×

Who wins the American League MVP award?

With another Major League Baseball season quickly winding down, many fans’ minds will turn to the playoffs (and the crazy race for the American League wild cards, am I right)? The 2016 season has been filled with ups and downs and twists and turns. Those ups are what I am focusing on today as I attempt to sort out the American League Most Valuable Player race.

Some of you are wondering if I will mention anything on the NL race. Well, ask and you shall receive. There is no debate as to who wins this award. The Chicago Cubs’ Kris Bryant has been the best player on the best team in baseball this season. The second-year third baseman is a shoe-in for NL MVP.

Now that we have the senior circuit out of the way, we take a look at the junior circuit race. A lot of experts (looking at you ESPN) believe Mike Trout is in the driver’s seat to win the award. He leads the league in wins above replacement (10), is top five in batting average and without him, the Angels likely would be much worse than 65-86. I know right, yikes, the Halos’ pitching staff is horrendous and you can’t blame Trout, but you also can’t give the most valuable player award to someone who is on a losing team.

If the Angels were in contention and impacting pennant races coming down to the end, you would have a different story. If Trout were coming up in big spots with big-time rewards on the line, I would have no problem giving him the award, but this isn’t the case.

Moving on, the Astros’ Jose Altuve is comfortably ahead in batting average and is going to win a Silver Slugger award this season. However, the Astros are currently on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. They are two games behind the final wild card spot. Altuve could win the award, but it is going to take a monumental effort for him to do so and it would almost certainly include him being instrumental in putting Houston in the postseason.

We will stay in the AL East for the final four people on my list. The Baltimore Orioles’ Manny Machado and reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays are both having wonderful years. The pair both have 35-plus homers and 90-plus RBIs and have their teams in the wild-card race.

However, Donaldson has disappeared following an injury and Toronto, which was leading the AL East at the start of September, has sputtered to four games behind the Boston Red Sox.

Machado, also, has had a quiet final month of the regular season and struggled in two important series against the Red Sox in the past weeks.

The final two players on my list (yes, Jay Bennett, they are who you think they are) belong to my beloved Boston Red Sox. Both Mookie Betts and David Ortiz have filled up the stat sheets this season.

This was expected for Betts, who has had a breakout year especially in the power department. The diminutive bowling expert was hitting for power in the leadoff spot before being moved to the cleanup spot, where he continued to flourish.

He recently became just the second Red Sox player ever before the age of 24 to hit for 30 homers and 100 RBIs (joining Ted Williams). The young man has showed up big time in the spotlight, especially when Ortiz was out of the lineup, to lead his team to a win or spark a comeback.

He has a pair of three home-run games this season, both against divison rival Baltimore. And he continues to play spectacular defense in right field.

Betts also was the first player this season to reach the 200-hit mark, beating out fellow MVP candidate Altuve. In addition to the hits, his WAR is second behind Mike Trout and he has swiped 24 bags this season.

All Big Papi is doing is having one of the best final years of all time. Jay Bennett informed me Ortiz has final-season ranks right up there with the Chicago White Sox’ “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. One of the best clutch hitters ever is just four bombs away from 40 homers and is second in RBIs.

There are two drawbacks, which probably will spell doom for Ortiz winning the award. First, he is a designated hitter and second, he doesn’t play defense. His WAR is 4.6, but could be much greater if he played defense, but that isn’t an option because of his legs.

So there you have it folks — the Boston Red Sox’ Mookie Betts should win the AL MVP award barring a major impressive showing from any of the other candidates in the field the final 11 or 12 games of the season.

Contact Joe Albright at jalbright@newsandsentinel.com

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today