See what I did there?! Okay!! The best player in the MLB is a huge deal and I must choose who I think should win this massive award. The nominees: American League Mookie Betts (Red Sox) José Altuve (Astros) Mike Trout (Angels) National League Kris Bryant (Cubs) Daniel Murphy (Nationals) Corey Seager (Dodgers) American League My pick for the MVP is... Mike TroutThis decision was very tough since the race is so close and there are no clear winners. Trout was on a team with a dismal season, but if he wasn't there, they would make the Braves or Reds look like the Cubs. He did not have the most RBIs on his team, but he did provide 123 runs, the most in the AL and MLB. Speaking of running, his running game allowed him to steal 30 bases (tied for second in the AL) on typically conservative team. Also, remember in Money Ball when they only selected players who got on base? Billy Beane would have loved Trout on his 2002 team, but he was only in sixth grade at that time so... Anyways, Beane does like Trout as a player and it's clear why: He leads the Majors with an OBP of .441. He also leads in walks at 116. He gets on base and that's his main value. National League My pick for the MVP is... Kris BryantThis was definitely tough because I thought I could see something the others couldn't, but Bryant deserves this. The other two are great but Bryant had a season for the ages. He became even better than his Rookie of the Year season and here's how:
His defense was also great and his versatility showed as he played 60 games in left field and 14 games in right field. He's also played 9 games at first base and 1 game at short stop. He also won the Hank Aaron award for the best hitter in the entire National League. He can hit (176 is pretty good, top 10 in the NL good) and he can get on base (Third most in hit by pitch in the NL, not a good stat but he takes one for the team). I'm not going to talk about advanced stats (WAR) because I don't fully understand them yet, but I do think that he is doing remarkable things for Chicago. Would the Cubs have gone to the playoffs without him? Probably, but they would have struggled more without him because they needed him there, not just his bat or his glove but him. He's a quiet person but he allows his talent to do all the talking and it makes all the difference for his team. Check out to see if these become what the BBWAA picks for the final day of awards tomorrow at 6 pm ET on MLB Network!
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