San Diego Padres : MVP, LVP, Unsung Hero of the first half of the 2025 season

The San Diego Padres are 44-36 through their first 80 games, sitting almost at the halfway point before entering a new series on the road against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Friars enter Friday sitting in second place in the NL West standings. They are six games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers as they look to make a playoff push in the back-half of the 2025 campaign. Let's take a stroll down the first half of the year, looking at the Padres' Most Valuable Player, Least Valuable Player, and Unsung Hero.

Padres First Half MVP: Manny Machado

Machado or Fernando Tatis Jr. deserve the recognition here, but Machado's .300 batting average with runners in scoring position this season jumps Tatis Jr. for Team MVP so far. Machado's average is 69 points higher than Tatis Jr., and has eight more RBIs in this scenario.

Machado also has five more extra-base hits than Tatis Jr., and an OPS 56 points higher. It really is a close call, which is a good problem for the Padres to have. Both superstars are doing what they are supposed to, and they are each capable of carrying the team.

Machado also belted his 350th career home run this season, which puts him into Hall of Fame range as one of the game's best third basemen this century. Garnering that, plus being an outspoken leader, mixes well for Machado earning the First Half MVP award.

Padres First Half LVP: Jose Iglesias

Iglesias' 2024 and 2025 seasons have been like night and day. Last year, he was beloved in Queens as a hero for the New York Mets during their late-season push. Signing with the Padres this year, Iglesias has cultivated the worst bWAR (-0.7) among Padres position players despite appearing in only 56 games.

His strikeout rate is way up (30 K's in 152 at-bats), his OPS is almost 300 points worse than last year, and his defensive metrics are absurdly below average. Iglesias has proven to provide some magic as a role player, which he can hopefully tap into in the back-half of the 2025 season.

Padres First Half Unsung Hero: Jason Adam

Relievers tend to be forgotten about when it comes to how valuable they are to a team, especially when that staff has a closer like Robert Suarez, who has tallied 22 saves already.

But let's not forget about Jason Adam, who has been a borderline All-Star for a number of years. This season, Adam leads the team in appearances (40) and bWAR among relievers (1.2). His whiff rate is off the charts, and he boasts a team-best 1.77 ERA - which is mainly thanks to his nasty changeup.

Amassing 17 holds, only Abner Uribe and Bryan Abreu have more than Adam this season across the sport, and he's also won six games. Also, the 33-year-old has surrendered an earned run in just six of his 40 outings, and 18 of his appearances have gone hitless. He has been as reliable of a reliever as they come this year.