MLB Midseason Awards 2024: Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge lead MVP winners, Paul Skenes shines as Top Rookie, and other standout picks

As MLB action resumes, it is time to look back on the first half of the year and decide which players are worthy of the midseason awards. There is plenty of time remaining in the year, so by the time the regular season wraps up, a number of midseason award recipients could change.

Although handing out midseason awards may not be a helpful indicator for the remainder of the year, it is important to acknowledge some of the league's top performers. Here, we will examine who has been delivering at the highest levels so far in 2024.

A closer look at the MLB midseason award winners and frontrunners this year

AL MVP - Aaron Judge

While a case could be made for New York Yankees teammate Juan Soto or AL East rival Gunnar Henderson, Aaron Judge has been the midseason MVP in the American League.

Coming out of the All-Star break, Judge leads the majors with a whopping 34 home runs and 85 RBIs. It's not just the power numbers that make his season impressive but also his strong .306 batting average.

NL MVP - Shohei Ohtani

New team, no problem. Shohei Ohtani made a high-profile move to the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason. Yet, the pressure that comes with signing the richest deal in North American sports has not bothered him.

Ohtani is behind only Judge in total home runs, clobbering 29 homers through 94 games this year. He remains a threat to win the Triple Crown in the NL this season.

AL Cy Young - Tarik Skubal

Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal has been incredible this year and takes the top pitching midseason award on this list from the AL. There was the hype surrounding Skubal coming into the year. However, he has exceeded the expectations of even his biggest supporters.

Skubal owns a 10-3 record with a 2.41 ERA and 140 strikeouts coming out of the break.

NL Cy Young - Chris Sale

Perhaps the biggest surprise this season has been Chris Sale. Although one of the top pitchers of his generation, injuries have sapped Sale of some of his prime seasons.

So, when he was acquired by the Atlanta Braves this offseason, it was not a huge deal. That being said, Sale has been tremendous for his new club and leads a tightly contested NL Cy Young Award race.

AL Rookie of the Year - Luis Gil

Yankees starter Luis Gil takes a midseason award spot as AL Rookie of the Year. That being said, there is a chance that Gil can fall off by the end of the year as he has struggled lately.

That being said, heading into the All-Star break, Gil has been an important piece for the Yankees this year. Wyatt Langford is looming large as a threat though and this award might be a close run thing.

NL Rookie of the Year - Paul Skenes

The NL Rookie of the Year Award has been one of the most difficult to decide given the number of new stars coming into the league. Paul Skenes, however, has continued to separate himself from the rest of the field thanks to his downright unstoppable performances.

If he can maintain this level, the award will be his. Shota Imanaga and Jackson Merrill also deserve to be mentioned here.