Red Sox ‘Midseason’ Awards: Who Is Team’s First Half MVP?

The Boston Red Sox technically completed the first half of their season back on June 24, but their midsummer break has finally arrived following a thrilling victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

It’s a good thing we waited to hand out awards, too, because they’re rolling.

Boston just completed its third consecutive series sweep, rattling off 10 consecutive victories to bring its record to 53-45 — good for sole possession of the second wild card spot in the American League.

How did they get here? Who deserves the most credit? Why should you be confident entering the second half? I decided to take on the responsibility of answering those questions, so let’s do exactly that. It’s time to hand out some awards to the very best (and worst) from an exhilarating first half in Boston:

MVP: 3B Alex Bregman

It’s probably a ridiculous choice considering he missed six weeks with an injury, but no one has brought more to the table for this team than Alex Bregman.

Bregman has literally transformed the way this team operates, serving as its best hitter when healthy (.299/.383/.552) and best coach when on the shelf — making all the difference in the world for youngsters Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. Boston just needs to find a way to lock him up.

Top Hitter: OF Wilyer Abreu

Bregman doesn’t qualify under my totally made up rules, so we move onto the next choice!

Wilyer Abreu has sneakily been the most prolific power hitter on the team all season, currently leading them in home runs (18) and topping every day players in slugging percentage (.496) and walks (29). It’s been apparent that keeping him in the lineup is among their top priorities moving forward.

Top Pitcher: LHP Garrett Crochet

I was originally going to split this between starters and relievers, but that would have been too obvious.

Garrett Crochet’s only real competition on this staff was Aroldis Chapman, and that’s saying something considering there have been some insanely impressive seasons from the likes of Brayan Bello (3.14 ERA), Lucas Giolito (3.36 ERA) and Garrett Whitlock (3.45 ERA). Crochet has been the guy, though, matching a 2.23 ERA with his league-leading 160 strikeouts and 129 1/3 innings pitched.

Most Improved: OF/IF Ceddanne Rafaela

Who knew the kid had a run like this in him?

Ceddanne Rafaela had a legitimate case to win out “best hitter” award, but he’ll have to settle for “most improved” after a first half in which he slashed .271/.313/.475 with 14 home runs, 21 doubles, 48 RBIs and made a push to be named an All-Star. You pair that with the best defense in the game and you’ve got yourself a star in the making.

Biggest Surprise: C Carlos Narváez

Carlos Narváez was supposed to be the backup!

Biggest Disappointment: C Connor Wong

Connor Wong was supposed to be the starter!

Best Moment: Rafaela’s walk-off home run vs. the Rays

It’s still fresh in the mind, but what else would have fit?

Rafaela’s blast to bring the club’s winning streak to eight games produced not only the reaction of the season, but helped capture the imagination of a dormant fanbase. Fenway Park was jammed full in the two games following the blast, and likely will remain that way throughout the summer.