Kevin Youkilis: Too Early to Say He's an MVP Candidate?

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Last night in a close 6-4 win, the Red Sox' Kevin Youkilis knocked in four runs. He ended up hitting 4-for-5 in the game, and if he had a triple, he would've pulled a cycle.

It may only be April, but is anyone else seeing this MVP-level play?

Youkilis is averaging a .467 with a .778 slugging percentage. He has single-handedly filled in for the missing power die to the slow starts by Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz (who's currently hitting a whopping .186).

Now, that's not to say Boston is totally a one-man show. Jason Bay has been hitting an impressive .314 and has just as many home runs as Youkilis.

But still, the Kevin's stats pop a little bit more. Youk is hitting after the weakest part of the lineup, so he has a lesser chance of recording RBI. Due to Jason Bay hitting behind J.D Drew and Kevin himself, its clear that Youkilis is supporting his part of the order.

I'll admit that Evan Longoria might be a better candidate for the at the moment. He has five home runs already and is hitting .429. Plus, he's batting behind the incredibly slow-starting Upton and the merely solid .260 average of Carl Crawford.

When it's all said and done and one of these two takes the MVP, it'll be hard to say. Evan has more home runs, runs batted in, and better slugging numbers, but Youkilis has more runs, a better batting average, and a much better on-base percentage.

It's a tough call. What do you think?

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