Bryce Harper and Yoenis Cespedes: A tale of two MVP philosophies

Ask a group of baseball fans about the exact purpose of the Most Valuable Player Award, and you will probably receive several different answers. Some will say it simply belongs to the best overall player in each league. Others will look at the term “valuable” more closely, arguing that the honor should take into account each player’s worth relative to their own team.

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Every once in a while a season comes along that renews the debate, and this year’s National League MVP race is shaping up to be that type of highly-contested battle.

For the majority of the campaign, Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper has been the clear frontrunner. It’s been hard to argue with his off-the-charts production. The right fielder leads both leagues with a 9.0 WAR. He is slashing a mighty .336/.467/.657 with 36 home runs and 85 RBI. His 1.124 OPS is the highest in all of baseball, and his 104 runs scored are tops in the NL.

Harper has been a household name since he debuted at age 19, but this has unmistakably been his breakout season.

However, as Harper continues to rake, his team has been sinking in gut-wrenching fashion. Once the favorites for the NL East crown, the Nats were just swept at the hands of the New York Mets. Washington blew leads in each game and now finds itself seven games behind in the division, perhaps burying its postseason hopes for good.

At the center of the Mets’ recent rise has been Yoenis Cespedes, their major trade deadline acquisition. The slugger was acquired to provide a spark to New York’s then-hapless offense; he has done that and then some. Prior to adding Cespedes, the Mets had scored the fewest runs in baseball. Since the trade, they have pushed more players across the plate than any other team.

The outfielder’s heroics have even prompted some, including FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi, to wonder whether he is truly the most valuable asset in the National League this season. Cespedes’ numbers since joining the Mets are indeed quite compelling. In only 168 plate appearances, he has clubbed 14 homers and driven in 36 runs, along with a .312/.357/.675 slash line. The Mets’ turnaround since Cespedes’ arrival has been nothing short of remarkable, and isn’t that the most telling sign of a valuable player?

Of course, Cespedes’ case brings up a variety of other issues. By the end of the regular season he will have played just over two months in the National League. Is an impact, even a very great one, made over such a relatively short time span enough to give him the award?

Manny Ramirez found himself in a similar position after being dealt from the Red Sox to the Dodgers during the 2008 season. The notoriously mercurial Ramirez went on an absolute tear with his new club, and his numbers through 53 games with Los Angeles were even better than what Cespedes is doing right now. In 229 plate appearances Ramirez slashed an eye-popping .396/.489/.743 with 17 home runs and 53 RBI.

However, popular opinion doesn’t always change voting habits, and Ramirez finished fourth in NL MVP voting that year. He didn’t capture any first-place votes either. CC Sabathia also generated substantial MVP buzz that year for his herculean second-half efforts (11-2, 1.65 ERA) to carry the Brewers to the postseason after being traded to them midseason. He placed sixth.

Cespedes and the Mets are a great story, but it’s hard to see him coming away with the award in the end. If he continues to spearhead the Mets’ attack until the end of the season he will surely get his share of love when it comes time to vote. Nevertheless, Bryce Harper, despite his team’s swoon, remains the likely frontrunner for the outstanding season he has been putting together since April. Some will disagree, and not without merit. But history gives us a good idea of what to expect.

As with many things in baseball, it’s all a matter of perspective.

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