This week, we’re back to the MVP race. For last week’s Rookie of the Year rankings, click here. For the Cy Young review the week before, click here. Next week we’ll return to the Cy Young race. All stats are as a July 25th. The number in brackets represents a player’s ranking on the last review.
The hammer has fallen, the balance of the world restored. Thanks to a hip strain, Troy Tulowitzki is on the disabled list (SIA Alert). While he hasn’t lost his position atop the National League rankings, he will need a full and speedy recovery if he hopes to keep his lead over the surging Andrew McCutchen.
In the AL, Jose Bautista has been in a major power slump, having been bumped out of the rankings entirely after dominating the top three spots all season.
AL – Bautista Falls Out
1. (1.) Mike Trout, CF, LAA: .309/.396/.606, 24 HR, 76 RBI, 72 R, 10 SB
Mike Trout is at it again, putting up another incredible season. Though his hit, walk and stolen base rates are lower than they were his last two years, he is showing far more power, with his .606 slugging percentage about points above what it has been the last two years. It’s amazing that Trout is still just 22-years-old. In fact, Trout is younger than all ten of the Rookie of the Year candidates I ranked in last week’s review.
2. (-) Michael Brantley, LF, CLE: .316/.376/.504, 15 HR, 63 RBI, 67 R, 11 SB
At the beginning of May, Michael Brantley was hitting .255, playing solid, if unspectacular defense, and chipping in a bit of power and speed ( four homers and steals). In other words, business as usual for the 27-year-old veteran. Alas, since the calendar flipped to May, Brantley has been unstoppable, hitting .337/.394/.530. The is not a completely fluke either; Brantley was a big prospect, a guy expected to hit for a high average, steal bases and play good defense. So far this season, he has done exactly that, with far more power than anyone could have expected.
3. (3.) Jose Altuve, 2B, HOU: .338/.374/.441, 3 HR, 31 RBI, 53 R, 41 SB, 141 H
At 5’6″, Jose Altuve is easily overlooked. Like Brantley, Altuve was having a pedestrian, par-for-the-course season through the end of April. And, like Brantley, Altuve has been a monster ever since, hitting .362/.392/.468 with 24 doubles and 32 steals. Though he doesn’t walk much and isn’t scoring many runs in the Astros awful lineup, Altuve’s batting average, speed and doubles power have made him an MVP contender, something no one could have possibly expected before the season began.
4. (5.) Victor Martinez, DH, DET: .323/.388/.574, 21 HR, 56 RBI, 50 R
A back injury held Victor Martinez out for about 10 games earlier this month, but he appears to have made a full recovery and seems poised to continue his career year. The only thing holding him this low on this list is his DH tag. Martinez has played the field in just 20 games this season, 18 at first and 2 at catcher. Amazingly, he was so bad during those twenty games that he has incured a -0.8 dWAR on baseball-reference, an outstanding feat of incompetence.
5. (-) Jose Abreu, 1B, CWS: .290/.339/.615, 29 HR, 74 RBI, 52 R
Prior to his visit to the disabled list with an ankle injury, Jose Abreu’s batting average sat at .260, his OBP at .312. Since his return on June 2nd, however, he has hit .320 with a .365 OBP, nailing 14 home runs. He still strikes out too often (he has 92 whiffs on the season) and doesn’t draw many walks (just 23), but he hits the ball hard every time he makes contact, and his monstrous power cannot be ignored. He is on pace to tie Mark McGwire’s rookie record of 49, set in 1987.
Off the list –
(2.) Jose Bautista
(4.) Edwin Encaracion
NL – Tulowitzki Hurt
1. (1.) Troy Tulowitzki, SS, COL: .340/.432/.603, 21 HR, 52 RBI, 71 R
It had to happen eventually. Having played 150 games just twice in his 9 year career, with the most recent such season way back in 2009, the question to Tulo succumbing to injury was “when”, not “if”. Fortunately, the Rockies appear confident that he won’t be shelved much longer than the required two weeks, so Tulo cannot be discounted from the race. He has, however, also been subject to a variety of trade rumors in recent days, something which could be a major blow to his candidacy. The Rockies don’t seem to eager to part with him, but for the right price he could be on the move.
2. (3.) Andrew McCutchen, CF, PIT: .318/.417/.557, 17 HR, 63 RBI, 59 R, 16 SB, 62 BB
Andrew McCutchen is the definition of a flawless player. He hits for average and power, draws tons of walks, steals bases (at a stellar 16-for-17 clip this season) and plays solid defense in centrefield. The gap between him and Tulo has been narrowing every week and with the latter on the disabled list, McCutchen seems poised to take the lead, challenging for his second consecutive MVP award.
3. (5.) Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, ARI: .310/.402/.558, 18 HR, 65 RBI, 72 R, 38 2B
Once again, Goldschmidt finds himself trailing Andrew McCutchen, after finishing second in MVP voting last year. Like his adversary, the D-Backs first basemen is an all around player, hitting for average and power with a patient approach and even chipping in 9 steals. He and Giancarlo Stanton are neck-and-neck, but with Goldy leading in all three rate stats, he gets the nod.
4. (2.) Giancarlo Stanton, RF, MIA: .294/.394/.542, 23 HR, 66 RBI, 66 R
Stanton has hit a measly .204 the last three weeks, dropping two spots in the rankings. Don’t expect the struggles to continue, however, as the 24-year-old is enjoying the best year of his career so far. After two injury plagued years, Stanton has cemented himself as one of the best players in the National League and a staple of a young, exciting Marlins team that looks like it could be a contender as early as next year. With unmatched power, good contact and patience and steadily improving defense, Stanton clearly has a bright career ahead of him.
5. (4.) Jonathan Lucroy, C, MIL: .314/.383/.508, 12 HR, 49 RBI, 49 R
Despite hitting a combined .295/.350/.477 the last two seasons, Jonathan Lucroy entered the year well under the radar. In fact, his numbers through 95 games this season are quite similar to the stats he put up in 96 games in 2012, when he hit .320 with 12 home runs. The difference for Lucroy between then and now is that he has twice as many walks (41) and doubles (33, 2nd in the NL) this season as he did in 2012. While the Brewers success this season has been a surprise, Lucroy’s contributions are not.
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