Every Team's MVP Through First Half of the Season

After the first 40 games of the season was completed, I examined each MLB team's roster and established who was the MVP to date for each team.

Here we sit now, 81 games in, and the legit teams are starting to take shape.

As before, there have been some surprise teams and players, which always seems to be the case, coupled with fantastic drama surrounding the greatest game.

With that being said, I will list whom I had as the team MVP at the 40-game mark with an updated MVP thereafter.

Enjoy!

Arizona Diamondbacks

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Jason Kubel

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Aaron Hill

Aaron Hill has been incredibly impressive throughout the 2012 season for the Diamondbacks. He is leading the team in batting with a .300 average.

While Paul Goldschmidt has come on strong, Hill has been solidly consistent throughout the season. He has 34 extra-base hits, tied with Goldy, but has two more RBI with a higher BA—which is what barely won him over in my eyes.

Of course, this could change come the 120-game mark!

Atlanta Braves

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES: 

Martin Prado

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Jason Heyward

I don't want to jinx anything, but it appears that Jason Heyward is starting to live up to his potential.

He does not own the highest batting average on the team—that honor still belongs to Martin Prado. He does have the most home runs; however, it is more than that.

Heyward also leads the team in extra-base hits with 32, while ranking second in OPS and third in RBI. 

Tommy Hanson was a close second choice for me.

Baltimore Orioles

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES: 

Adam Jones

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Adam Jones

Arguably the lifeblood of the rejuvenated Baltimore Orioles franchise, Adam Jones is leading by example.

He is leading the team in batting average with a .298 through his first 79 games of the season. He has already knocked in 19 home runs with 42 RBI.

Boston Red Sox

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES: 

David Ortiz

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

David Ortiz

It is genuinely difficult to think of any player who means more to a franchise than David Ortiz does for the Red Sox in 2012.

He has been the voice of reason, while putting on a display offensively that rivals some of the finest of his career.

Ortiz is making a strong bid for the AL MVP, something unheard of for a DH.

Chicago Cubs

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Bryan LaHair

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Starlin Castro

Castro has turned it on over the past few recent weeks. He is leading the Cubs in batting average with a .292, while driving in 40 RBI, second most on the team.

Castro has also shown his speed, swiping 16 bags on the season.

Chicago White Sox

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Paul Konerko

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Chris Sale

There is no shortage of players worthy of this honor on the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox, but in his last eight starts, Chris Sale has racked up six wins and two no-decisions.

He has been automatic for the ChiSox. His ERA in the past thirty days is just 2.00, which is 11th overall in baseball, sixth in the American League.

His nine wins this season leads all White Sox starters and equates to one more win than the bullpen combined.

Cleveland Indians

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Asdrubal Cabrera

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Chris Perez

Tied for second in all of Major League Baseball in saves thus far, Chris Perez has shut the door on 23 games for the tribe so far this season.

That is a significant contributing factor to the Indians being right behind the White Sox in the standings. Perez has 32 strikeouts in 30.1 innings pitched while owning a 2.67 ERA.

Cincinnati Reds

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Joey Votto

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Joey Votto

You can make a solid case for Joey Votto being the best player in baseball.

He certainly is the best player on the Reds. Currently leading the team in batting average with a .352, Votto is tied for third in all of baseball in that category. 

He leads all major leaguers in OPS with a 1.101.

The interesting thing about this argument is that Jay Bruce is right on his coattails in Cincinnati.

Colorado Rockies

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Carlos Gonzalez

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Carlos Gonzalez

CarGo is probably the best player on this list that will likely get traded before the July 31st deadline.

Currently tied for second with Ryan Braun in the National League for RBI with 58, he is only behind the NL leader, Carlos Beltran, by five RBI.

For the Rox, he leads the team in home runs (17) and batting (.338/.396/.598/.994), as well as extra-base hits with 39.

Detroit Tigers

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Austin Jackson

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Miguel Cabera

After a somewhat slow start to the 2012 season, Cabrera has come on strong to lead the Tigers in several offensive categories.

He leads the team in home runs with 16, doubles with 24, RBI with 65 and SLG with .538.

His 65 RBI is second in all of baseball, behind only Josh Hamilton in Texas.

Houston Astros

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Jose Altuve

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Jed Lowrie & Jose Altuve

It was a toss-up after 40 games, and it is still a toss-up now. Jed Lowrie and Jose Altuve are both important cogs in the lineup for the rebuilding of the Houston Astros.

While Alruve leads the team in batting average, OBP and doubles, Lowrie leads the team in home-run doubles, SLG and OPS.

Altuve adds the element of speed on the base paths, having swiped 12 bags thus far. However, he has been caught on five occasions.

Lowrie has only stolen two bases.

They literally balance each other out. Not to mention the two make for a nice infield duo.

Kansas City Royals

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Billy Butler

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Billy Butler

Staying strong through the first half of the season, Billy Butler still leads this young Kansas City Royals team.

He is the team leader with 16 home runs, 48 RBI, .500 SLG and .861 OPS.

In addition, he owns the second best batting average on the team at .290. 

Los Angeles Angels

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES: 

Jered Weaver

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Mark Trumbo

The Angels are another team with an embarrassment of riches. Should I go with Jered Weaver again? C.J. Wilson? Mike Trout is making a strong case for himself as well.

All things considered, Mark Trumbo is being overlooked on the national scale for his impressive season with the Halos.

Trumbo leads the team in home runs (20), RBI (55), SLG (.604) and OPS (.959) through the first half of the season.

This is an Angels team that has Albert Pujols on it...and his name isn't even in this conversation.

Los Angeles Dodgers

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Matt Kemp

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Chris Capuano

In the absence of Matt Kemp, the Dodgers have really had to rally as a team to stay as hot as they were in April and early May.

Several players have answered the call, but none more so than Chris Capuano.

Capuano is a career .496 pitcher with a lifetime 4.21 ERA and 1.332 WHIP. He is defying all knowledge and scouting reports to post a team-best 9-2 record with a career-low 2.62 ERA with a matching career-low 1.119 WHIP to boot.

Miami Marlins

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Carlos Zambrano

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Giancarlo Stanton

Has Giancarlo Stanton finally arrived? I think so.

He is leading the Marlins in OBP with a .364, SLG with a .555 and OPS with a .918. On top of that, his home runs are impressive. 

It feels like his team-leading 19 bombs are all just mind-blowing displays of power hitting.

Stanton also is leading the Fish with 50 RBI and 45 runs.

Milwaukee Brewers

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Ryan Braun

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Ryan Braun

While Zack Greinke is making a strong case for himself in the NL Cy Young category, this is still very much Ryan Braun's team honor.

Does he lead the team in runs? Check. Hits? Check. Home runs? Check. RBI? Check. Walks? Check. Batting average? Check. OBP? Check. OPS? Check.

It is worth noting that his 23 home runs is tied for fourth overall in major league baseball while leading the National League in the category.

Minnesota Twins

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Josh Willingham

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Josh Willingham

Joe Mauer may very well lead the team in batting average and be the face of the franchise, but Josh Willingham has been the heart and soul of the Twins' offense this season.

Willingham owns a .272 batting average, .383 OBP, a team best .551 SLG and leads the team with a .934 OPS.

He has 18 home runs and 59 RBI while adding 45 runs, all of which lead the team.

His 40 extra-base hits also tops the Twins' roster.

New York Mets

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

David Wright

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

R.A. Dickey

Credit where credit is due: I easily could have said David Wright here as well. He is having an All-Star worthy season and is a serious contender for the NL MVP.

That said, R.A. Dickey is having a monster of a season. His 12 wins leads Major League Baseball, let alone the Mets and the National League.

What's more, his winning percentage is insane. At 12-1, that equates to a league best .923 percentage.

Further down the spiral, he owns the league's best honor at WHIP as well, with an astounding 0.885. Dickey is the man to beat for the NL Cy Young at this point.

He has not lost a game since April 18th against the Atlanta Braves.

New York Yankees

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Derek Jeter

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano has come on strong while Derek Jeter has cooled off some.

Cano leads the Yankees with a .315/.374/.588/.963 batting line, 23 doubles and 44 extra-base-hits. He is tied with Curtis Granderson with 55 runs and 48 RBI respectively.

In other words, Cano has been as expected: incredible.

Oakland Athletics

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Josh Reddick

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Josh Reddick

Reddick has certainly earned his championship belt this season. He leads the A's with 19 home runs and 41 RBI, is tied for first with 13 doubles and is second on the team with four triples.

For those keeping score at home, that is 36 extra-base hits.

For those keeping score in Boston, yup, the Red Sox traded him for a pitcher yet to throw an inning for the Red Sox.

Philadelphia Phillies

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Jonathan Papelbon

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Carlos Ruiz

While the Phillies have not been performing as well as expected this season, Carlos Ruiz is performing above expectations in 2012.

The catcher leads the team in batting with a smooth .354/.418/.586/1.004 line, which gives him the fifth best OPS in all of baseball, fourth in the National League.

Pittsburgh Pirates

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Andrew McCutchen

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Andrew McCutchen

Those that just read the previous slide take note: Andrew McCutchen is one of only four players with a higher OPS than Carlos Ruiz with an amazing 1.024.

His .360/.411/.612 leads the Pirates, while that same .360 batting average is the best in all of Major League Baseball.

It is no wonder that the Pirates are over five games over .500 for the first time in July since 1992. Back then, they had a player by the name of Barry Bonds to help boost the club. Now, there's Andrew McCutchen.

San Diego Padres

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Chase Headley

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Chase Headley

When it comes to solid, reliable contribution on the baseball field, Chase Headley has provided that for the San Diego Padres.

Not only has he played in 81 games for the Padres this season, but he has maintained a .271 batting average while leading the team with 41 RBI and 19 doubles.

San Francisco Giants

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES: 

Melky Cabrera

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Matt Cain

Currently, Madison Bumgarner is  tied for fifth in baseball with 10 wins on the season. His 10 wins leads the Giants.

Ryan Vogelsong leads the Giants in ERA with a 2.26.

San Francisco is fortunate enough to have top-tier talents, like Bumgarner and Vogelsong, who have really helped shoulder the load for the pitchers this season.

However, Matt Cain has been the man in San Fran. Though Bumgarner has more wins (by one), he owns a 10-4 record, or .714 winning percentage. Cain is 9-3 with a .750 winning percentage.

Cain also leads the team in innings pitched with 113.2 and strikeouts with 114.

Not to mention his no-hit bid this season...

Seattle Mariners

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Kyle Seager

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Felix Hernandez

King Felix leads all of baseball with 122 strikeouts.

While his numbers will probably never be entirely glamourous while pitching in Seattle, Hernandez is obviously the best player on the team with no real need for explanation.

Put him on a team with run support, and he could easily win 25 games per season.

St. Louis Cardinals

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Carlos Beltran

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Carlos Beltran

There's no surprises here. 

Carlos Beltran remains the MVP of the Cards as of right now, but Matt Holliday is getting hot. 

Beltran still leads the team in RBI with 63 and HR with 20, but he no longer owns the most extra-base hits. That honor belongs to Holliday.

Beltran still has a .304 batting average, but that is only good enough for third on the Cards. On the back end, though, his .960 OPS does still lead the team.

Tampa Bay Rays

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Matt Joyce

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

David Price

For a team that is without their biggest star, David Price has made sure they've gone through only minor bumps in their season.

Price is tied for second among all Major League Baseball pitchers with 11 wins on the season. While he has the lower winning percentage among those tied (Gio Gonzalez 11-3, Matt Harrison 11-3, Price 11-4), he does own the better ERA of the trio at 2.84.

Through his first 16 games, he has logged 104.2 innings while striking out 97 batters.

Texas Rangers

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Josh Hamilton

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Josh Hamilton

With 25 home runs, 73 RBI and an American League best 1.025 OPS, it is hard to put anyone on the Rangers ahead of Hamilton.

This is yet another team with an embarrassment of riches. There are outstanding players like Adrian Beltre, Mike Napoli and Ian Kinsler who deserve credit, as well as the fine pitching staff across the board that has performed well for the Rangers.

At the end of the day, Josh Hamilton is the lifeblood of the team.

Toronto Blue Jays

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Edwin Encarnacion

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Edwin Encarnacion

Though Jose Bautista has come on strong, piling up a league leading 27 home runs, Encarnancion has had a balanced offensive attack that has helped guide the Blue Jays all season long.

He owns 22 home runs, 56 RBI and a team-best .296/.379/.570/.950 batting line while adding 14 doubles and 51 runs.

Right behind Encarnacion and Bautista, one has to give credit to Brett Lawrie, as well as the Jays' pitching staff.

Washington Nationals

MVP THROUGH 40 GAMES:

Adam LaRoche

MVP THROUGH 80 GAMES:

Gio Gonzalez

It has been a lot of fun watching the Nationals play this season. They have so many great players and storylines.

One of which being Gio Gonzalez. A player that was highly sought after from Oakland, he has provided the Nats with an 11-3 record through the first half of the season. That ties him for second overall in Major League Baseball for wins.

Hitters are only batting .195 off of Gonzalez this season, while he has racked up a 3.01 ERA and 1.12 WHIP through 95.2 innings of work with 112 strikeouts along the way.

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