The 2018 American League MVP Race is Far From Over

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LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 15: Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) laughs with Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal (9) during a MLB game between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 15, 2018 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

As the American League Pennant Race begins to heat up, so does the race for the league’s MVP Award.

The American League is wild. As a lifelong fan of the Dodgers, I never paid too much attention to the AL. Until I was 13 or 14, it felt like a totally different world. It was a world where the Yankees always seemed to be dominating, and where pitchers didn’t get to hit. Like a lot of fans, my knowledge extended to the reaches of my own league and then, for the most part, it ended. Then, I began to notice things. By things, I mean players and their immense talent. Mike Trout burst on to the scene and suddenly, the Angels were back in the postseason conversation. He’s done great things for that club and will continue to do so.

He’s an MVP, but the question still stands; is he this year’s most valuable player? This is by no means a discussion of who is the best player in the American League because in that discussion, there is no argument. Trout is the best player in the American League, in the National League, and is making a run at the best player that any of us will see in our lifetimes. However, when you break down the meaning of the award to the term “valuable”, you start to add in some different options that could end up pulling off the win, especially if Trout’s Angels fall out of American League playoff contention.

Every season, the early favorite is often times last year’s winner. In this case, it’s Jose Altuve. Now, don’t get me wrong, Altuve is great. He is far and away the most deserving player to hoist that 2017 MVP Award.

But, like Trout, is he this year’s MVP? Or, is it somebody else? Is it someone from Boston, or Cleveland or New York?

Let’s talk about it.

BOSTON – JULY 9: Boston Red Sox player J.D. Martinez (28) pumps his fist as his bottom of the eighth inning three-run home run cleared the wall. Teammates Mookie Betts (background far left) and Andrew Benintendi (background far right) round the bases ahead of him. The Boston Red Sox host the Texas Rangers in a regular season MLB baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston on July 9, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

J.D Martinez-DH/OF-Boston Red Sox

How many home runs has Martinez hit this year? I’m asking because every time I check, he seems to have hit another. Home runs, however, don’t decide an MVP, but rather make up a small piece of a historic season.

At the beginning of 2018, J.D. Martinez signed a 5yr/109.95 million dollar contract, with an opt-out after 2019. Martinez has expressed interest in staying in Boston and is open to changing his current contract. He is the one guy that President Dave Dombrowski needed to sign this offseason, and sure enough, he did.

He’s a great player, and he’s great for the Red Sox. His stats so far this season don’t lie. This far, he has hit to the tune of a .328 average, good enough for 3rd in the league. He’s currently tied with Cleveland slugger Jose Ramirez for the lead in home runs, with 29, but is 13th in the league in Ks, in which he has struck out in 24% of his plate appearances.

Overal, his WAR (wins above replacement) is solid, coming in at 10th in the league with a 4.3

The great thing about the MVP race is that it isn’t based off one stat. It’s based off a collective observation, and careful analysis of one player’s season.

J.D. Martinez, so far, has the stuff of an MVP-caliber player.

So, is he one?

LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 14: Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout sprints to first base during a MLB game between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 14, 2018 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Mike Trout-OF-Los Angeles Angels

For nearly a decade, we’ve heard rumblings about this guy named Mike Trout. We’ve heard he’s great; that he can hit like The Mick and can field the ball better than anyone.

It wasn’t until a few years ago, when he won his first MVP in ’14, that we heard his name in conjunction with the phrase “the best player in baseball.”

That’s a lot to live up, too. “The best player in baseball” is a saying connected to players like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. It signifies that you, yes you, may just be on the road to the Hall of Fame.

That’s still a ways off for Trout, but the 2018 MVP award may not be.

This season, he leads the league in walks with 84, 17 of which have been intentional. Still, 67 walks show patience at the plate, something that can often lead to runs, and to wins.

Mike Trout is an MVP, not just this season, but throughout his entire career. The question, however, is this; is there somebody in the American League that, this season, is better?

HOUSTON, TX – JULY 05: Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) attempts to steal second base during the baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros on July 5, 2018 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

José Altuve-2B-Houston Astros

José Altuve, you are very, very good at baseball. Now, a lot of players are good, I mean you don’t make it to the majors by playing poorly, but José Altuve is consistently good, and often times he is great. Being good is one thing, being consistent is something else entirely.

One of the best parts about Altuve’s game? He doesn’t strike out. This season, he ranks 103rd in Ks, striking out in only 12% of his plate appearances. That alone is a stat worthy of an MVP, but the guy can do way more than just see the ball well.

He’s not a slugger, but rather a talented, small-ball type player. This season alone, he has 120 hits that are not home runs. His OBP stands at .394, well above the league average. His season WAR stands at 4.4 but is expected to change as the season goes on.

Altuve was the clear choice for American League MVP last year, and he may be again this year. It’s still early, a lot can happen between now and November. Injuries, slumps, and unforeseen forces can take control of the season.

Can Altuve get it done for the second year in a row?

BOSTON, MA – JULY 11: Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox warms up before a game against the Texas Rangers on July 11, 2018 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

Mookie Betts-OF-Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox have been the best team in the game this season, so it’s no surprise they have more than one MVP candidate on their squad. Mookie Betts, I think, is the front-runner in this race, and I’m not sure anyone will be able to catch up to him.

Since his debut, Betts boasts a 30.6 WAR with a career .300 batting average. This year, however, he may be in the midst of the best season of his career. Diving catches are kind of his thing, as are stolen bases. He’s no stranger to slugging, either, as he has hit 23 homers this season, and has an astounding SLG% of .691 this season.

Going into the All-Star break, he leads all of baseball with a .359 batting average.

The AL MVP, in my opinion, is Betts’ to lose. If he can keep doing what he’s been doing, and help the Red Sox to victory, he’s going to talked about a lot come October and November.

More from Call to the Pen

There’s one more question I would like to pose, and it’s been up for debate in baseball for years; should the MVP come from a postseason team?

Last season, Giancarlo Stanton won the National League MVP, all while being on a Marlins team that finished 20 games back from the Washington Nationals. José Altuve, on the other hand, won the award while playing for the World Series Champs.

Either way, these four players are embarking on streaks unlike anyone else, and they aren’t the only ones. José Ramírez has been mashing homers for the Indians and making elite plays at third, and Francisco Lindor is one of the best shortstops in the game.

Next: Starting Lineups Announced for the 2018 MLB All-Star Game

Mookie Betts may be the American League frontrunner for many, but there are over 60 games left in the season.

Anything can happen.

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