Hey /r/baseball, during the ~3 month intermission for the Decade Season, I thought it would be fun to recap the first half of the decade, as well as look forward to the second half. This idea was partially inspired by a post I made a couple years ago, and partially a way to fight the absolute boredom of the offseason.

So here goes nothin'!

Standings (2011-2015)

The midseason standings are probably not too surprising for those who have been following baseball these past years, with a few exceptions:

• The Rays, Tigers, and Nationals, despite a poor showing last DecaSeason, came on strong down the stretch and have continued that this DecaSeason
• On the other hand, the powerhouse Phillies and Twins have all but disappeared this season, though the Phillies have expressed that this is only a "rebuilding decade" and they'll be back in competitive form by 2021
• The biggest surprise, though, has to be the Pirates - coming back from two straight terrible DecaSeasons to currently holding the first Wild Card in the National League

With 810 games left in the 2011-2020 DecaSeason, no division is set in stone, but we could see the Astros eliminated as early as May 2020 if they don't gain any ground on the (virtually tied, at this point) division leading Angels and Rangers.

All-Star Game Starters

After the scandal earlier this season involving the Royals and ballot-stuffing, the DecaSeason All Star voting was scrapped, and starters were chosen based on their bWAR over the first half of the season. For the starting pitchers, a minimum of 85 starts were needed, and for position players and DHs, a minimum of 2000 PAs.

*DH for the National League was chosen by selecting the player with the highest Offensive WAR who is not already a starter.

Looking Ahead

This past year of baseball saw the Mets, Blue Jays, Rangers, and the entire AL Central division close the gap on their division leaders, with the Royals gaining a stunning 21 games on the Tigers. And though teams like the Astros, Twins and Cubs have long roads ahead of them, their strong form this past year shows that they have what it takes to fight for at least a Wild Card spot.

Look for the 2016 year to shake up the tops of the AL West and potentially the NL West, and for teams like the Royals and Orioles to make a push for position on the Wild Cards. The Astros, Twins, Marlins, Rockies and even the Cubs need to look at this next year as make-or-break time if they want any chance to make the DecaSeason playoffs.

If you stuck with me this long, thanks for reading! We'll check back in after the 2016 season to see where the teams stand in the Decade Season!