Travis Sawchik, Special to ESPN.com 6y

Who's your team's most important player for the second half?

MLB, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

With the season having advanced just beyond the halfway mark, let's look at the most important player in the second half for all 30 major league clubs. It could be a player at any professional level within his organization. For teams ranging from contenders and to rebuilding clubs, the motivations are different -- from assets they'll want to deal at the trade deadline to players they're hoping to see rebound.

American League

Baltimore Orioles: Austin Hays. The Orioles are on the brink of a long and difficult rebuild with a weak farm system and perhaps the worst major league roster in the game. Moreover, Hays -- their top prospect -- has fallen off multiple top-100-prospects lists after a poor first half and an ankle injury. To accelerate the rebuilding effort, Hays must get back on track.

Boston Red Sox: Drew Pomeranz. With David Price seemingly now just a midrotation arm, the Red Sox need Pomeranz to be healthy and build upon his Rich Hill-like, curveball-heavy breakout of 2017 when he was a 3.1 fWAR pitcher.

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