Major League Baseball is now officially halfway through its season. Which only means one thing-it is time to hand out the Mid-Season Awards in each league.

From Chipper Jones to Dan Uggla, Milton Bradley to J.D. Drew, several offensive players deserve some serious consideration for their outstanding offensive production in the season's first 81 games, making the midway MVP selection in each league a difficult decision.

Several pitchers-such as John Danks, Justin Duchscherer, Jair Jurrjens and Tim Lincecum-were excellent in the first-half as well.

None of the aforementioned players, however, cracked the list.

So, without any more delay, here are my picks for the Mid-Season Awards.

American League

MVP: Josh Hamilton, OF Texas Rangers-Hamilton's teammate, Milton Bradley, has a higher batting average, OBP, slugging percentage and OPS, but the former number one overall pick has been more valuable to his team. First of all, he adds value with his defense in the outfield, unlike Bradley, who is the Rangers' full-time designated hitter. Second, the sweet-swinging slugger has been able to remain on the field, which has been difficult for him ever since the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected him with the first overall pick, ahead of Josh Beckett, in the 1999 First-Year Draft. Hamilton, in fact, has played in 80 games, only 10 fewer than his season total in 2007, when he hit 19 home runs as a rookie for the Cincinnati Reds.

Plus, while Bradley only nearly has as many homers as his fellow slugger in nearly 100 fewer at-bats, Hamilton was one of the most productive hitters in the majors through in the first half in his own right. He posted a line of .312/.362/.565, for the sixth-highest OPS in the league. Not to mention, the 27-year-old is currently tied with Grady Sizemore for the circuit lead with 19 homers and is the majors' leader in RBIs. In fact, with 79 RBIs, he is on pace to drive in 157 runs this season. With Ian Kinsler and Michael Young batting in front of him, he will get plenty of RBI chances in the second half, making it likely that he will get close to that lofty total.

With his tremendous arm and athleticism, Hamilton has been invaluable to the Rangers, who, despite a relatively thin starting rotation, remain in contention in the West. Texas is a pretender for 2008. In the near future, though-with Hamilton and several up-and-coming prospects-the club has a strong chance to make its first appearance in the postseason since the Juan Gonzalez era in Arlington.

Honorable Mention: Milton Bradley, Texas Rangers; J.D Drew, Boston Red Sox; Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

Cliff Lee (Associated Press)

Cy Young Award: Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians-Scott Kazmir is ineligible because he missed all of April, though the Tampa Bay left-hander was the best pitcher in the league from May on. Kazmir, who posted the lowest opponents' OPS (.577) and a ridiculous ERA+ of 178 in the first half, has won seven of his 11 starts, guiding the Rays to the majors' best record at the season's halfway mark.

Lee, though, has come a long way in the past year, going from the minors to perhaps starting the last-ever All-Star game at Yankee Stadium in less than 10 months. While the Indians' anemic offense has prevented the club from making a first-half push in the wide-open AL Central division, Lee and the rest of his rotation mates have done their part to keep the team afloat. It is hard to argue with his numbers so far: he is 11-1 in 15 starts, posting a 2.34 ERA, 177 ERA+ and .597 opponents' OPS in 103.7 innings pitched. Many writers were skeptical of Lee's torrid start in April, but he has silenced the critics, limiting opposing hitters to a line of .237/.267/.330 while compiling a 90-to-16 K/W ratio. His surprise pre-midpoint performance has been of the season's best stories..

Honorable Mention: John Danks, Chicago White Sox; Justin Duchscherer, Oakland Athletics; Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay Rays Shaun Marcum, Toronto Blue Jays

Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays-Since his call up from Triple-A Durham on April 12, Longoria has been invaluable to the best-in-baseball Rays, batting .270/.342/.529 with 15 homers and 47 RBIs. A Gold Glove candidate and a regular on the highlight-reel, he has also upgraded the team's infield defense by playing an excellent third base.

With his production at the plate, he is showing why he was dubbed the top prospect in the minors in numerous offseason publications, as he is leading American League rookies in nearly every offensive statistical category-extra-base hits (37), homers, slugging percentage and OPS (.871). His call-up has coincided with the Rays' turnaround from a poor start. In fact, since the former first-round pick joined the club two weeks into the season, Tampa Bay is 44-27. This is not a coincidence, folks. Longoria, leading his team in homers and RBIs, has been one of the most productive hitters in a lineup that has struggled to score runs at times.

Outfielder David Murphy has gotten some publicity, as he is top among major league rookies with 52 RBIs. He has had numerous opportunities to drive in runs down in Texas, however, and needs to improve upon his .306 on-base percentage. Boston center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, an excellent defender, has swiped 34 bases in 38 attempts while hitting .272/.349/.389. He is leading AL newcomers with 54 runs scored, but the '07 World Series hero has not been as productive as Longoria.

Honorable Mention: Joba Chamberlain, New York Yankees; Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox; Greg Smith, Oakland Athletics

National League

MVP: Lance Berkman, Houston Astros-This was easily the most difficult award to pick. Chipper Jones is flirting with .400. A pair of second baseman in the NL East, Chase Ultey and Dan Uggla, have combined to hit 46 homers already. Utley is also playing stellar defense at the keystone for a first-place team. And then there is St. Louis stud Albert Pujols, who has 17 homers and a stellar 1.123 OPS.

Nonetheless, Berkman is the Mid-Season Most Valuable Player on the Senior Circuit, in my eyes.

The Houston Astros are 10 games back in the NL central, perennially one of the weakest divisions in the weak National League. Thus, my selection may come as a surprise. Many people associate this award with winning. As a result, therefore, many writers fail to recognize the actual best performer-see Rollins, Jimmy, 2007. Berkman, however, had the strongest first half, as he put together one of the best 81-game performances baseball has seen in some time. The Houston first baseman, in fact, was an absolute monster during that stretch, batting .364/.444/.690 in 313 at-bats. He has also posted the majors' highest OPS (1.135), OPS+ (198) and slugging percentage, is second in the NL in batting average and RBIs and third in homers (23). If it was not for Jones, who is leading baseball with a .394 batting average, Berkman would have a legitimate shot at the circuit's Triple Crown, more so than Josh Hamilton in the other league.

Honorable Mention: Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves; Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals; Chase Ultey, Philadelphia Phillies

Edison Volquez (Associated Press)

Cy Young Award: Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds-Volquez, who came to the Reds in the Josh Hamilton deal, had a breakout first half, going 10-3 with the best ERA (2.08 ERA) and ERA+ (214) in the National League at the midpoint. In 16 starts, the 24-year-old right-hander has posted a stellar 113-to-43 K/W ratio (those Ks ranks second in the league) while limiting opposing hitters to a line of .202/.308/.281 and only four homers. With such a strong nucleus of young stars-Jay Bruce, Jonny Cueto, Volquez and Joey Votto-the Reds should be a force in the Central for years to come.

Tim Lincecum was stellar in the first half as well, going 9-1 with 2.38 ERA, league-best 114 Ks and a 1.24 WHIP. The San Francisco Giants received a good amount of grief for selecting the right-hander so early in the 2006 draft, because of the then-University of Washington star's unorthodox mechanics. But Lincecum, who broke the Pac-10 record for strikeouts during a standout collegiate career, has silenced the critics with his tremendous performance over the past two seasons, emerging as one of the premier young starting pitchers in the National League. In 40 career starts, he is 16-6 with 264 punchouts and a 3.30 ERA.

Honorable Mention: Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks; Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants; Ben Sheets, Milwaukee Brewers; Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks

Rookie of the Year: Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs-Odds are pretty high that this award will end up in Chicago at the end of the season, with Cub rookies Kousuke Fukudome and Soto the leading candidates in the race right now. Soto was better than his teammate in the first half, though, establishing himself as one of the majors' most promising young catchers. The Pacific Coast League MVP in '07, his success from his September call-up in '07 carried over in the spring. A late bloomer at 25, he finished the first half with a line of .281/.367/.513 for the first-place Cubbies. His .880 OPS is the highest rookie total in the majors, and he is second among the group, behind Longoria, with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs.

Fukudome has been a tremendous addition for Chicago, posting a .405 on-base percentage in the season's first 81 games while playing above-average defense in right field. A versatile player with tremendous athleticism, he is leading rookie-eligible players with 55 runs scored and ranks second with 83 hits. Just like Akinori Iwamura, however, his power has not translated to the American game as expected, with deeper ballparks and advanced pitching. Plus, at 31, he is hardly a true rookie. He had an excellent first half, but, as a decent defensive catcher with above-average arm strength, Soto is more deserving of the award at this juncture.

Atlanta Braves rookie starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens is enjoying an excellent season as well. Jurrjens, who was acquired by Atlanta in the deal that sent Edgar Renteria to Detroit, offered a huge boost to the Braves' rotation in the first half, going 8-3 with a 2.94 ERA in 16 starts. If he can continue to be effective the remainder of the summer, he will pose the biggest threat to the Cubs' chances of producing a Rookie of the Year for the first time since Kerry Wood earned the award back in 1998.

Honorable Mention: Kosuke Fukudome, Chicago Cubs; Jair Jurrjens, Atlanta Braves

Major League Front Office of the Year: Tampa Bay Rays-While managers are important-Joe Maddon is a good match for the Tampa Bay clubhouse and has done a fine job guiding his team-personnel decisions make more of a direct impact in the standings and are far more important than any manager's "leader of men" qualities or abilities as an in-game strategist. With that being said, Andrew Friedman, Gerry Hunsicker, Matt Silverman and crew have done a tremendous job putting together a winning product on the field down in St. Petersburg, finding the right mix of young talent and quality veterans, such as closer Troy Percival.

No, I do not buy the "any team could be good if they got to pick early in the first-round for 11 straight years" mindset. First of all, look at the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have had the same luxury of picking early in the draft but are still miles away from relevance in the inferior league. Plus, in the Rays' 2008 starting lineup, Longoria and B.J. Upton are the only former first-round picks selected by Tampa Bay. Granted, the trade of Delmon Young, the first pick of the 2003 draft, brought the club's number three starter, Matt Garza, and starting shortstop, Jason Bartlett, to St. Petersburg. If anything, though, Friedman deserves credit for pulling the trigger on that risky deal, which has helped shore up Tampa Bay's infield defense and starting rotation.

Honorable Mention: Boston Red Sox

To contact Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.

Note: This article first appeared on Rays Digest.

At the midway point of the 2008 season, it is a great time to review the performances of every player featured in the Rays' Pre-Season Top 10 Prospect List. (I decided to go with the list compiled by Cork Gaines over at Rays Index.)

The highest-ranked prospect on the list, Evan Longoria, is making a strong case to get elected to the American League All-Star team, and is the mid-season favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors.

While Longoria is already making an impact at the major league level, there are many other prospects in the Tampa Bay system enjoying fine seasons, though injuries have set back a prospects number six and nine, Desmond Jennings and Eduardo Morlan.

1. Evan Longoria-3B, Tampa Bay Rays: Longoria has been a force at the hot corner, emerging as one of the Rays' most consistent offensive players while playing excellent defense at third base. He is batting .270/.342/.529, and currently ranks seventh in the American League with 15 home runs. The mid-season favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year, he is second among Tampa Bay regulars (behind Eric Hinske) with an .870 OPS, which is also the second-highest total among rookies in the majors. He is tops among newcomers with 36 extra-base hits as well.

2. David Price-LHP, Montgomery Biscuits: With his performance thus far, Price has proven why he was the consensus top amateur prospect entering the 2007 draft. Although he did not make a professional appearance after signing a record deal at the August 15 deadline, he still placed in the top three of every single Tampa Bay top prospect list this winter. Headed into the upcoming offseason, he will undoubtedly fill the top spot on next year's round of lists. After going 4-0 with a 1.82 ERA and 37-to-7 K/W ratio in six starts at Vero Beach, the lanky left-hander earned a promotion to Double-A earlier this week.

David Price (AP)

In his first outing at Montgomery, on June 25, he scattered four hits in six solid innings, striking out seven to earn his first win. In seven combined starts, he is 5-0 with a 1.99 ERA, posting a 44-to-11 K/W ratio while holding opponents to a .182 batting average in 40.2 innings pitched. If he continues to miss bats and put up zeroes, he could earn another promotion in the near future, though the odds of him becoming the 2008 version of Joba Chamberlain are fairly slim.

3. Jake McGee-LHP, Montgomery Biscuits: When the organization decided to promote Jeremy Hellickson and Price to Montgomery, it was not too difficult to imagine the Biscuits, with a starting rotation featuring four of the premier pitching prospects in the minors, dominating the Southern League in the second half. The week did not go according to plan, however, as Hellickson surrendered five homers in his first Double-A start and McGee tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. The 22-year-old southpaw will undergo Tommy John surgery-another patient for baseball's busiest doctor, James Andrews-and is out indefinitely.

Before the injury, McGee was 6-4 with a 3.94 ERA in 15 starts. He was among Southern League leaders with 65 strikeouts and a 1.31 WHIP as well. While he is still young enough to make a full recovery-and could come back throwing harder than before, though there are few lefties in the minors who can match his pre-injury, mid-90s velocity-the pitching depth in the Tampa Bay farm system was dealt with a huge blow.

4. Wade Davis-RHP, Montgomery Biscuits: Deciding between Davis and McGee was really a toss-up this winter, with several prospect writers going with McGee, despite his below-average secondary offerings, for one reason-he is a lefty. Although the right-hander in the talented tandem struggles with his command at times, he has a true power arm with an excellent curve ball and arguably the highest upside of any pitcher in the Rays' system-perhaps except for Price, whose excellent command rivals any pitching prospect in the minors. In 16 starts, he has had some ups and downs for the Biscuits in the first half, posting a 7-5 record, 62-to-38 K/W ratio and 1.35 WHIP while surrendering only five home runs in 88.2 innings pitched. His numbers were inflated after his poor outing on June 18, when he did not make it through the third inning, walking five while allowing six earned runs in 2.1 innings.

Update: Davis' record dropped to 7-6 on Sunday, as he allowed all five runs in the Biscuits' 5-4 loss to the Mobile BayBears, raising his ERA to 4.14. He struck out seven while only walking one, but surrendered seven hits, including two homers, in the loss.

5. Reid Brignac-Shortstop, Durham Bulls: For two years now, Brignac has been labeled as the Rays' shortstop of the future. After Tampa Bay selected prep infielder Tim Beckham with the number one overall pick in the 2008 draft, however, it is no longer a sure thing. While Beckham, 18, is several years away from making an impact in the majors, many scouts feel that he has the athleticism, instincts, range and throwing arm to remain at the position as he rises up the Tampa Bay farm system. The Griffin High School product signed relatively quickly, and made his first start at shortstop for Rookie-level Princeton on Saturday night. Coming off a an MVP season in the California League in '06, Brignac regressed at the plate at Double-A Montgomery last year, batting .260/.328/.433. Although he was among Montgomery team leaders with 17 homers, his approahc at the plate proved to be a cause for concern.  While he struggled at the plate, though, he made tremendous  progress in the field, emerging as one of the top defensive middle infielders in Double-A; this appears to have ended all of the discussion about Brignac being forced to make the switch to third base.

The offensive struggles have continued for Brignac at Triple-A in the first half of '08, as he has drawn only 21 walks in 74 games. In 271 at-bats, he has a .743 OPS, batting .260/.311/.435 with seven home runs through Sunday. The power potential is still there, but he needs to improve his approach at the plate. While he is no longer a sure bet, at least not to become the "shortstop of the future" in the Tampa Bay organization, he is still one of the more promising infielders in the International League.

6. Desmond Jennings-OF, Vero Beach Devil Rays: Jennings, a former quarterback recruit at the University of Alabama, is the best pure athlete in the Tampa Bay farm system. He made tremendous progress as a pure basbeall player in '07, emerging as one of the Rays' top position player prospects after hitting .315/.401/.465 for the South Atlantic League-champion Columbus Catfish. He also led the circuit with 45 steals, and, as he projects to hit for more power as he develops, has a realistic chance to turn into a 20-40 threat in the majors. He did not get off to the best start to this year, though, suffering a back injury and then injuring his left shoulder in spring training. While he missed the better part of the first two months of the season, he is now back, starting in the outfield and leading off for Vero Beach. In 23 games, he is batting .259/.357/.412 with two homers, five RBIs and five stolen bases in six chances.

7. Jeff Niemann-RHP, Durham Bulls: It has now been four years since Tampa Bay selected Niemann in the first round out of Rice University. A plethora of injury setbacks have made it seem even longer than that. While he is not yet a mainstay in the Rays' starting rotation-as many predicted he would be at this point-he finally made his long-awaited big league debut this spring, going 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA in two big league appearances in April, when Tampa Bay starters Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza were on the shelf with injuries. At Durham, the former College World Series hero is 5-2 with a 4.20 ERA, posting a 51-to-20 K/W ratio and 1.19 WHIP while holding opposing batters to a .222 average in 55.2 innings pitched. All of the injuries have taken a toll on him, making it unlikely that he will turn into a future top-of-the-rotation starter in the majors. While he gets lost in mix because of the surplus of talented arms in the Tampa Bay system, however, he still has strong enough stuff to get hitters out and miss bats at the major league level.

8. Jeremy Hellickson-RHP, Montgomery Biscuits: Hellickson dominated the Florida State League this spring, going 7-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 14 starts with the Vero Beach Devil Rays. Hellickson, 21, showed a tremendous ability to miss bats, registering a 83-to-5 K/W ratio while limiting opponents to a .224 batting average in 76.2 innings pitched. He was named as the starting pitcher for the East squad in the league's All-Star game, though he did not pitch due to a blister on his pitching hand.

For his stellar performance, he-along with his Vero Beach teammate, Price-was promoted to Double-A Montgomery this week. For one of the first times of his young professional career, however, the Iowa product was hit hard on Friday night in the Biscuits' 12-8 loss at Mobile. He allowed eight earned runs on eight hits, including five home runs, in 4.2 innings of work, striking out only one batter. With two outs in the fifth, he surrendered back-to-back-to-back homers, leading to his early exit from the game. While it was not the debut that he had in mind, the promotion to the next level is a huge step, perhaps a turning point, in his development. Tampa Bay has been patient with Hellickson since they selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. His outstanding performance on the mound to this point, however, left the organization with little choice but to promote him. A Scout.com Top-100 prospect, how well he performs at Montgomery the rest of the summer will determine if he can inch up even higher on the list.

9. Eduardo Morlan-RHP, Montgomery Biscuits: Morlan is the minor leaguer whom Tampa Bay acquired in December's blockbuster deal that ended Delmon Young's days in St. Petersburg. While Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza-who nearly threw a no-hitter in a dominant one-hit complete game shutout against the Florida Marlins earlier this week-have had a direct impact on the Rays' strong first-half, Morlan has the chance to really make the deal hurt for Minnesota. Like Jennings, though, he missed most of the first half, injuring his shoulder after six relatively ineffective performances to begin the season. He rejoined the Biscuits' bullpen a few weeks ago, but has only made five relief appearances since coming back to the team. In 13.0 innings pitched, he has surrendered 17 hits, two of which were homers, eight runs (seven earned) while walking three. Despite an injury-plagued beginning to his tenure in the Tampa Bay farm system, he remains one of the top relief prospects in the minors.

10. Ryan Royster-Outfield, Vero Beach Devil Rays: Royster, selected by Tampa Bay out of an Oregon high school back in 2004, came out of nowhere to lead the Columbus Catfish to the Sally League Championship with a monster offensive season. He won the Organizational Triple Crown, batting .329/.380/.601 with a league-best 30 home runs and 98 RBIs. However, the transition to the Florida State League has not been as smooth for Royster, who has only eight extra-base hits and a .606 OPS in 70 games. He is hitting .244/.293/.313, and the only category in which he ranks among league leaders this go around is strikeouts, as he has been punched out 77 times.

To reach Tyler Hissey, send an email to TylerHissey@gmail.com.