MLB At The Break

OK, Major League Baseball is way past the halfway mark with most teams having around 70 games to go before the season ends. However, Tuesday's all-star game is the unofficial halfway mark with the pennant drive moving at top speed when teams head back.  Here's my look at the first half winners and losers

BEST TEAM: Los Angeles Dodgers --The Oakland Athletics may have the most wins in the majors, but they aren't even as close to being as talented as the Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw is having one of the best years a pitcher has ever had in the majors while Josh Beckett, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu give the Dodgers one of the best rotations that baseball has seen since the days of Smoltz, Avery, Glavine and Maddux in Atlanta.

WORST TEAM: This should perhaps be re-labeled as most disappointing team and that falls squarely on the shoulders of the Texas Rangers. They had won 90 games each of the previous four seasons to go along with two American League Championships. They now have the least wins out of any team in baseball. Its time for this team to start over again.

AMERICAN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

•  Cy Young Award ---Felix Hernandez (Seattle)

                   King Felix is dominant. He is the best pitcher in the American League with a record of 11-2, an ERA of 2.12 and just 25 walks compared to 154 strikeouts

•  Rookie of the Year --Jose Abreu (Chicago)

                      The Cuban defector has smacked 29 homers for the White Sox and is a legitimate bet to hit between 45-50 if he stays healthy. How can you not pick this guy!

• MVP  --Robinson Cano (Seattle)

                     The Mariners have the best pitcher in the game and they have one of the top players in Cano as well. The decision to sign him as a free agent could pay off in a playoff spot for a Seattle team currently holding down a wild-card spot.  He doesn't have the power numbers that an Edwin Encarnacion (who might have had this had it not been for his injury) or Mike Trout has, but he is batting 339 and has come up with big hits time after time after time for the Mariners.

NATIONAL LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

• Cy Young Award  -- Clayton Kershaw (LA Dodgers)

                       The lefty has been lights out. His June saw him go on a scoreless streak of 41 innings. He has thrown a no-hitter. He has an ERA of under 2. There is no better player in the game than Kershaw right now

• Rookie Of The Year -- Billy Hamilton (Cincinnati)

                  The word on Hamilton was if he could hit, he would be special. He has shown he can hit improving his average every month to the point it now sits at 285 with a surprising 5 homers. Hamilton will steal close to 70 bases this year and is a major reason why the Reds are trying to secure a wild-card spot in the National League if not a division title in the Central

• MVP  --Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado)

                   The Rockies shortstop has just continues to get better and better. He is hitting 345 this season with 21 homers. His only problem is the team isn't doing well and voters will likely look at guys on playoff teams like Atlanta's Freddie Freeman or Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

American League Wild Card  --- Seattle and Kansas City  (This could change to the Blue Jays if they can get themselves a first class pitcher by the end of July)

American League Division Winners  --- Baltimore, Detroit and Oakland

National League Wild Card ---San Francisco and Pittsburgh
National League Division Winners --Washington, Cincinnati and the Dodgers

ALCS  ---Oakland vs Baltimore
NLCS  ---San Francisco  vs   Dodgers

World Series ---Dodgers over Oakland