MLB Midseason Awards: Who is leading the MVP, Cy Young, and ROY races?

Most teams have passed the 81-game mark. The season is just over halfway through. Let's take a look at the leaders for MVP, ROY, and Cy Young for the American League and the National League.
Chicago White Sox v Los Angeles Angels
Chicago White Sox v Los Angeles Angels / Ronald Martinez/GettyImages
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American League MVP

This award should be easy each year at this point. Shohei Ohtani is currently the odds favorite to win AL MVP. At -1450, he has a clear and definite lead over the second-place favorite, Corey Seager (+3500). Ohtani may eventually become prone to the "Lebron Effect" in which people get so tired of his success and contributions that voters look past him. That, however, is not the case this year. Ohtani is putting up other-worldly numbers as both a pitcher and a hitter.

As a pitcher, he has a 1.9 WAR with an ERA of 3.02, a FIP of 3.76, and a WHIP of 1.038. While he has been a little erratic this year (leading the league in wild pitches and hit-by pitches), his strikeout and hits/9 innings numbers are also best in the league.

While Ohtani is a strong pitcher, his hitting is where he truly shines. His slash line currently reads .309/.392/.666 (league-leading) for an OPS of 1.057 (league-leading) and an OPS+ of 184 (league-leading). He is also leading the league in total bases at 209 as of June 30th. Ohtani's total WAR currently sits at a ridiculous 6.5! Some players who will win MVP will top out at that number at the end of the year. He has achieved it only halfway through the year.

Players to watch: Corey Seager, Bo Bichette, Wander Franco, Marcus Semien