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The 2017 MVP Race: A Re-Examination

The 2017 MLB season was defined by a sense of newness. It featured the opening of the league’s newest cathedral, Truist Park in Atlanta. Then there were the new faces, names like Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, Andrew Benintendi, and Josh Bell. Finally, there were the Houston Astros, who were new to winning the top prize in the game. Of course, the circumstances surrounding the win cannot be glossed over. That being said, the Astros did not have their title revoked, so they will remain champions even in our alternate reality. But on to our business here. The MVP race in 2017 was absolutely one-sided in one league, while the other showed a significantly slimmer margin.

In the American League, Jose Altuve took home the honors with a staggering 96% of the votes. The National League was quite a bit closer, as Miami Marlins superstar Giancarlo Stanton beat out Cincinnati Reds mainstay Joey Votto by only one percentage point. They were so close, in fact, that they each had the same number of first-place votes. In the end, Stanton scored 302 vote points to Votto’s 300. We’re here to undo all of that and see if Stanton and Altuve truly deserved their respective awards.

2017 MVP Race: American League

For the first time in the history of this series, the real-life MVP will not be discussed in this re-tooling. Unfortunately for Altuve, the WAR numbers don’t quite agree with his overall season. As terrific as some of his numbers were, there were three that were better. Judge led the league, but only beat out the other two by one-tenth of a WAR point. For that matter, he only beat Altuve by three-tenths of a point. That said, higher numbers are higher numbers, and now we discuss the merits of Judge, Corey Kluber, and Andrelton Simmons as potential MVPs.

Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees have had many a legend throughout their history. The current generation’s Babe Ruth is named after an occupation that lends itself to both parodical and realistic reactions. Truthfully, Judge’s Rookie of the Year award might be one of the most deserving of all time. He led the AL in WAR (8.0), homers (52), walks (127), and runs scored (128). His production didn’t stop there, though, as he drove in 114 runs while posting a staggering 1.049 OPS. Yes, Aaron Judge was definitely a contender in the 2017 MVP race and, ostensibly, one of the massive favorites.

Corey Kluber

Finishing one-tenth of a WAR point behind Judge, Corey Kluber continued to prove why he was one of the best hurlers the AL had to offer. The Cleveland Indians star also handily won the league’s Cy Young Award, with a lion’s share of the vote (more specifically, 97%). He had a WAR value two points higher than any other pitcher in the league. His 18 wins, 2.25 ERA, three shutouts, 0.869 WHIP, and 202 ERA+ were all tops in the AL. He wrapped up his candidacy for the 2017 MVP race by striking out 265 batters in 203 2/3 innings while only issuing 36 free passes.

Andrelton Simmons

Here we have absolute proof that defense can win an award or two. This isn’t to say that Andrelton Simmons had no offensive impact, either. Far from it, in fact, as the Los Angeles Angels shortstop put up a respectable .278/.331/.421 slash line with 14 homers and 164 hits. He actually had more hits than Judge did. But his inclusion here is because of his outstanding glove. He picked up his third Gold Glove while posting a league-leading 5.1 dWAR. Overall, 2017 was far and away Simmons’s best career season, and he was a definite factor in the MVP race that year.

The MVP should be…

Taking nothing away from the other two candidates, the AL 2017 MVP race should definitely have gone to Judge. He had one of the greatest rookie seasons ever. Perhaps it was a bit of trepidation about giving him multiple awards, or perhaps it was simply because the voters thought Altuve was better. In any case, our alternate reality sees the meteoric rise of Judge to superstardom happen even more succinctly with his first MVP award.

2017 MVP Race: National League

In stark contrast to the American League, the National League featured not only a very tight race, but two of the greatest offensive seasons of all time. These went up against a future Hall of Fame hurler, who was not to be outdone. Yes, the threesome of Giancarlo Stanton, Joey Votto, and Max Scherzer blew through everyone else when it came to WAR. This includes the likes of Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Zack Greinke, and Bryce Harper. It was these three that defined what it meant to be great in the NL in 2017. Now, we determine if Stanton’s award was well earned.

Joey Votto

Joey Votto is to the Reds what Chipper Jones was to the Atlanta Braves; namely, the model of consistency. His excellent play boiled over into MVP candidacy once more in 2017. He slashed .320/.454/.578 with a league-leading 1.032 OPS. His patience at the plate notched 134 walks. He had 179 hits, 36 homers, 100 RBI, and 106 runs scored while playing in all 162 games. His good work led to a fifth All-Star appearance and his first since 2013. The runner-up finish in the MVP voting is his highest to date. Though he may not have as many eye-popping power numbers as Stanton, his candidacy in the NL 2017 MVP race is definitely deserved.

Giancarlo Stanton

The Marlins once had an outfield of Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, and Stanton. In 2017, all three were still in Miami, but only one was making monstrous waves. Stanton launched 59 homers and drove in 132 runs while slugging .631. He played in all but three contests while picking up 168 hits and a 1.007 OPS. Though nowhere near as patient as Votto, Stanton still managed 85 walks, leading to a respectable walk rate of 12.3 percent. He also had 377 total bases. Where he faltered was in his defense, which has hampered his all-around play throughout his career. Nevertheless, his offensive numbers alone were enough to carry him to an MVP. In the next few moments, we will see if he can keep it.

Max Scherzer

In 2017, Max Scherzer did a whole lot of Max Scherzer things for the Washington Nationals. He won 16 games, posted a 2.51 ERA, and led the league with 268 strikeouts in a little over 200 innings. He only walked 55 batters and cut his home run allowance by nearly 10 full long balls. Finally, he posted a sub-1.000 WHIP for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in five years. All of this helped lead to his second consecutive Cy Young Award, which was the third in his career. The future Hall of Famer was definitely in the equation in the 2017 MVP race. Unfortunately for him, the big bats previously mentioned beat him out. Now, he has a chance at redemption.

The MVP should be…

This might surprise a lot of readers, but this writer is going to bestow the 2017 NL MVP on Joey Votto. Here’s why: Votto was the more complete player in 2017. Yes, Stanton launched a lot of homers, but he also struck out 163 times. The more emergent qualities of a typical power hitter were beginning to plague him, and it’s something that’s followed him ever since. Meanwhile, Votto was someone who could hit for both power and solid contact. His patience at the plate was extremely reliable as well. Though the modern fan might look at the game through rose-colored offensive glasses, those spectacles are tainted by the home run. Votto’s 2017 destroyed that tainting, and that’s why he’s our alternate NL MVP.

 

Photo Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

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