Trout vs The World

Does anyone in the AL have it in them to unseat the literal baseball God?

Every year, Major League Baseball goes through the arduous task of determining who the “MVP” of the season is. The debate usually stems from whether the top priority is the best individual performance or being the best performer on a great team. Some players are stuck on terrible teams and have phenomenal seasons, while others are on excellent squads and have great seasons. So it begs the question; should the MVP award be given to the best player who help his team win or the best player statistically regardless of team success? This caveat will be further explored below.

1. Mike Trout

If you thought anyone else should be listed at number one, you haven’t paid attention to the baseball world for the past five years.

Since entering the League in 2012, Trout has won two MVP awards and finished 2nd in the other three. He should have beaten out Miguel Cabrera in both of those seasons, and one could argue his case over Donaldson in 2015.

Over the last decade, seven players have posted a 9 WAR (wins above replacement) season, of which Trout has four of those seasons. He’s averaged 9.4 WAR since entering the league. He posted a league-leading 10.6 WAR last season, while also leading the league in runs, walks, OBP, and finishing second in OPS and steals.

Trout brings excellent speed, power, contact, and defense, four of the five tools that makes a star player. His only knock from possibly not winning the MVP award? He doesn’t wow you with the typical triple crown numbers, and his team doesn’t win.

Put this into perspective. Without Mookie Betts and his 9.6 WAR season, Boston would’ve still won 84 games. Without Trout and his 10 win value over replacement players, the Angels would have been the second worst team in MLB with 64 wins. Having a potent team around you helps in the traditional stats, but when you’re the best player in baseball playing on one of the worst teams, you shouldn’t be punished due to inept management. The MVP award is yours to lose annually.

2. Manny Machado

Ah. what a great time to watch baseball.

So many young studs are on the field dominating the game. Now enter Machado, a guy who had an amazing breakout season in 2015 and who got even better in 2016, boasting career highs in home runs (37), runs (105), RBIs (96), average (.294), and slugging (.533).

By becoming more aggressive at the plate, he’s increased his power and average numbers, and I expect those to continue to rise. He also brings Gold Glove defense at third base, making it an interesting race between him, Donaldson, and Beltre for the mantle of best defensive 3rd baseman. Playing for a mediocre Baltimore squad hurts, but his production offensively and defensively can’t be ignored. If he steals bases like he did in 2015 (20), instead of 2016 (0), he will likely end up in the conversation to upend Trout in the voting next season.

3. Mookie Betts

One of my favorite players in all of MLB, right fielder Mookie Betts finished second in AL MVP voting last year while putting up a 9.6 WAR season. A virtual non-prospect, he rose to prominence in 2014 by demolishing two minor league levels before reaching the majors.

Mookie brings a diversified skill set, with excellent power, contact, patience, and Gold Glove defense. He set career highs last season in home runs (31), runs (122), rbi (113), sb (26), and slugging (.534). Mookie began the season batting lower in the lineup, resulting in pitchers walking him less and pitching him more aggressively. This led to him seeing a lot of better pitches, mostly fastballs and pitches higher up in the zone, which may have resulted in inflated power numbers.

Once pitchers stopped pitching him inside like a slap hitter, they began throwing him junk outside and lower in the zone, hampering his output slightly. As he transitions into a middle-of-the-order bat and starts seeing a different variety of pitches, he will start putting up perennial MVP numbers. Look for him to increase his walk rate, steals, bring Gold Glove defense, and to drop off a touch in the power department.

4. Josh Donaldson

The 31 year old Donaldson is coming off yet another stellar season with the Jays. He decimated baseballs with his beastly power and flashed the leather at every opportunity.

Last season Donaldson had a “down year” compared to his MVP winning season of 2015, but that’s only in face value. He had four fewer home runs, but equaled his runs and steals numbers. Where he had the bigger drop offs were in RBIs, average, and slugging. What isn’t shown in the traditional stats are his increased walk rate and decreased strikeout percentage, which are telling factors for a hitters growth. He saw less RBIs last year because he walked more. Pitchers went out of their way to take the bat out of his hands, reducing his number of opportunities to go yard. His average dipped due to pitchers doing everything in their power to avoid hanging a pitch or throwing one in his wheelhouse, because they know they’re one mistake from hearing the horn go off.

This upcoming season, I think pitchers will walk him and pitch away from him more. Without having protection from both Edwin and Jose, pitchers can just avoid pitching to Donaldson. He should still put up excellent numbers, but his supporting cast may affect his overall output.

5. Jose Altuve/Carlos Correa

I’ve placed these two together because I think they will both play at an elite level, but they will depreciate each others’ MVP chances. Altuve is smaller than Betts, but has even better contact hitting.

Leading the league in average (.338) and hits (216) last season, altuve will likely challenge for the batting crown again. Due to his small stature, pitchers will pitch him like a slap hitter, and he will punish them and collect hits with ease. He has the speed to pile up doubles if fielders aren’t paying attention while he’s batting.

Playing next to Altuve is the gargantuan Carlos Correa. He had a solid but unspectacular season last year after putting up monster rookie numbers. Entering his 3rd season at the age of 22, it’s reasonable to expect that Correa will continue to improve his 20+ homer, 100+ rbi bat. Although a move off of shortstop may come someday for Correa, the up-the-middle tandem of Correa and Altuve will become a regular presence on MVP ballots for many years to come.

6. MVP hopefuls

Miggy Cabrera, Miguel Sano, Joey Gallo, Xander Bogaerts, and Gary Sanchez could all work their way into the MVP conversation.

This season should be a blast to watch, and I’m excited to see who will challenge Mike Trout for the MVP crown

Josh is a baseball contributor for theocho.ca. By day he teaches in schools or works at gas stations. By night he’s watching hours of sports and brainstorming his next article.