That Balls Outta Here
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Philadelphia Phillies first half awards: MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, top minor-leaguers

By John Town

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 8: Freddy Galvis #13 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on from the dugout in the eighth inning during a game against the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park on July 8, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Padres won 2-1. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 8: Freddy Galvis #13 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on from the dugout in the eighth inning during a game against the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park on July 8, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Padres won 2-1. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 07: Aaron Altherr #23 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a single in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park on July 7, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

Most Valuable Player-Aaron Altherr

This is the award I mulled over the most as no one was the bona fide standout player in the first half of the season. My co-expert George Stockburger said he would’ve given this award to Galvis, citing that his value as a leader and his defensive play would warrant the award. I was partial to Aaron Altherr, and with a majority of our Twitter followers selecting Altherr, I feel confident giving him this award.

Altherr started out the year as the team’s fourth outfielder, but with the early injury to Howie Kendrick and the poor play of Michael Saunders, Altherr saw more and more time in the outfield. Even when Kendrick came back, Altherr remained in the lineup with Saunders seeing less time before his eventual release.

Altherr started the year on a torrid pace with a .299/.388/.549 line and eight home runs in the first two months of the season. He cooled off in June with a .766 OPS but is starting to heat up again this month with an .804 OPS as of Sunday.

After Sunday’s action, Altherr has a .284/.356/.530 line to cap off the first half. His home run Sunday puts his total for the year at 14 and one behind Tommy Joseph for the team lead. Altherr has also driven in 44 runs, racked up 35 extra-base hits, and stolen five bases.

Besides Pat Neshek, he had the best case to be the team’s All-Star this year. However, with a stacked core of outfielders in the National League, Altherr was on the outside looking in.

Honorable Mentions: Galvis, Kendrick, Joseph

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