NL MVP Race

      The MLB season is at its one of the best parts the race for the playoffs and we are seeing the finalist for the season’s MVP. We are giving our final three for the NL MVP tonight. 

Christian Yelich: 

   During the offseason the Brewers made a trade for Christian Yelich trading away a couple of prospects for the young outfielder. Well the move was more than worth it at the point we are in the season. The goal in getting a player like Yelich is maybe he’ll breakout or at least contribute good numbers to a run at a playoff spot. He has done more than give good numbers to the Brewers. If the Brewers wanted to be in a playoff race well they got one and it wouldn’t be without the help from the MVP Candidate and the steal of the offseason in Yelich. The Brewers are an average offense in 2018. It doesn’t get as average as the Brewers as they rank between thirteen and sixteen in batting average, RBI’s, hits per game, and home runs for a team. Showing that without Yelich they would be on the bottom half of the league in offense. The Brewers have won ten of their last twelve brining them one game out of the NL Central behind the Cubs who have lost two straight, and five of their last seven. The Cubs on September 2nd were five games up on the Brewers. Now as we sit on September 11th they are only one game up. It wouldn’t be done without Yelich. As he is the Brewers and one of the MLB’s MVP candidates. For only being 26 Yelich has had hell of a season. He has hit a home run in the All-Star game, hit his first grand slam in the majors in the early part of September, and hit for the cycle last month against the Cincinnati Reds. At the moment he leads the NL in batting average with .316 batting average. He has hit twenty eight big fly’s, having eighty-six runs batted in ranking nineteenth in the MLB, he’s second in the NL in runs scored with ninety-eight, third in OPS at .936, and finally first in offensive WAR with 5.2. By reading that you can tell Yelich is having hell of a season. One that the Brewers did not expect but are grateful for as they a riding Yelich’s hot bat maybe to a division title. Yelich is a MVP Candidate and the steal of the offseason. 

Matt Carpenter: 

     Another NL Central Star for his team trying his best to will his team the St. Louis Cardinals to a playoff spot. Matt Carpenter has been the leader of the Cards and has brought the energy back to St. Louis that everyone is used to. If you were to judge Carpenter off the early season you would of not suspected he would be an MVP candidate and his team would be in the race for the NL Central and a Wild Card spot at least. On May 16th he was only hitting .160, three home runs, twelve runs, and eight doubles. The Cardinals as a team were also looking like they were going to scrap the season as they were firing Mike Matheny their manager replacing him with bench coach Mike Shidlt. Well have things turned around in St. Louis. Now they are 3.5 games out of the NL Central and two games up for the second Wild Card spot on the Dodgers. If you had to describe the Cardinals and Carpenter in one word for the season you would use the word “comeback.” The Cardinals have come back from woes in the early season with nine wins when they were trailing after the seventh inning that’s tied for the most in the National League. The Cardinals have been hot as of late in the early September run for the playoffs. They have won four of their last six games with scoring thirty-seven runs over that span. During the season the Cardinals bats have been a big vocal point for the team as they rank fifteenth in the MLB in batting average, tenth in runs batted in, sixth in home runs, and tenth in on base percentage. The boost and center piece of the offense is in Matt Carpenter. After May 16th they moved Carpenter to the lead off spot and man has that made all the difference. Ever since being moved to lead off you wouldn’t think May’s Carpenter and September’s were the same player. In the National League up to this point Carpenter is first in home runs with thirty five also being fourth in the MLB. He’s third in the NL in runs scored with ninety-six, while ranking second in the NL sixth in the MLB in slugging percentage with .559. He has also hit thirty six doubles since May 16th. Pitchers are now fearing to pitch to Carpenter he has sixteen intentional walks and a 1.051 OPS in that span since May 16th. He is on pace to be the fourth player in a decade to have a .400 OBP as a leadoff hitter. That would be his second season in a row doing that. He is the first Cardinal since 2009 Albert Pujols to hit for forty doubles and thirty home runs; the same year Pujos won the MVP. Carpenter is .1 of a point higher than another MVP candidate Christian Yelich in WAR with a 5.3 WAR. Carpenter has been a spark and backbone for the Cardinals if the Cardinals can pull of the incredible comeback Carpenter will be in the final MVP candidates. 

Javier Baez: 

   The Chicago Cubs the original team in the race for the NL Central has been facing some struggles as a team but not with their MVP candidate Javier Baez. The Cubs and their fans have maybe near the top on the panic meter. They have lost five of the last seven shrinking their lead in the NL Central to one game over the Brewers. Losing their last two in a row now hosting the red hot Brewers this week. Luckily the series is at home as most of their final games are as they race for the Central. The last nineteen games for the Cubs only four are on the road as the other fifteen are at home at Wrigley where they play their best ball. The Cubs reason for success has not been the long ball or power hitting as they are only 20th in home runs in the MLB. They get it done through constant pressure they are seventh both in runs batted in and runs scored. They constantly get on base with walks and hits they are second in on base percentage, hits, and batting average. A lot of the spark comes from the Cubs young MVP candidate Javier Baez. He is hitting career highs in almost all hitting categories especially home runs which used to be twenty three. Baez has thirty home runs so far this season being ninth in the National League. He’s thirteenth in the NL with a .293 batting average. He has provided a spark on the base path as well with twenty one stolen bases that’s tenth in the National League. His slugging and ability to drive in runs is really what the Cubs should be excited for; Baez has learned to use his power. With 100 runs batted in that’s second in the National League but forth in the MLB. His slugging percentage is at .563 which ranks best in the National League and fifth in the MLB. He trails Yelich and Carpenter in WAR as his .2 below Carpenter’s and .1 lower than Yelich as Baez has a 5.1 WAR. He however has written his name in the Chicago Cubs record books being the third player that has thirty home runs and twenty stolen bases in the same season. The other two players for the Cubs to do such task are Sammy Sosa who did it three time and Ryne Sandburg in 1990. Baez is also the fourth Cubs middle infielder to record a 30-homer, 100-RBI season, joining Hall of Famers Rogers Hornsby, Ernie Banks and Ryne Sandberg. Baez is showing a lot of potential at such a young age is what the Cubs fans should be most happy with. He is the fifth Cubs player to before reach those marks in home runs and runs batted in before or in their age-25 season, joining Banks (1955), Kris Bryant (2016), Anthony Rizzo (2015) and Ron Santo (1964, '65). It’s not just his bat though it’s also his defense that has also stood out during 2018. There are four players in the 19th century to play third base, shortstop, and second with positive value. To qualify you must have at least an OPS+ of at least 130 (100 is league average) while playing at least 15 games at each position. Baez has shown great potential and if the Cubs could pull out the Central he could pull out the MVP.