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Baseball slows down this week with the All-Star festivities in San Diego, giving us a good opportunity to reflect on what we saw during the first half before getting ready for the playoff push, both in real life and fantasy.
From a team perspective, the first half mostly followed the script. The Cubs, Nationals and Giants were all preseason favorites to win their divisions, and all three hold comfortable leads. The Rangers were viewed as co-favorites with the Astros in the AL West, while the only surprise with the Indians atop the AL Central is how wide of a gap they’ve put between themselves and the rest of the division.