the Astros.
