We are at the quarter pole of the MLB season and there has been plenty to talk about. The main story has to be the amount of injuries to big name players. Whether it has been one of the several elbow sprains leading to Tommy John surgery for pitchers or DL stints for various players, there's a chance someone on your favorite team has been hurt. The other big story lines have to be the success of the instant replay system and the ridiculous over usage of defensive shifts that we have seen already this season.
Along with those, there have been some incredible individual starts to the season. Sure it is way too early to be talking about end-of-the-year awards, but baseball loves awards and hey; so do we! With that being said, lets take a look at the early contenders for AL and NL MVP's.
NL MVP
A. Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies (.380 13 HR 35 RBI)
This has to be one of the more obvious selections up to this point in the season. Tulowitzki is absolutely raking at Coors Field, hitting an unheard of .521 at home with help from the Coors Field scoreboard and Dinger (the teams purple dinosaur mascot.) In all reality Coors Field is famously known as a "hitter's ballpark" and last time I checked a healthy Tulowitzki is one of the best hitters in the game. Well, that settles that. He is also leading the Major Leagues in on base percentage, getting on base in 48.4% of his at bats. Of course, to be MVP you need to help your team in more ways than just putting up impressive stats. Tulo has already flashed his Gold Glove abilities in the field this season. If he stays healthy all season long, Tulo wins MVP at season's end. But that is a big IF.
B. Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Miami Marlins (.309 12 HR 45 RBI)
It has been somewhat a surprise to see the start that the Marlins have gotten off to. They are just one and a half games behind the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves. What has been less of a surprise is the numbers that superstar Giancarlo Stanton has put up to this point. Stanton is know for his power and the mammoth home runs that he sends into orbit. However, this season he is leading the Majors in RBI and is just one home run shy of leading in that category as well. Stanton has always had the ability to play at an elite level. Unfortunately, he has been a victim of the team surrounding him as far as MVP voting has gone. If the Marlins can stay in contention late, somehow finding themselves in the playoffs, don't be surprised if Stanton comes away with the NL MVP award.
C. Yasiel Puig, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (.333 10 HR 37 RBI)
Coming off of a runner-up finish for NL Rookie of the Year in 2013 with one of the more memorable rookie seasons in awhile, Yasiel Puig has picked it up right where he left off. The Dodgers are once again expected to be there when playoff time comes around and team success is always when it comes to the MVP race. Sure, Puig does play with reckless abandon and even looks at times like he needs more coaching. However, if you can prove to be the best player on one of the top teams, that usually leads to MVP votes.
Honorable Mentions: Paul Goldschmidt, 1B-ARI; Adrian Gonzales, 1B-LAD.
AL MVP
A. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Detroit Tigers (.326 7 HR 41 RBI)
Good luck unseating this guy. "Miggy" is two years removed from winning the Triple Crown and would have done it two years in a row had it not been for Chris Davis last season. Cabrera is the best hitter in baseball and, in my opinion, it's by a pretty good margin. He will end up with 40-plus homers to go along with a crazy amount of RBI on his way to his third consecutive MVP award.
Getting the feeling that I could stop the list here, but I will continue for sake of the article.
B. Josh Donaldson, 3B, Oakland Athletics (.276 10 HR 35 RBI)
At this point in the season, Donaldson isn't even the best player on his team statistically. That honor goes to Brandon Moss. However, Donaldson finished fourth in AL MVP Voting last season and is more likely to keep up this pace than Moss. Donaldson is one of the more clutch players in the bigs right now and seems to only be improving at the plate. The Athletics also have the best record in the Major Leagues - something that is only helping Donaldson's case.
C. Jose Bautista, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
This one was difficult as there are a number of players who deserve to be here. My reasoning behind it was that "Joey Bats" has been doing it consistently for a few seasons now. If he can keep up the pace and the Blue Jays find a way to win the AL East, it will be hard to not to consider Bautista for MVP.
Honorable Mentions: Nelson Cruz, DH/OF-BAL; Mike Trout, OF-ANA; Albert Pujols, 1B-ANA; Michael Brantley, OF-CLE.
It is still early in the season. However, if both the players on top can stay healthy, I don't see either of them losing their respective MVP races.
Agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments!
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