It's not called the "Mike Trout Award." It's called the "American League Most Valuable Player." It's gotten so ridiculous that we have to have this same conversation every year! Just because he's the best player in baseball doesn't mean he should automatically be MVP every year. The Angels finished fourth in the AL West. They just as easily could've finished fourth without him.
Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against Mike Trout. I think he's a great player and I enjoy watching him. But the obsession with Trout and his WAR is really starting to border on absurd! WAR is a made-up stat! And it's NOT the only thing that determine's a player's value! (And don't get me started on the whole "Trout passed all these Hall of Famers in career WAR this year" argument. It's a cumulative total for some reason, so it's only gonna keep going up!)
What really got me, though, was the one writer who described Alex Bregman's legitimate MVP candidacy as "let's give it to anybody but Mike Trout." Please! There are plenty of reasons to vote for Bregman beyond the fact that he isn't Trout. And, frankly, it's insulting to those who voted for Bregman to suggest that the only reason they did so was to give the award to someone else. Is that why everyone voted for Mookie Betts last year, too?
There are a myriad of reasons why Bregman deserves to be the AL MVP. Bregman played Gold Glove-caliber third base...when he wasn't filling in at shortstop! He was also the best hitter in a lineup full of All*Stars...on a team that won 107 games. Oh, and he hit 41 homers and drove in 112 runs while playing 156 games. He also finished third in the AL in OPS (another one of my "favorite" stats). His WAR was better than Trout's, too. Still think he's just the anti-Trout candidate?
Yes, Trout had perhaps his best season offensively. Yes, he's had a remarkable eight-year run where's he's finished in the top three of MVP voting every time. But I find it very easy to believe that he's only won the award twice. Because he's putting up these numbers on an Angels team that's irrelevant. And, sorry, but playing on a winning team matters. Which is why the legitimate MVP contenders on teams playing games that matter have been winning the award. Not just because they're "not Mike Trout."
I've also had a lot of conversations with people about the fact that Marcus Semien finished third over DJ LeMahieu. It doesn't really surprise me, though. Because LeMahieu's contributions to the Yankees went unheralded all year. And people couldn't get enough of Seimen, who had his best year, both offensively and defensively. He was also the only player in baseball to start all 162 games. Did Semien have a better year than LeMahieu? I don't think so. But Yankee bias probably struck again, which knocked LeMahieu off the podium and into fourth place.
As for the rest of the 10-deep in the AL MVP vote, I think it could be heavy on Houston Astros. Because in addition to Bregman and the two pitchers, you've got George Springer and Michael Brantley. There's also a pair of Red Sox (Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers), and Twins DH Nelson Cruz, whose OPS was actually between Trout's and Bregman's. Even the Royals' Jorge Soler put up numbers worthy of MVP votes (which is different than being worthy of the award).
My Ballot: 1. Bregman, 2. Trout, 3. LeMahieu, 4. Springer, 5. Seimen, 6. Brantley, 7. Cruz, 8. Bogaerts, 9. Gerrit Cole, 10. Devers
Over in the NL, it was the Beli vs. Yeli Show all season. They even did those awesome commercials! And, frankly, there wasn't much to separate Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich. I'd be OK with either one winning. Anthony Rendon put up MVP-caliber numbers, as well, and is a very strong third-place finisher.
Let's start by comparing their numbers, which are very close across the board. Yelich lead the league in hitting (.329). Bellinger was ninth (.305). Bellinger hit 47 homers. Yelich hit 44. Bellinger also finished with more RBIs, 115-97. They went 1-2 in OPS (Yelich 1, Bellinger 2), and Bellinger was second in the NL with 121 runs scored. And both the Dodgers and Brewers made the playoffs, so even that can't be used to separate them.
So who has the edge? I'd say it's Bellinger ever so slightly. I was leaning in that direction even before Yelich got hurt, but those final three weeks of the season when Yelich was injured is what put Bellinger over the top. Yes, that's a little unfair to Yelich. But, I think it was Dodgers manager Dave Roberts who actually summed Bellinger's candidacy the best: "He's the best player on the best team." When the race is this tight, that can make all the difference.
You've gotta feel for Rendon, too. Because in any other year, we might be talking about him as a runaway winner. No longer playing second-fiddle to Bryce Harper in Washington, he had a breakout season that earned him a whole lot of money in free agency this winter. Rendon led the NL in RBIs (126) and doubles (44); finished third in hitting (.319), runs scored (117) and OPS (1.010); and played some of the best third base this side of Nolan Arenado. The Nationals are all about their starting pitching, but they don't make the playoffs, let alone win the World Series, without Rendon.
Speaking of Arenado, he did his usual thing again this year (.315-41-118) and should see plenty of lower-ballot support. It was a great year for third basemen all around, actually. Because Eugenio Suarez of the Reds finished with 49 homers and 103 RBIs. I'm not saying Suarez is worthy of a spot on the MVP ballot. But those numbers are excellent.
Atlanta's terrific trio of Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna, Jr., and Ozzie Albies should get some love, too, and so should Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso. He did lead the Majors in homers and finish third in the NL in RBIs, too. Alonso will likely have the highest MVP finish by a rookie since Aaron Judge was second in the AL two years ago. (Sidebar, it's funny how there's a bias against the Yankees that doesn't extend to the Mets. In fact, it tends to go the other way with the Mets. See Jacob deGrom's back-to-back Cy Youngs.)
Other guys who had good years on non-playoff teams include Arizona's Ketel Marte and Eduardo Escobar, Pittsburgh's Josh Bell, the Cubs' Javy Baez, and even Bryce Harper. His first year in Philadelphia was a disappointment. He'd be the first to admit that. But it wasn't entirely his fault. Harper did his part with 35 homers and 114 RBIs, even if he only hit .260. Not worth $330 million, though. A lot of people sure got a certain amount of satisfaction in watching the Nationals win the World Series without him, too.
My Ballot: 1. Bellinger, 2. Yelich, 3. Rendon, 4. Alonso, 5. Freeman, 6. Arenado, 7. Marte, 8. Acuna, 9. Hyun-Jin Ryu, 10. Albies
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