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As the MLB season approaches the midway mark, it's time to break out the red pen and grade all 30 clubs, from the surging Washington Nationals to the last-place Boston Red Sox.

In the process of writing up report cards, the most important factor was each club's win-loss record. At the same time, how a team has either exceeded or fallen short of its preseason expectations was also a critical consideration. That's good news for a team like the Houston Astros and a bummer for a squad like the Red Sox.

He's coming back. Whisper it, sing it, shout it from the mountaintop—Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins, arguably the most exciting young arm in baseball, is about to pitch in a big league game for the first time in more than a year. 

The Boston Red Sox don't have an ace starting pitcher. I've said it. Chances are you've probably said it as well. It's been the consensus since, well, ever.

Clay Buchholz, however, begs to differ.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a moderately successful 2015 thus far. They sit in first place in the National League West even though half of their Opening Day rotation is out for the year, Joc Pederson has been a breakout star and new additions Yasmani Grandal and Howie Kendrick have been valuable members of the lineup.

Before the season, I could've written down the names of the Washington Nationals' five starting pitchers and it would have only been a slight exaggeration to submit that as a list of the team's top five All-Star Game candidates. 

But with the game just two weeks away, the Nationals' rotation is only likely to send one representative to Cincinnati. 

The Cincinnati Reds' season hasn't quite gone the way the team and fans had hoped, but even despite having a losing record, the 2015 MLB All-Star Game hosts have several players who have made a strong bid to play in the Midsummer Classic.

No Cincinnati position player is in line to start this year's All-Star Game. However, that doesn't mean that there isn't a deserving candidate, like third baseman Todd Frazier.

Monday marked the 2015 MLB All-Star Game's sixth voting update for both leagues, and the race between baseball's prominent prodigies in Mike Trout and Bryce Harper continues to be a fascinating focal point.

Per MLB Communications, Trout has a narrow lead over Harper, with both claiming over 11 million votes as their respective leagues' leading outfielders entering the final week to cast ballots:    

The 2015 MLB All-Star Game is taking place July 14 in Cincinnati. Fan voting for the starting lineups wraps up this week. There is still some time to get votes submitted for your favorite Los Angeles Angels players. However, only a few have a real shot at playing in the game this year.

When it comes to crossover athletes, there are enduring legends like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, and then there are more marginal cases like Brian Jordan and Drew Henson. Baseball is incredibly time-consuming, from a 162-game regular season in the MLB down to travel teams in top-flight youth baseball, so it allows precious little time for other endeavors, let alone another professional sport, but at least it's low-impact.

Fact: Steven Matz is the first pitcher in history to have four RBI in his MLB debut. He's also the first player at ANY position in Mets history to do so.

Bleacher Report will be bringing sports fans the most interesting and engaging Cold Hard Fact of the day, presented by Coors Light.

Source: SportsCenter