Author: Zachary Patlin
Editor: Brian Symons
The MVP races in both the AL and the NL are coming down to the wire. The AL race is a two man battle between Shohei Ohtani, two way extraordinaire, and the young slugger Vlad Guerrero Jr. The NL, on the other hand is far less clear cut than simply a two man race. That’s what we will discuss first.
Bryce Harper has had a second half of the 2021 season for the ages. Harper has drove his batting average up to .313 with 33 home runs and a WAR of 5.5. His 1.050 OPS leads all of baseball, as only he and Guerrero Jr. have an OPS above 1.000. If he is able to propel the Phillies into the playoffs over the Braves atop the NL East, he will probably become the MVP frontrunner, winning his second career MVP.
Another name to watch out for in the NL MVP race is none other than Fernando Tatis Jr. Fernando is hitting .286 with 39 home runs, 93 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. His OPS is just shy of 1.000 and his defense has vastly improved this year. Fernando has been at the top of this race since the very beginning, but a couple IL stints have pushed him back into contention with a few other names. If he wants to win MVP this year I think it will take getting his team into the wild card game.
The next two sluggers who are in the thick of t he MVP race are Dodgers 1B Max Muncy, and Nationals OF, Juan Soto. Let’s start with Muncy. Muncy has the lowest batting average amongst those in this list, however his OBP is an elite .372 and his OPS is north of .900. Muncy controls the plate better than just about everyone, except for the guy who will be discussed next. Muncy has simply been the best player on the Dodgers this season and will deserve some MVP votes. Juan Soto has quietly had one of the best second halves in recent history. His batting average is up to .316 with a WAR of 6.7. His OBP is .462, which is the best in baseball by a lot. He is also the only player in the MLB with more walks than strikeouts. Soto will be brought up in the MVP conversation for many years to come.
Now let’s talk about the more clear cut AL race. It’s simply a two man race between Ohtani and Guerrero Jr. Ohtani has compiled a remarkable 45 home runs and 95 RBI, to go along with 23 stolen bases. Oh, and did I mention he is a top tier starting pitcher as well? Ohtani is 9-2 with a 3.28 ERA, compiling 146 strikeouts in 123 innings. There is only one person that can stop Ohtani from being the unanimous MVP, and that is Guerrero Jr. and his pursuit of the triple crown.
Vlad currently leads the AL in two of the three major categories for the triple crown. He has 46 home runs to go along with his .321 batting average. He is having one of the best hitting seasons maybe ever, but is being overlooked because of what Ohtani is doing. Vlad has a 6.8 war, playing everyday 1B for the Jays who are looking to creep into a playoff spot. If Vlad wins the triple crown, being just a few RBI behind that feat, he deserves to be seriously looked at against Ohtani. However, I simply believe Ohtani has done too much to give up the MVP award. The final two weeks will determine who the MVPs of each league are.
SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE
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