While starting off on the right foot in a long 162 game season is important for the overall success of your team, the heroes of the second half rarely get recognized the way the first half All Stars do. This is a continuation of the previous second half MVP’s article from the American League. In this article, one hitter and pitcher from each National League division will be recognized for their contributions to their teams post-all star break.
East: Francisco Lindor (SS) New York Mets & Chris Sale (LHP) Atlanta Braves
If it weren’t for Shohei Ohtani and his historic 50/50 campaign this season, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor would almost certainly be the frontrunner for the National League MVP Award. Since the All Star break, Lindor has hit for a slashline of .303/.364/.564 for a .928 OPS.
He added 14 home runs to his season total in the second half, currently having 31 homers. Lindor has been crucial to the Mets push for a postseason spot in 2024, hitting .325 in the month of August and providing the veteran leadership in the field for one of the best teams in the second half.
Chris Sale had an incredible second half to solidify what should be his first Cy Young Award. Sale has recorded a 1.86 ERA to this point in the second half, holding opponents to a .239 batting average against him.
Sale maintained a consistent 5.6% walk rate the entire season, and he’s been a stable part of a team that rarely saw stability the entire season throughout their roster.
Central: Jackson Chourio (OF) Milwaukee Brewers & Paul Skenes (RHP) Pittsburgh Pirates
One of the most improved players from the first half of the season to the second was Brewers rookie sensation Jackson Chourio. In the first half of the season, the 20-year old hit .243 but in the second half he’s completely turned things around now hitting .310, with a .368 on base percentage, and a .572 slugging percentage.
Chourio hit 12 home runs in the second half compared to nine in the first half, and even stole 11 bases which was one more than his total from the first half. Chourio has shown potential to be a possible 30/30 even a possible 40/40 player after this second half.
After his unprecedented start to his major league career, the hype around Pirates 2023 number one overall pick Paul Skenes never died down. Skenes remained dominant as one of baseball’s best and most feared pitchers, and stayed tight in the race for National League Rookie of the Year.
Skenes threw around the same amount of innings in the second half and put up very similar numbers to his first half. He’s recorded a 2.09 ERA in the second half to this point, and has held opponents to a .199 batting average against him.
While Skenes saw his advanced numbers drop slightly such as his strikeout rate, and his walk rate rise slightly, he was still undoubtedly the biggest contributor on the mound across the entire National League Central division.
West: Eugenio Suarez (3B) Arizona Diamondbacks & Dylan Cease (RHP) San Diego Padres
Eugenio Suarez is another one of the players in the majors that improved vastly from the first to the second half of the season. In the first half, Suarez hit .216 and in the second half he hit for a .314 average. In September especially when it mattered most, Suarez has hit at an unreal .380 clip.
One of the league’s most underrated power threats hit 19 home runs in the second half, currently totalling out 29 this season. With the Diamondbacks looking to make another run in the postseason to defend their National League Pennant, Suarez production has been massive to their success.
Arguably the scariest rotation to face in the postseason belongs to the San Diego Padres. With starters like Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Michael King, and Dylan Cease, taking a series of seven against San Diego will undoubtedly be a challenge for any opposing team.
Cease has been the best piece out of this Padres rotation, and has been everything the Padres could want him to be. He’s recorded a 2.47 ERA in the second half, holding opponents to a .180 batting average. Most notably, Cease threw the second no hitter in Padres history in July against the Nationals.