The MLB season has reached its midpoint, and the Boston Red Sox are shockingly half a game out of the playoff picture. Finally, the offense has begun to wake up to match the quality of the team's pitching and defense.
The Red Sox didn't make their miraculous turnaround with some stellar performances (and they wouldn't have needed such a massive swing without some ugly ones). Let's hand out some first half awards after a rollercoaster 94 games.
MVP - Willson Contreras
The Red Sox first baseman has been the heart and soul of the offense in the first half. He is having a career season, being just one of 11 players in MLB to have an OPS north of .900, and mashing 20 home runs while driving in 61. He is just the 13th Red Sox hitter to do that since 2002. Without him, the Red Sox would be nowhere this season.
Cy Young - Sonny Gray
Despite not making the All-Star team, the 36-year-old has been a model of consistency since the start of May. In 12 starts since May 1, Gray has gone less than six innings just twice, posted an ERA under 2.00 with a WHIP under 1.00. He has the second lowest ERA in the American League this season and he's been the best pitcher on the Red Sox in the first half.
Rookie of the first half - Payton Tolle
This came down to the three rookie pitchers: Tolle, Jake Bennett, and Connelly Early. Recency bias says Bennett should get the win, but Tolle has been just about as good for a longer stretch. In 15 starts, the giant lefty has a 3.11 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He has been steady, allowing more than three runs only twice, and pitched six-plus innings nine times. Tolle has shown an improved ability to work late into games this season with better secondary pitches, and is starting to show his top of the rotation upside.
Breakout player - Jake Bennett
This is where Bennett is going to get some love. The lefty was not on many people's radars despite being traded for the Sox's top pitching prospect. He was able to make his MLB debut in May and allowed five runs over 10 ⅓ innings in two starts before being sent back down to Worcester.
Since being called back up, he has been elite. In six starts since his June 10 call up, he has a 2.17 ERA, which includes four straight starts of six-plus innings and two or fewer runs. With the myriad of pitching injuries Boston has dealt with, his emergence has been much needed.
Gold Glove - Ceddanne Rafaela
Quietly, the Red Sox center fielder is reaching his potential in 2026. His bat is more consistent, and he has cemented himself in the two-hole in the lineup. The best part about it is that his defense hasn't suffered one bit.
Rafaela leads all Red Sox with 12 Outs Above Average in the first half. He ranks fourth in MLB in OAA and second among center fielders behind Pete Crow-Armstrong. Every single night Rafaela is putting up highlight reel catches.
Utility player - Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Kiner-Falefa has become a forgotten man since the emergence of Anthony Seigler, but his contributions to the first half shouldn't be. In 47 games, the 31-year-old hit .277 with a .705 OPS, but more importantly, played excellent defense around the infield. Izzy was +3 OAA at 2B, +2 OAA at SS, and +1 OAA at 3B. During a stretch where Trevor Story got hurt and Marcelo Mayer was finding his bearings, Kiner-Falefa held down the fort in the infield.
Biggest disappointment - Carlos Narváez
The Red Sox unfortunately have a not-so-shortlist of names for this award, from Roman Anthony to Garrett Crochet to Jarren Duran. Anthony and Crochet can be excused for injuries, and while Duran has been extremely underwhelming offensively, he has been a plus defender in left this season.
After an extremely promising rookie campaign, Carlos Narváez is a shell of what he was last year. He's hitting just .188 with a .524 OPS this season in 54 games. He posted a 2.8 bWAR in 2025, it's a -0.4 in 2026. Defensively, he's still been one of the better catchers in baseball, but his offensive output, or lack thereof, has kept him off the field a lot this season. Narváez looked like the next long-term backstop in Boston last season, but this year, a lot of that optimism has faded away.
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