Post-All-Star, the Awards Watch remains a battleground, with the major races narrowing and the betting markets aligning with the top contenders. Aaron Judge leads the AL MVP chatter despite injuries and a mid-rotation in the second half, while Cal Raleigh and Bobby Witt Jr. still lurk within striking distance. Shohei Ohtani holds a comfortable edge in the NL MVP race, while Pete Crow-Armstrong has slipped on the back end of the list as Fernando Tatis Jr., Kyle Tucker and company press. In the Cy Young realms, Tarik Skubal anchors the AL, and Paul Skenes does the same in the NL, as the Rookie of the Year field features Nick Kurtz and Isaac Collins among others with Brewers and Athletics delivering surprising punch. The landscape is far from decided, but the march toward playoff-entrance and late-season surges could reshape the final ballots in a hurry.

Judge’s late-season health will be the hinge for the AL and a potentially runaway homerhauser if Raleigh’s prodigious pace continues. On the NL side, Ohtani’s two-way value remains the most consequential stat line in the race, reinforced by stronger late-season mound work that could push his overall WAR over the top. The biggest movers—like Guerrero in the AL and Collins in the NL—demonstrate that second-half bursts can tilt the scales, especially if a playoff push turns a team into a true contender. For fantasy fans, the takeaway is simple: track health and workload, because a hot stretch can swing both awards and fantasy value in tandem.

Races are fluid, but the current alignment between Awards Watch and ESPN Bet makes for a compelling narrative going into the stretch drive. Expect continued shuffles in the top tiers as teams jockey for position, and stay alert for late-season surges from sleepers who can swing not only hardware ballots but fantasy leagues alike.