Early Season MLB MVP Favorites
A look at some of the early season MVP favorites 25% of the way into the MLB season.
The MVP race in baseball is a rather peculiar one to monitor. Generally, over the course of a 162 game season, familiar names — Mike Trout, Bryce Harper — tend to find themselves near the top of the voters’ ballots. But early in the season, there are quirky stats, trends and a handful of names who establish their MVP candidacy. We’re roughly 25% through the season and there are certainly a handful of names in both leagues who are making a case for MVP. Here is my early season MVP watch:
American League:
Mookie Betts, Red Sox
As I wrote in my story last week, Betts is a huge reason why the Red Sox are amongst the best teams in the majors through the quarter point of the season. Betts is hitting .349/.426/.720, while playing elite defense in the outfield and running the bases in his typical speedy and exciting fashion. Betts is tied for the MLB lead with 13 home runs and has become a staple in the Red Sox lineup, elevating his power and offense to make him a lethal weapon in the heart of the order.
Mike Trout, Angels
Trout is a given in the MVP race. And his numbers are on pace for another MVP-caliber season. What’s new? Entering play Thursday, Trout is hitting .306/.449/.633 with 12 home runs and 25 RBI. Trout also has a MLB-best WAR of 3.5. There’s not much more to be said about Trout. He continues to amaze.
Didi Gregorious, Yankees
It’s not often that a member of the Yankees flies under the radar, however, when you have Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge as teammates, it can quickly become reality. In addition to playing his stellar defense, the shortstop is batting .255 with 10 home runs and 31 RBI. Gregarious is in a bit of a slump lately, but he still posts an OPS of .880 and is a major reason why the Yankees have the best record in the majors.
National League:
Ozzie Albies, Braves
Get used to the name, if you’re not familiar with it. Albies is leading the Braves to the best record in the National League (no that is not a typo). Albies has led the NL in runs, hits, doubles and total bases for much of the season. He may already be the NL’s best second baseman. He’s got an MVP name and game. Albies (21), who was the youngest player in the majors until teammate Ronald Acuna Jr. was called up April 25 from Triple-A, is tied with five others for the major league home run lead with 13 and tied with Mookie Betts for the majors lead in extra-base hits with 30.
Max Scherzer, Nationals
Despite battling a slew of injuries early in the season, the Nationals are hitting their stride, having won 13 of 15 and a large part of their resurgence has come courtesy of Scherzer. The ace allowed just one run on four hits over seven innings, striking out 11 in his last start against Arizona on May 11. Scherzer has started the season 7–1 with a 1.69 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 58.2 innings, which is good for a 13.96 K/9.
Aaron Nola, Phillies
Nola might be the most underrated ace in the majors. He’s 6–1 with a 1.99 ERA. He’s not the strikeout machine that Scherzer is, but he’s a strong top-of-the-rotation starter who has led the Phillies to a 24–16 start. The numbers speak for themselves:
