I think it's safe to say that Rays fans are glad it's the all-star break. It's not that we don't love the Rays, we do, but it's more like when your kid goes off to camp and you're relieved to have a few days to yourself at home. Since we're a little over the half way point lets take a look at the obligatory MVP's of the first half.
Offense:
Thanks to all of the injuries, and sub par performance for many others, there's only one real choice here: Ben Zobrist. He'll need a better second half to match his 6.6 WAR from last season, but he's already at a solid 2.5 and has the third best walk percentage in baseball (16%). He's the most consistent player the Rays have at the moment.
Pitching:
Many people are going with Fernando Rodney as the entire team's MVP at this point. He's been amazing and has helped stabilize the bullpen but I'm going with David Price's 111 innings to his 38. The rotation has had it's troubles this season with injuries and youth playing a part and it's been Price who has remained a constant. James Shields is pitching better than his 4.17 ERA would indicate but Price is well on his way to a third straight 4+ WAR season. In his last 14 starts he's worked into the seventh inning in 12 of them. He's an all star for a reason.
The schedule gets somewhat easier after the break and Matt Joyce is set to return soon. The team is only a half game out of a wild card spot. There's reason to be hopeful in the second half, lets just hope they can take advantage of it.
Links:
- The Process Report is live during the all-star break. Tommy & RJ have some great stuff up already on Hellickson's luck, Bulldog Davis, and the Process vs Ivan Nova.
- The worst All-Star selections ever.
- Jose Altuve is short, and the umpires are calling high strikes on him.That doesn't seem fair.