I know that it may seem a bit premature to name an MVP. However, the fact of the matter is the season is winding down. True, there is still a month of baseball to be played and a lot can change in that time, however, I have narrowed down my field(s) for each league to 3 players that I think are very much deserving of the Most Valuable Player designation. So let's kick this thing off with my National League finalists:
Ryan Braun, the Hebrew Hammer, the man the Brewers locked up to a nice contract extension earlier this se
ason, is living up to his pay. What are his credentials? First of all, he is leading (okay, co-leading) a Milwaukee Brewers team to an 8.5 game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central. In doing so,
he has amassed a .333 batting average with 25 homers, 89 RBI's, 30 stolen bases and has scored 92 runs. The hard sell is that he is pretty much neck and neck with Prince Fielder as the MVP of his team! I give Braun the nod because I feel he is a more rounded player. Though Fielder has more home runs and
RBI's, Braun has a higher OPS and obviously has the speed that Fielder lac
ks.
Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers is doing something in LA that one has not observed in a few seasons now - playing exceptional baseball. While his team appears to be falling apart at the seems, Kemp has gone on to hit .319 with 31 home runs, 100 RBI's, 35 stolen bases and added 86 runs. The Dodgers, in my opinion, have a team that is capable of being great, especially anchored by Kemp. They just cannot seem to get their stuff together. Kemp is playing hardfor a team that is obviously going nowhere, but his numbers look as though, to him, every game is the 7th game of the World Series.
Jose Reyes of the New York Mets is my third nominee. Again, this is a player on a team going nowhere.
I mean, NOWHERE, yet he is still playing hard baseball. True, he is in a contract year, however, when healthy, Reyes always puts up tremendous numbers. This season he is batting a healthy .336 with 5 home runs, 37 RBI's, 34 stolen bases and has scored 82 runs. In essence, he is d
oing exactly what is asked of him. He is getting on base, advancing, and scoring. Not bad for a guy stuck on a team that is just... horrible. Okay, they aren't THAT bad, but when not a single player on your team has more than 50 RBI's this late in the season... well, things aren't exactly aces there, now are they?
In the American League we start things off with a player I find to be playing OUT OF HIS MIND this season, Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox. After only having played 18 re
gular season games last year, there is no way in hell you would have been able to tell me that Ellsbury would have transformed into a beast for the 2011 season. But, batting out of the lead
off spot he has managed to put up a .312 average adding 23 homeruns, 82 RBI's, 36 stolen bases and has scored 95 runs. I repeat, this is out of the lead off spot!!!! To put that in perspective
, arguably the greatest lead off hi
tter of all time, Rickey Henderson, maxed out at 28 home runs in a season (twice, 1986 and 1990), NEVER had 80 RBI's (coming closest with 74 in 1986), but did manage to blow away Ellsbury with dozens of bags swiped (obviously) and runs scored. However, this looks like this kids match has just been lit.
Next up, fellow member of the Boston Red Sox, Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzo was brought in to rake for the Sox. He is doing exactly that. Though many people had him pegged to unanimously win the AL MVP award, he has had a couple of slumps that have taken him out of that obvious selection. Having said that, he has still managed to bat .342 with 23 home runs, 103 RBI's and has scored 90 runs. Nobody really cares about the 1 stolen base he has. In fact, I think that may have been a courtesy stat. However, Gonzo is doing exactly what everyone expects him to do. Now, we just need to see if the power numbers take a spike in the month of September.
Last, but certainly not least is Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees. This man has been a pleasant surprise for the Yanks, much like some would say about Ellsbury in Boston. Granderson went from having a very disappointing 2010 campaign, to becoming a beast. Granderson comes into today batting .274 with an AL best 38 home runs, 107 RBI's, 123 runs scored and has swiped 24 bags. Another all-around player. Though he wears the pin stripes, I have a hard time disliking Granderson. He plays the game the right way and he plays it hard. Granderson has managed (in my opinion) to steal the spotlight in New York away from Jeter, A-Rod, Cano and even Texeira. I think this young man is the next face of the franchise, and the Steinbrenner family should be very pleased with that.
So, after giving my case for each of the above players, I had a fairly easy time with my selection for the NL, but a much more difficult time with the AL. In the NL, I think Matt Kemp is by far the best player this season. He is tops in most statistically categories and has not given up on a team that just doesn't seem to care. In the AL - my pick, like many at the start of the season was for Gonzo. However, Granderson has better numbers. On top of that argument, I think Ellsbury is playing far and away the most surprising baseball of all the nominees. I had to rule out A-Gon because of his lulls. Between Granderson and Ellsbury I have to go with Ellsbury. What this kid is doing right now and what he is capable of... well, he's gonna make a whole lot of money when he hits the free agent market. So there you have my picks - thoughts?
NL MVP: Matt Kemp
AL MVP: Jacoby Ellsbury
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