Ready to get back into the swing of things after that epic All-Star Game? MLB returns to action on Friday, and there’s plenty to watch for in the second part of the season.
Division races. MVP battles. Record chases. And that July 31 trade deadline that’s on the horizon. The top contenders are established, featuring some surprises (like the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays) alongside the usual dominant clubs (like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Houston Astros).
We break down the 15 biggest storylines that have us looking forward to in the second half of the season:
1. Will Cal Raleigh Record the Best Catching Season … Ever?
Coming off the high of winning the Home Run Derby, Raleigh is on pace to record the best hitting season by a catcher in baseball history, all while being a threat to win the American League MVP. Raleigh kicks off the second half leading the majors in home runs (38) and RBIs (82). He has a .376 on-base percentage with a 1.011 OPS (190 OPS+). The switch-hitter is on pace for 64 home runs, which would shatter the overall AL record (set by Aaron Judge in 2022 with 62 homers), and all eyes will be glued to his performance the rest of the way. – Thosar
2. Will Aaron Judge Win the Batting Title?
He came close last season, threatening to win the Triple Crown, but ultimately falling just short. Judge led the league in home runs (58) and RBIs (144) last year, and finished third in batting average (.322) behind Bobby Witt Jr. (.332) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.323). He opens the second half leading MLB with a .355 average, with Athletics rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson behind him with a .332 average. Judge is hoping to become the 10th Yankee to win the batting title, and the first since DJ LeMahieu in 2020. –Thosar
Aaron Judge Under Duress — Superstar numbers, but still no championship | First Things First
3. Trade Deadline Is July 31. Which Team Shakes It Up?
The most interesting team to watch is the Diamondbacks, who entered the break at 47-50 and in fourth place in the tough NL West. They boast the second-highest scoring offense in MLB, but they’ve lost Corbin Burnes for the year, their pitching staff is a wreck, and they have some of the most intriguing rental pieces available should they decide to look to the future. Will they be willing to do that? Eugenio Suarez, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Josh Naylor could all be difference-makers on a contending squad. – Kavner
4. AL East Race Is Hot! Will the Blue Jays Hold Off Yankees and Red Sox?
Even though the Yankees led the AL East by seven games at the end of May, they gave up that lead to the Blue Jays by the start of July. Entering the second half, the Yankees trail the Blue Jays by two games, with the Red Sox three games behind Toronto. It’s a strong turnaround from last year, when the Blue Jays finished the 2024 season in the AL East basement, 20 games behind the Yankees, while the Red Sox finished in third, 13 games back. This will be a tight race worth keeping an eye on (and getting the popcorn ready) down the stretch. – Thosar
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays are on top of a surprising AL East race. (Photo by Michael Chisholm/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
5. Can Rookie Phenom Jacob Misiorowski Keep It Up?
We probably shouldn’t be surprised anymore when we see the Milwaukee Brewers thrive against all odds, yet here we are again. Their pitching staff is again one of the best in baseball, and now a 23-year-old rookie is lifting the ceiling. While routinely hitting triple digits with his fastball, Misiorowski’s 11 hitless innings to start his career marked the longest streak by a starter in MLB’s modern era. A dazzling five-start sample earned him a surprising All-Star nod, and he finished his first half by striking out 12 Dodgers batters in six innings. Can he keep this up and contend for National League Rookie of the Year, or will teams find a way to counter? – Kavner
6. Zack Wheeler and the Cy Young Race: Can He Finally Win It?
The Phillies ace has been chasing a Cy Young award, to no avail, for the past few years. There’s a strong argument that Wheeler should’ve won the 2021 Cy Young over actual winner Corbin Burnes, particularly because he had the highest WAR and most innings pitched that season. Wheeler again finished second, to Chris Sale, last year. This year, it looks like Wheeler will have to top Paul Skenes to win it. The competition has never been higher. – Thosar
Jacob Misiorowski and Zack Wheeler are two NL pitchers who’ll be under spotlight for different awards. (Getty Images)
7. Can Juan Soto Help the Mets Win Their First NL East Title Since 2015?
Like their crosstown rivals, the Mets also held a solid lead in the NL East — as high as 5.5 games in the middle of June — before they gave it up a week later amid a free fall that featured a ton of pitching injuries. Soto, in his first season as a Met, has the opportunity to help his new team topple the Phillies, who enter the second half just a half game ahead of the Mets. Perhaps Soto’s All-Star snub will unlock another level at the plate. –Thosar
8. MVP Races! Can Cal Raleigh Supplant Aaron Judge? Will Shohei Ohtani Hold Off Pete Crow-Armstrong?
It feels like another absurd year from Judge is getting overlooked. He just completed one of the best seasons from a right-handed hitter ever, and he’s hitting even better in 2025, leading MLB in every slash line category and cruising toward what would be his first ever batting title. Meanwhile, Ohtani leads the National League in slugging, homers and OPS, is on pace for another 50-homer season…and, oh, right, he’s doing that other thing he does, too. He has allowed just one run in nine innings over five abridged starts while slowly building back up on the mound. Still, they have competition in the MVP race. Raleigh might end up with the best season from a catcher we’ve ever seen (see: question 1). Meanwhile, Crow-Armstrong’s all-around play in his leap to superstardom could be enough to challenge Ohtani. – Kavner
One can’t forget about the amazing seasons that Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are having. (Getty Images)
9. Time Running Out On The Braves This Season?
It’s getting late — fast — for a disappointing Braves team that has played well below expectations this season. This is a talented roster that entered the year with real World Series expectations, only to finish the first half in fourth place, sitting 12.5 games behind the Phillies. That said, anything can happen. They still have a little time, and the pieces in place, to go on a winning streak, get to .500, and force their way into the wild-card conversation. But it won’t be easy; Atlanta welcomes the Yankees on Friday to kick off the second half. – Thosar
10. Oh, the Orioles … What’s Their Next Move?
Outside a run that looks something like 12-2 over these next two weeks before the trade deadline, Baltimore seems all but certain to be sellers, with a handful of attractive players who could shake up the market for contending teams. Ryan O’Hearn, Felix Bautista, Cedric Mullins, Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano could all be on the move before the calendar flips to August. Sure, the O’s aren’t mathematically out of a wild-card spot, and they have been playing better of late. But at this point, it makes more sense for Baltimore’s trade-deadline strategy to involve looking ahead to improving the roster for 2026. – Thosar
11. Can the Astros Keep Their AL West Hold?
When the Astros traded Kyle Tucker and let Alex Bregman go to Boston, it felt like it might be the end of their dynasty. The first half told a different story. After starting the season 20-20, the Astros then won 35 of their next 50 games to take a commanding lead in the division. Even after a rough week to wrap up the first half, they still lead the AL West by five games. Trade acquisitions Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith have given the lineup a jolt, Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez have been among the best pitchers in the AL, and the bullpen is one of the best in baseball. FanGraphs gives them a 73.1% chance to win the division. – Kavner
12. Ichiro’s Hall of Fame Induction and Speech
Ichiro Suzuki will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Dick Allen, Dave Parker, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner on July 27. More than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to return to Cooperstown to honor the newest members of the prestigious recognition, which was voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Ichiro, who received 393 of 394 votes (99.7%), headlines this year’s group. – Thosar
Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner will be enshirned among the legends in Cooperstown. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)
13. Will Rafael Devers Get Back On Track For The Giants?
Beyond Oracle Park just generally being a tougher place to hit than Fenway, a disk issue in Devers’ lower back might also help explain his slow start in San Francisco. Thus far, the Giants offense has somehow gotten considerably worse since the move. San Francisco was 41-31 and 14th in runs scored before adding Devers. Since the trade, they’re 11-14 and 27th in runs scored. Maybe the break will provide a helpful reset both physically and mentally for Devers, who had a .905 OPS in Boston before posting a .656 OPS in 25 games with his new squad. Even if Devers doesn’t make the Giants one of the better offenses in baseball, I think we can at least envision better days ahead for what could be a playoff squad. – Kavner
14. Who Pitches for the Dodgers Down the Stretch?
Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki and Tyler Glasnow have combined to make 16 starts all year, Mookie Betts is hitting below league average, Michael Conforto has been the worst qualified left fielder in MLB, Max Muncy is out with a knee injury for likely another month, closer Tanner Scott has an ERA over 4.00 and seven blown saves, and the bullpen has thrown by far more innings than any relief unit in baseball… and yet the Dodgers still have more wins than any National League team at the break. After weathering a smorgasbord of pitching injuries, Glasnow is back, Snell is on a rehab assignment, and Sasaki is expected to make his return at some point before season’s end. Still, there’s a great deal of starting-pitching uncertainty as the club leans heavily on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May. Will they try to add reinforcements at the deadline or trust in their returning arms? – Kavner
15. Can the Tigers Cruise Their Way To AL Central Title?
With a commanding 11.5-game lead at the break, it would take a collapse of epic proportions to stop the Tigers from capturing their first division title since 2014. They have the best pitcher on the planet in Tarik Skubal, their offense has the sixth-highest OPS in MLB, and their bullpen ERA is fifth in MLB. They’re basically above average across the board. From the resurgence of Javier Baez and Spencer Torkelson, to the bounceback of Gleyber Torres to the continued excellence and maturation of Riley Greene, there are a lot of reasons to be excited about this club, which thus far has been the best in the MLB — and has a chance to get even better at the deadline. – Kavner
Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.
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