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 Cy Young

As of June 30th, Shane McClanahan (+250) is leading the AL Cy Young vote. Close behind him is Framber Valdez (+350) followed by Kevin Gausman (+480). The gap between first and third place is very close, however.

McClanahan, a 26-year-old lefty, is the ace of the Tampa Bay Rays staff. He has been dominant ever since he came up to the majors three years ago. He has a league-leading 2.23 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.118 WHIP, and a league-leading 182 ERA+. He has been stellar all year for one of the best teams in the majors right now.

Framber Valdez is close behind McClanahan. Valdez has a 2.49 ERA, 2.85 FIP, 1.048 WHIP and a league-leading 170 ERA+. His 3.2 WAR edges out McClanahan's 3.1 WAR. Valdez has only failed to get past the fourth inning in one of his starts, and he has a complete-game shutout on his resume for the year.

The next closest contender is Kevin Gausman. Gausman, a right-handed strikeout pitcher, is leading the charge for the Blue Jays rotation. He strikes out just over 32% of batters he sees, and he has a league-leading 2.54 FIP to go along with 139 strikeouts. His WAR, however, sits at 1.8, significantly lower than Valdez and McClanahan.

Players to watch: Gerrit Cole, Joe Ryan, Shohei Ohtani, and Luis Castillo