Sorry about the lateness of this. Let’s cut to the chase right away.
NL MVP
1) Jose Reyes (56 points, seven first place votes)
2) Andrew McCutchen (39 points, three first place votes)
3) Matt Kemp (33 points, one first place vote)
4) Prince Fielder (19 points, two first place votes)
5) Ryan Braun (17 points)
6) Roy Halladay (9 points)
7) Joey Votto (9 points)
8) Shane Victorino (7 points)
9) Brian McCann (5 points)
10) Matt Holliday (1 point)
Jose Reyes has been the best player in the NL this year, and was either first or second on 11 of our 13 ballots. It’ll be interesting to see how his hamstring injury impacts the rest of his season, and his trade value. But as for his season? It’s been amazing. He’s put up 5.2 WAR in 80 games, leads the NL in batting average at .354, and has 30 stolen bases. He’s been an absolute five tool player, and could make some team very happy in about three weeks.
How about Andrew McCutchen of the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates? He’s also been worth above 5.0 WAR, and has performed phenomenally on defense this season. He’s got an .895 OPS, and is on pace for a 30/30 season for Pittsburgh. And just think, this guy wasn’t good enough to be an All-Star before injury replacements kicked in. Imagine that…
Matt Kemp is having the season of his career, and he’s doing it with horrible defense in center field. Kemp’s OPS is pushing 1.000, and with 22 homers and 27 steals in 92 games, he could top McCutchen and go 40/40 on the year. How strange would it be for a player to go 40/40 and not win the MVP award? If the Dodgers and their monetary problems trade Kemp to a contender in a couple of weeks, Kemp could immediately become even more of an MVP candidate for that team.
Prince Fielder is a guy who will probably win the award, since his team is in contention, and he’s having a monster season. He’s got a .990 OPS, 22 homers, 72 RBI, and more walks than strikeouts. He’s going to be in line for a massive payday in three months, whether it’s in Milwaukee or elsewhere.
Fielder’s Milwaukee teammate Ryan Braun is also having a monstrous year, possibly the best of his season. His walk and strikeout rates are the best of his career, which has led to a career high wOBA. Braun is still horrible defensively, but is just entering his prime at 27. He’s another guy on pace for a 30/30 season. Man, a lot of those coming this year.
Roy Halladay has been the best pitcher in the NL this year, and was the midseason winner of the OC’s NL Cy Young award. I’ve gone over his case in detail before, but the man has already been worth 5.1 WAR on the season. Pitcher or not, that’s a hell of a season.
Reigning MVP Joey Votto of the Reds is having his third straight fantastic year, but with the Reds struggling, his candidacy takes a hit. He’s an above average defender at first, hits for a high average, walks nearly as much as he strikes out…Votto is an absolute monster. No doubt about it.
Shane Victorino is having a sneaky good season that has been ravaged by injury. Victorino has only played in 68 games, and has been worth 4.4 WAR. His numbers are boosted by some fantastic center field defense that is totally underrated by many people out there. A center fielder with a .900 OPS is something that’s hard to come by, unless your name is Matt Kemp.
Brian McCann has been the best catcher in baseball, and is powering a struggling Braves offense this season. Not many catchers are able to put up a .900 OPS, and McCann is a guy who’s clearly able to do that. He’s having the best season of his career for a strong Braves team, and is just getting lost in the overall picture.
Finally, we have our one Cardinal who got a vote: Matt Holliday. With Lance Berkman providing terrible defense to the team, and Albert Pujols injured and/or ineffective, it’s all been about Holliday this season. He’s missed a decent chunk of time this season, but has been an absolute monster when healthy, both on offense and defense. If the Cardinals are able to make a move in the second half, Holliday is the guy who can power them to victory.
That takes care of the NL MVP, and all that’s left is the AL MVP…which will be coming up in just an hour. Wait for it, wait for it…
