Washington Nationals: Juan Soto being overlooked in NL MVP race

In a year when there are plenty of worthy candidates to take home the National League Most Valuable Player award, Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals is putting up solid numbers but getting little national recognition in return.

Soto, who will turn 23 on October 25, has accumulated 6.3 bWAR this season, second only to Fernando Tatis Jr.’s 6.5 in the National League among position players. His 5.3 offensive bWAR is behind both Tatis Jr. (7.0) and the man he is chasing for not only this year’s NL MVP honors but also plenty of Nationals franchise records, Bryce Harper (6.3).

The problem for Soto is that the Washington Nationals have long been out of the postseason race and are one of just eight teams that have been officially eliminated from playing significant baseball in October. However, while his team has floundered in the National League East standings, Soto has been putting together a magical season at the plate, especially in recent weeks.

Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals has been on fire since the All-Star break

Since participating in his first-ever All-Star Game earlier this season, Soto has been raking at the plate. Among all Major League players, entering play on Monday, Soto ranks first in batting average (.360), first in on base percentage (.525), second in slugging percentage (.656), fourth in runs scored (46), and first in walks (66).

While Soto may not reach the all-time post-All-Star break OBP record of .608 set by Barry Bonds in 2002, it’s certainly worth noting he is within striking distance of it.

And part of the OBP numbers has been the incredible patience that Soto has shown at the plate this season. He leads all of MLB with a career-high 124 walks (Joey Gallo of the New York Yankees is second with 106) and those numbers are inching him into the record books in our nation’s capital. He is tied for second place in Nationals history for most walks in a season with Harper’s 2015 campaign. With seven more walks this season, he will top Harper’s franchise-high mark of 130 in 2018.

Soto is blending that patience with power as well. On Sunday, in a 3-0 home win over the Colorado Rockies, Soto hit his 26th home run of the season. The third-inning solo shot measured 454 feet and was the third-longest of his career and his longest ever hit at Nationals Park.

Will Soto earn MVP honors this season? It’s unlikely. After all, he placed fifth last season in NL MVP voting in the pandemic-shortened campaign with a .351/.490/.695 slash line, 1.185 OPS, and 217 OPS+, and his overall numbers this season (.315/.459/.531 and .990 OPS) are slightly behind those. Still, there are plenty of numbers (Soto’s wRC+ of 160 is behind Harper but tied with Tatis, and his 5.3 Adjusted Batting Wins are just behind Harper’s 5.5) that show Soto is much closer than many think to having a MVP-worthy season.

In a year when Harper’s Phillies and Tatis Jr.’s Padres have dominated the headlines and had plenty of mentions in later-season playoff talk, it’s easy to see how Soto’s feats are being overlooked. However, there’s no question he is putting up numbers that should be generating more conversation in baseball circles than they currently are.