With it being the All-Star break, your editors decided to put a bow on the first half of the MLB season.

The American League is shaping up to be a two-team race between the Yankees and Rangers. Each team leads their respective divisions thanks in large part to their offensive production. The Yankees have been beset with injuries on the mound, but have more than stayed afloat in the absence of CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera. Texas has not had much bad luck fall on them this season, save for the loss of Neftali Felix, and has been a near wire-to-wire leader in the AL West.

The team to look out for in the AL is the Angels, who have surged over the last month and a half, thanks in large part to Rookie of the Year favorite Mike Trout, who leads the league in batting average and stolen bases. The Angels boast a solid pitching rotation and have gotten great bullpen work out of players you’ve never heard of.

In the senior circuit (that’s the National League), things are a little more unclear. Your current division leaders are the Nationals, Pirates, and Dodgers.  Had you gone to Vegas in March and bet on that trifecta, you too would own a dressage horse by now.

Each of those teams, unlike their AL counterparts, have gotten by thanks to pitching. But the Natratgers are not the only contenders in the NL. San Francisco, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Arizona, and Atlanta all possess realistic shots at overtaking their division leaders.  Look for the NL to have a wild finish in late September.

AL MVP: Mike Trout (OF/Los Angeles)

NL MVP: Joey Votto (1B/Cincinnati)

AL Rookie of the Year: Mike Trout (OF/Los Angeles)

NL Rookie of the Year: Wade Miley (SP/Arizona)

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (SP/Detroit)

NL Cy Young: RA Dickey (SP/New York)

Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. The festivities (Anthem, player introductions, etc.) begin at 7:30 p.m. on FOX. The game will start sometime around 8 p.m. Matt Cain will start for the National League. Justin Verlander will start for the American League. The game is played in Kansas City, Missouri.

If don’t watch the All-Star Game, but you didn’t miss a Republican debate, you should be sent to North Korea immediately.