Major League Baseball Midseason Awards: American League

The 2017 Major League Baseball season is over halfway complete. As always, the first half has brought some stellar individual performances. I have decided to honor those men, with my second annual “midseason awards.”

To keep things relatively short, I have decided to break down both leagues in separate articles. Last week, I started with my favorite league, the good old NL. Now, I will complete this short series by going over the inferior American League.Unlike the National League, things have not exactly gone according to plan in the junior circuit.

Before the season started, the defending league champion Cleveland Indians were expected to romp over the rest of the Central Division. That has not been the case, as the scrappy Kansas City Royals are within three games of the Tribe for first place.

The Western Division was thought to be wide open, with the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Houston Astros all thought to have a shot. It has turned into a one horse race, however, with Houston being that thoroughbred.

In the east, the Boston Red Sox were thought to be the clear favorites. Although the Bosox are right in the thick of things, they have faced more competition than expected thus far, as they are in a fierce battle with the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. In short, nothing has gone according to plan in the AL.

Enough about the teams. This article is about the players that are the cream of the crop in the junior circuit. Let’s get into it.