Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Take Early Lead for AL and NL MVP
Even with the “dead-balls'' limiting home run numbers, Major League Baseball is off to one of its most highly anticipated starts in recent years with a fresh crop of young superstars lining rosters league wide. Rising stars like the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani and San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis (albeit, currently injured) are household names across the country. Those two may be the most familiar to casual sports fans, that doesn't necessarily mean their names are at the top of the MVP race. Here’s a quick glimpse at American League (AL) and National League (NL) players who have it going early and are on pace to take home their league’s Most Valuable Player Award.
AL MVP
Front Runner: Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
If Mike Trout wins this year’s AL MVP Award, they should exclude him from the running for the rest of his career. Because it just isn’t fair to the rest of the AL. Trout’s been named MVP three times already and has come in second four times, his first second-place finish coming in his rookie year. His outstanding track record is eventually going to lead him to Cooperstown, N.Y.
For now, Mike Trout is Mike Trout-ing again this season with a MLB best 1.188 OPS and is tied for second in the majors with nine home runs already. He only trails New York Yankees’ showstopper Aaron Judge (10) by one in that category, while striking out less (Judge-36/Trout- 27) and being walked more (Judge-12/Trout-20). Trout is also batting a fantastic .337 with 19 RBI. The eight-time Silver Slugger isn’t the only MVP candidate on his team though, as the reigning AL award-winner, pitcher/designated hitter Ohtani, is also having another noteworthy season for the Angels. It is very difficult to keep Ohtani off this shortlist as either of these two Hollywood stars could easily end up hoisting the hardware at the end of the fall.
On Deck: Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
Standing 6’7” and strong as an ox, the New York Yankees right fielder looks like a player that would come out of a 3D printer if you typed in “Home Run Machine.” He clobbered 52 homers during his 2017 rookie season on his way to second place in the AL MVP race, but hasn’t been able to find that magic again yet. Last season’s 39 long balls looked promising though and he’s carried that pace into this spring.
Judge leads all major leaguers with 11 home runs this year, has the AL’s fourth best OPS at .994, and fifth in RBI at 26. His solid .296 batting average and 36 strikeouts aren’t helpful but are likely stats that won’t matter in the MVP voting if Judge launches 50 homers this year. He’s also Which he is roughly on track to do. While the Most Valuable Player Award is something that Judge would surely love to win, he is likely focusing on a different trophy.
The Yankees have baseball’s best record at 21-8 and this 2022 squad of Bronx Bombers looks like the best chance in a long time for the pinstriped faithful to see a World Series championship come home to the Bronx. Playing on the best team in baseball, for the Yankees, those two factors could help Judge in his bid to win the AL MVP. Hysterically, no MLB team receives more attention than the one in the Bronx, N.Y.
NL MVP
Front runner: Manny Machado, 3B, San Diego Padres
In the absence of the electrifying Tatis, third baseman Manny Machado has stepped up big-time. The Miami-born slugger has always been known for his powerful swing, having clocked a 119 mph exit velocity on one hit last year. But what’s been truly impressive is his focus on plate discipline over the past few seasons, holding the lowest called strike and swing strike percentages of his career so far in 2022.
In 2020, he won the NL Silver Slugger Award (best batting avg. for position) with a .304 average at the plate. This year he’s hitting .383! That’s the best in all of Major League Baseball. Machado’s also produced seven homers and 22 RBIs on the season, 12th in MLB for home runs and 13th in RBI. Not to mention, an NL best 1.085 OPS for Machado.
His MLB-leading 27 runs have helped elevate this San Diego team to 20-12 and second place in the NL West, just below the Los Angeles Dodgers. If Machado, who’s finished top five in MVP voting three times in his career, keeps this form and the Padres can compete with LA for the NL pennant, he just might be the NL MVP when the award is voted upon.
On Deck: Nolan Arenado, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
Another hard-hitting third baseman, Arenado isn’t far behind Machado in the race for MVP. The Cardinal’s righty has made a career out of tagging up 35-plus home run seasons. With 34 round trippers, Arenado was one shy of that mark last year. The 2020 season was shortened to only 60 games, but prior to that, Arenado went five straight seasons with over 35 homers. He’s on pace to do that again this year with seven in just 30 games played. He’s batting for a slash line of .316/.378/.596 (batting avg/on-base %/slug %).
On top of his performance at the plate, the 31-year-old California native is a machine in the field as usual this season and is on pace to win his tenth consecutive Gold Glove Award (best fielder by position), which would be an NL record for a third baseman. So far, the Cardinals are doing adequately in the standings, sitting at second in the NL Central with a record of 17-14. They’ve underperformed a bit this year, but as the team picks up steam, so should Arenado and his MVP candidacy.
