Before the baseball world wraps up its award season and the focus shifts to free agency, the sport’s biggest individual award is still up for grabs as the American and National League MVP Award winners will be announced at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday’s MLB Network special. TSN.ca takes a look at the case for each candidate:


American League

 

Mookie Betts – Boston Red Sox

Embedded ImageWhen the Red Sox went out and signed J.D. Martinez last February, many felt it gave Boston the big bat they needed to replace a retired David Ortiz. Martinez was incredible last season, hitting 43 homers and driving in 130 runs. He might have been the missing piece that pushed the Red Sox over the top on their way to their fourth World Series title in the last 15 years.

But he wasn’t their best player. Mookie Betts was.

Let’s cut to the chase – it would be shocking if Betts didn’t take home MVP honours tonight. He led baseball in batting average, becoming the first Red Sox player to win the batting title since Bill Mueller in 2003, hitting .346. He also stole 30 bases and hit a career-high 32 home runs out of the leadoff spot.

Betts became the only 30-30 batting champ in league history. He led the majors in slugging percentage (.640) and in runs scored (129). Advance stats support his case too, leading the MLB in both Baseball Reference and Fangraphs WAR.

He’s one of the best outfielders in baseball, too. Betts won a Gold Glove for the third straight year.

As the best player on baseball’s best team – and probably the best player period in 2018 – the award likely goes to Betts.

 

Jose Ramirez – Cleveland Indians

Embedded ImageJose Ramirez narrowly missed out on the MVP two seasons ago but finds himself back in the conversation this time around. As good as he was in 2017, last season might have been better.

He set career-highs in home runs with 39, drove in 105 runs and stole 34 bases, joining Betts as the only 30-30 players in the MLB this season. He actually arrived at the plateau before Betts, becoming the first player since 2012 (and only the fourth third baseman ever) to reach a mark that seems harder and harder to attain.

Offensive numbers aside, Ramirez’s versatility at multiple infield positions gives Terry Francona incredible flexibility with his roster. Since the 2016 season, he has played games at third base, shortstop, second base, and left field.

One thing that might work against him is the calibre of the American League Central. The Indians went largely unchallenged all season long and ended up winning the division by 13 games and would have likely taken the title with or without Ramirez.

Still, his status as one of baseball’s brightest stars is undeniable. If he continues to roll like he has the last two seasons, an MVP Award could be in the cards one day.

 

Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels

Embedded ImageIt’s becoming all too common for the Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout posts an incredible season while the Angels limp to the finish line, nowhere to be found in the playoff picture.

Trout’s Angels have made the playoffs just once in his remarkable career and they were bounced in three games by the Kansas City Royals in 2014.

Let’s get to the numbers. Trout hit 39 home runs and led baseball with an almost unthinkable on-base percentage of .460. His 1.088 OPS was tops across all of baseball and for his career, which is saying a lot considering he’s won two MVPs already. He cut down on strikeouts for the third straight year in which he played a full season and mixed in 24 stolen bases for good measure.

At just 27, Trout is in the prime of his career and seems to be only getting better. He probably won’t win another MVP this year because of the season Betts had, but he’s a mainstay in the conversation year in, year out.

 

National League

 

Christian Yelich – Milwaukee Brewers

Embedded ImageJust as Betts is the frontrunner in the AL, Christian Yelich is the favourite in the senior circuit.

Yelich was traded to the Milwaukee in the off-season and many questioned if the Brewers gave up too much for the young outfielder.

Those questions were put to bed quickly.

Yelich led the league with a .326 batting average and 1.000 OPS. He narrowly missed the Triple Crown, finishing two homers back of Colorado’s Nolan Arenado and one RBI shy of Javier Baez’s 111. If he had done it, he would have become the first player to win the NL Triple Crown since Joe Medwick in 1937.

How he finished the season probably clinched things. In 16 games from Sept. 14 to Oct. 1 – with the Brewers in a tightly contested division with the Chicago Cubs – Yelich hit an absurd .444 with eight home runs and 24 runs driven in. The Brewers went 12-4 over that span and won the division title in a game 163 playoff with the Cubs where Yelich picked up three hits. Talk about value.

 

Nolan Arenado – Colorado Rockies

Embedded ImageThe Rockies made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever, but they wouldn’t have come close to the postseason without third baseman Nolan Arenado.

He led the NL with 38 homers and drove in 100-plus runs for the fourth straight season. He also finished top five in the league in slugging percentage (third), OPS (second), extra-base hits (third), runs (fifth) and runs created (fourth). For good measure, he wasn’t only awarded the Gold Glove, but won the NL’s Platinum Glove, given to each league’s best defender at any position.

Still, a cloud hangs over Arenado that might have prevented him from winning MVP in years past and might again this year – Coors Field. While the precise effect on a player’s output is nearly impossible to quantify, it’s largely accepted that the thinner air in Denver helps with ball flight and could inflate extra-base hit totals.

If Arenado had the success he’s enjoyed throughout his career elsewhere, who knows how many MVP trophies he might have.

 

Javier Baez – Chicago Cubs

Embedded ImageJavier Baez’s hitting was a disaster when he first came up with the Cubs in 2014. He struck out 95 times in 213 at-bats on his way to hitting .169 with a .227 OBP.

Fast forward a few years and he’s now considered one of the best hitters in baseball.

A first-time All-Star in 2018, Baez drove in a league-high 111 runs. His slash line of .290/.326/.554 all contained career-highs. Baez became the first player in Cubs history to tally at least 40 doubles, 30 homers and 20 steals in a season. For a Cubs franchise that’s been around since before the Titanic sank, that’s pretty impressive.

Like Ramirez in the AL, versatility only bolsters his case. Baez played parts of 104 games at second, 65 at short and 22 a third.

He might not be as good statistically as Yelich or Arenado was in 2018, but he was certainly wasn’t less fun to watch.