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Early look at MLB’s Top 10 MVP candidates

Clayton Kershaw is among the best pitchers in the game. Can he pull it together for the NLCS?

The MLB season is still young, but it’s never too early to think about who might be bringing home the hardware.

The most important piece of hardware, of course, is the MVP. So, who are the early candidates for the game’s most prestigious honor?

Before we get going, we should honor David Ortiz’s fantastic farewell season right now. Big Papi remains one of baseball’s most-feared hitters and is probably the absolute last guy that an opposing manager wants coming up with the game on the line.

Still, Baseball Almanac lists Don Baylor as the only DH to win the MVP. But even in that season, Baylor only played 65 games as a designated hitter. As great as a season as Ortiz is having in Boston right now, his position probably precludes him from being an MVP candidate.

The same, however, can’t be said for one of Ortiz’s teammates.

Jackie Bradley Jr., outfielder, Boston Red Sox

Bradley’s hitting streak is deservedly getting a lot of attention. With a hit in 29 straight games, Bradley is now more than halfway to Joe DiMaggio’s record.

During this 29-game stretch, Bradley has slashed at .415/.488/.783. Unfortunately, it may be taking away from the overall brilliance that Bradley has had basically all season.

Bradley is slashing at .350/.417/.625 throughout the year. He also has eight home runs and 34 driven in, which is not bad for a guy not known for especially great power. He’s not just relying on a lot of slaps through the hole and infield singles. Bradley is hitting the ball and hitting the ball hard.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, Bradley is also maintaining his usual stellar play in the field.

We’re nearly one-third of the way through the season and he’s hitting for average, hitting for power, and playing stellar defense at a premium position.

Bradley may not have been on anyone’s MVP short list when the season got underway. But nearly one-third of the way through the 2016 campaign, the Red Sox centerfielder is a legitimate candidate.

Yoenis Cespedes, outfielder, New York Mets

Yoenis Cespedes

Cespedes has always had immense power, but he’s had a hard time bringing it together and staying consistent. That has not been a problem this year, as his 15 home runs lead all of MLB.

What’s more impressive is that Cespedes has emerged as more than just a launcher. He currently sports a .301/.378/.660 slash line.

Of course, New York has stellar pitching. That’s helped keep the team near the top of what’s been a highly competitive National League East.

With that said, the Mets have only scored 180 runs, a number that represents the fifth fewest in the senior circuit. Without Cespedes, it’s hard to imagine that this team would be anywhere near playoff position.

As it is, they’re only one-half game behind the Washington Nationals for first place in the division and currently hold one of the wild card spots in the National League.

There’s a long way to go in both the playoff and MVP races. At the very least, Cespedes seems to be in for a big paycheck at season’s end.

Manny Machado, third baseman, Baltimore Orioles

Machado had a breakout campaign in 2015, and thus far, 2016 has been even better.

One would be hard pressed to find anything overly negative regarding the Baltimore third baseman’s season thus far. He’s slashing at .307/.371/.619 — all career highs. With 13 home runs, Machado is also on pace to hit just a shade under 50 for the season. This is all while playing Gold Glove caliber defense at the hot corner.

Despite getting poor seasons from both Chris Davis and Adam Jones, the Orioles are still in playoff contention. This tells us just how good Machado has been.

A few pitchers have stepped up, Mark Trumbo is also having a career year, but Machado has been the catalyst. What’s more frightening for non-Orioles fans is that at only 23. The kid hasn’t even reached his full potential.

Clayton Kershaw, starting pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

Courtesy of Jake Roth, USA Today Sports

Where would the Dodgers be without Clayton Kershaw?

It’s safe to say that they’d be in a fair amount of trouble. The Dodgers are 25-23 and just 4.5 games behind the Giants in the National League West. That’s well within striking distance.

But when you factor in that they are on pace for a 68-94 record in games Kershaw doesn’t pitch in, it tells us a story of a struggling team. It also tells us a story of the ace’s value to the squad.

 

It’s not really that pitchers outside of Kershaw are been bad. They haven’t been. Instead, they’re just not great.

Because the Los Angeles offense has been so inconsistent this year, the pitching has had to be great. Fortunately, when your team needs great pitching and have Clayton Kershaw on your side, you’re in with a good chance.

Robinson Cano, second baseman, Seattle Mariners

In 2014, Cano put up a good .314/.382/.454 slash line, but had a fairly modest 14 home runs.

Cano found some of his old power stroke in 2015, hitting 21 homers. Though, he posted just a .287 averaged with a .334 on-base percentage. Not bad for a second baseman, but not what Seattle paid for when it signed Cano from the Yankees prior to the 2014 campaign.

Entering the season, it certainly appeared as though Cano’s days as an elite hitter were a thing of the past. Roughly two months later, things have changed.

Boasting a .295/.345/.584 slash line, Cano has been one of baseball’s most consistent hitters. Add in his 14 homers and 43 RBI, and it’s clear he’s back to old form. A War of 2.2 also suggests Cano has been extremely valuable to his team.

A total of 10 games over .500, Cano is more responsible than any one man for Seattle’s hot start to the season.

Jake Arrieta, starting pitcher, Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have now won 23 consecutive regular season games started by Arrieta, tying a Major League record. Of course, team wins and losses aren’t a great measure of value for a starting pitcher, as they can say just as much about the team’s offense and bullpen.

But the reality is that Arrieta has been disgustingly good in that time.

As far as 2016 goes, even with a rough outing on Wednesday, Arrieta has been stellar. The Cubs’ ace and reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has a 1.72 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a rock solid 67 strikeouts in 68 innings.

It’s rare for a pitcher to win an MVP but like Kershaw, Arrieta is a true candidate.

Mike Trout, outfielder, Los Angeles Angels

The Angels are beaten up with injuries. They’ve also gotten worse than expected performances from some of their best players. Despite all of that, Los Angeles finds itself within striking distance of a playoff spot. So, what do they have working in their favor?

Mike Trout.

Given how easy he makes it all look, it’s not too hard to take this guy for granted, but it’d be a big mistake. Trout has a .318/.405/.557 slash line, 10 home runs and five stolen bases. He also plays center field as well as anyone in baseball.

Trout is the definition of a five-tool player. There are certain players who are more dominant than Trout in 1-2 tools, but none put the total package together as well as the Angels’ centerfielder.

Los Angeles probably needs a quick winning streak to get itself back into playoff contention, and realistically, it’s hard to see Trout winning an MVP unless his team contends. But this squad would be potentially historically bad were it not for Trout.

Nolan Arenado, third baseman, Colorado Rockies

Like the Angels, the Rockies are only on the brink of playoff contention right now. Still, it would be nearly impossible to overestimate the value that Arenado has had to that team this season.

Arenado has 14 home runs, which is behind only Cespedes in the National League. He also has 34 RBI, a .291/.364/.583 slash line, 19 walks and only 20 strikeouts.

It’s simply not fair for a player with that kind of power to be on pace to strike out well under 100 times this late in the year.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, Arenado also plays third base about as well as anyone has ever played the position.

Realistically, Colorado has been an overachieving rebuilding team through much of the 2016 season. It’s highly unlikely to think that they’ll be able to stick with the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants for the remainder of the season.

But with Arenado, they have a true superstar. Whether that translates to MVP votes is anyone’s guess.

Miguel Cabrera, first baseman, Detroit Tigers

Detroit has had one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball this season. Still, at 23-23, the Tigers are only three games back in the American League Central.

The offense has far exceeded the pitching in the Motor City. While they’ve gotten good play from a number of hitters, nobody has done more than two-time American League MVP, Miguel Cabrera.

Cabrera has a .322/.393/.575 slash line, 11 home runs, 27 runs scored and 31 RBI. He remains one of baseball’s most-feared offensive weapons.

If the Tigers are going to remain in contention, their offense will need to be top notch. If that’s going to happen, no player will be more important than Cabrera. Thus far, he’s been up to the task, swinging a strong bat and keeping his team within striking distance.

Bryce Harper, outfielder, Washington Nationals

Courtesy of Brad Mills, USA Today Sports

On batting average alone, Harper is having a down year, hitting only .245. Though, we have to look a bit deeper than that.

Despite the poor batting average, the Nationals’ star has the fourth-highest OBP in all of baseball, checking in at .430. Of course, his league leading 48 walks help quite a bit.

More impressive are the 13 intentional walks that Harper has drawn, as many as any other two MLB players combined.

While Harper is obviously not drawing many hittable pitches, he has found time to hit 11 home runs and slug .532. Additionally, Harper is capable of inflicting damage on the bases, as he has seven stolen bases.

Harper may not be putting up the highlight reel monster season that he had in 2015, but his immense value is on display nearly every time he steps into the batter’s box.

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