The all-star break is almost upon us and the Chicago White Sox have played more than half of the scheduled 162 games. So let's take a look to see who is the MVP for the first half for a team that is in playoff contention. Not only is it a team in playoff contention, but few experts and media members, and few fans for that matter, thought the Sox would be this good at this point in the season.
The genesis of this article comes from White Sox postgame hosts Chuck Garfien and Ozzie Guillen -- yes, the same Ozzie Guillen who managed the team to a World Series win in 2005. I can't recall which game it was, but during one their recent post-game shows, Garfien and Guillen said third baseman Miguel Vargas should be the team's first-half MVP.
I don't think Garfien and Guillen weren't wrong, exactly -- Vargas has been great for the White Sox so far in 2026 and absolutely deserves to be the team's only All-Star nod*. But Vargas isn't the only candidate. To be fair, I didn't catch the whole show, so if other names were mentioned, I missed them. That said, I'd like to look at a few other candidates.
*As of this writing. There is still time for another White Sox to be added to the American League All-Star roster.
For this author, there are three players that really deserve first-half MVP consideration. The number would be four if Munetaka Murakami hadn't missed significant time with a hamstring injury. In fact, before he got hurt, Murakami might have been an obvious choice.
Other than Vargas, the names I'd consider are shortstop Colson Montgomery and starting pitcher/staff ace Davis Martin.
Let's start with Vargas. His numbers this year: .247 BA/20 HR/56 RBI with 384 plater appearances in 88 games. He's a 3.3 WAR, his OBP is .363, his SLG is .494 and his OPS is .857. In the field, he's started 68 games at third and 13 at first and 3 at DH (he's also moved within games) and he's made just four errors, all at third base. His fielding percentage at third is .975.
Now, we move to Montgomery. His batting numbers read like this: .274/23/53 with a 2.2 WAR, .309 OBP, .492 SLG, and .801 OPS. In the field, he's made seven errors and has a .974 fielding percentage at shortstop and a .975 fielding percentage at third base. He's started 62 games at shortstop, 18 at third base, and two at DH. He's played in 82 games so far.
Vargas and Montgomery have had key home runs and game-winning hits this season, though Montgomery has yet to have a walk-off homer.
Now to Davis Martin. The Sox ace has a stat line of 9-3 with a 3.08 ERA in 17 starts. His WAR is 3.2 with a WHIP of 1.256. As of this writing he's pitched 96.1 innings and 90 Ks. He's 5-0 with a 0.88 in home starts at Guaranteed Rate Field, and the Sox have won every home game in which he's started.
He has struggled recently though, getting pounded for 9 earned runs at Yankee Stadium against the New York Yankees, and walking five in a loss to the Cleveland Guardians last week. That was a no-decision for Martin, as the Sox were walked off by Cleveland.
Looking at these three players and their stat lines through the first half of the season. I'm inclined to agree with Ozzie and Chuck. Martin's recent struggles do matter, any recency bias aside. And he's not been nearly as good on the road as at home, though some of his numbers away from the South Side aren't his fault, and the Sox overall have been struggling away from their home park.
Montgomery has been clutch and his numbers are solid, but Vargas has been a tick better with the glove and has hit a walk-off homer this year.
So while my inital reaction to the post-game show was "hey, wait, what about those other guys?" I think Guillen and Garfien got it right. What do you think?
Whoever you have marked down for 2026 Chicago White Sox first-half MVP, the great thing is that there's even a debate. That means that more than one player is making a major contribution to the team's success -- and that's part of why the White Sox are in a first-place race halfway through the season.
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