5. Gary Sanchez wins American League MVP
Defensive alignment has become a more prevalent part of Major League Baseball over the last several seasons. But many times in 2016, the defensive alignment didn’t make any difference when Sanchez hit the ball.
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Sanchez exploded in 2016, hitting 20 home runs in 201 at-bats, or a home run per every 10.05 at-bats for the New York Yankees.
How does that translate to a full season’s worth of at-bats? Catchers tend to get more days off than most positions, but Buster Posey had 539 at-bats in 2016. That home run rate over that many at-bats would equal roughly 54 bombs.
Now, we’re not necessarily expecting that again, but Sanchez has prolific power. That’s undeniable. The single season record for home runs as a catcher is Javy Lopez, who hit 42 in 2003. If New York doesn’t give Sanchez too many games at DH, that record will be in serious jeopardy.
That kind of power over a full season in a market like New York will get him a lot of attention. On top of that, remember that catcher is a premium defensive position. Anyone putting up prolific offensive numbers as a catcher will get immense MVP consideration. That’s what we expect from Sanchez in 2017.