Joey Votto and the Best Hitters of the MLB 2010 Season
The 2010 MLB season has been the year of the pitcher. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been plenty of elite performances on offense.
Home run totals may be down across the board, but there have been plenty of players that have a legitimate argument for MVP.
The list is very exclusive—all of these players should receive at least a few MVP votes. Some of these players have carried their respective mediocre team for the majority of the season. Others are leading the way into the postseason.
In no particular order...the top sluggers in 2010.
Just Missed The Cut
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Adrian Gonzalez, Vladimir Guerrero, Adrian Beltre, and Robinson Cano are all putting up similar numbers. Over a .300 average, right around 30 homers and 100 RBI. While these numbers are nothing to sneeze at, they aren’t good enough for this restricted list.
Jose Bautista
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The most surprising slugger on the list, Bautista has had his coming out year in 2010. The .261 batting average won’t wow anybody.
It’s the incredible power that does.
He leads MLB with a whopping 47 home runs. That’s eight more than second place! Bautista also has knocked in 111 RBI, second-best in baseball on a team that doesn’t exactly scream offensive juggernaut.
Where has all the power come from? His previous career high is a mere 16 homers and 64 RBI. This guy is due for a huge pay raise next year.
Paul Konerko
3 of 9
The old man must have forgotten his age.
Before the season, had started he hadn’t hit above .277 in three years. Konerko seemed to be on a decline in his terrific career.
The 34-year-old Konerko is the oldest player on the list. He has quite the gaudy stat line: .323 average, 37 homers, 105 RBI, 1.000 OPS and a .604 slugging percentage.
None of these numbers lead the league, but across the board, he has been a fantasy player's dream come true. He has carried a very mediocre offense and should be in the MVP conversation.
The fading team record is the biggest reason he wont win it.
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Albert Pujols
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The guy that has been on the list for almost a decade, Pujols, has put up huge numbers yet again.
A Triple Crown threat for most of the season, Pujols tortured pitchers all over the NL. He leads the league in homers with 39. He has 105 RBI and sports a .306 average.
Hitting over .300 is outstanding for most players, but it’s 34 points below his career average of .334. I guess you could say he is having a “down” year.
The problem with King Albert is his surroundings. The Cardinals offense has been pitiful outside of him and fellow basher Matt Holliday. The offense has been the main problem in a disappointing season in St. Louis.
Pujols has already collected three MVPs. This year, it’s somebody else’s turn.
Miguel Cabrera
5 of 9
The Tigers slugger would be the most talked about player in the AL if the Tigers were in contention.
He leads the majors with 118 RBI (seven higher than the next best) and has crushed 34 long bombs. He is also No. 1 with an OPS of 1.053.
His .333 average is good enough for third in baseball. He has 101 runs, second best in the majors.
Aside from the stats, Cabrera has carried an anemic offense on his back. The Tigers hover around .500 with him, imagine the Tigers without him.
Josh Hamilton
6 of 9
He has finally turned into the all-world slugger most experts had predicted when he was selected No. 1 overall by the Devil Rays.
This season he has combined power and average, hitting .361 while hitting 31 home runs and knocking in 97 RBI.
He ranks first in baseball in batting average and in slugging percentage with .635.
He ranks second in MLB in OPS with 1.049.
The bad news for Rangers fans comes in the form of some Hamilton flavored ribs.
He hasn’t played since Sept. 4 with aching ribs. An MRI over the weekend revealed three bruised ribs and some inflammation, but the Rangers still have no potential timetable for the slugger's return. The Rangers will need him if they want to have a shot in the postseason.
He may till win the MVP, but not playing down the stretch might really hurt him.
Carlos Gonzalez
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CarGo has busted out big time in 2010. He has been enfuego in the month of September.
Gonzalez leads the Majors with a .472 (27-for-57) batting average this month. He's had nine hits in the last four games, giving him 53 multi-hit games (third in the NL) and he leads the league with 21 games with at least three hits.
He leads the NL with a .341 overall average and has blasted 32 homers and knocked in 106 RBI. If it weren’t for Pujols’ large lead in the home run race, CarGo would have had a chance to get the elusive Triple Crown.
If the Rockies complete another miracle September comeback, voters will need to take a very hard look at the newest star in Denver.
Not bad for a guy that didn’t even make the All-Star team.
Joey Votto
8 of 9
The Canadian slugger has destroyed all pitchers in his way this season. Votto is hitting .320 with 104 RBI and 34 homers—all three are third-best in the NL.
The stat geeks really love Votto. He leads the majors in OBP (.419) and OPS (1.008). He has carried a Reds team that ranks fourth in MLB in runs scored.
Unlike most of the other players on this list, Votto doesn’t have another masher hitting behind him. Scott Rolen has been great, but his production has really tailed off in the second half while Votto continues his torrid pace.
Votto has been by far the most important piece to a team that has all but locked up their first playoff appearance since 1995. Voters must take that in consideration with Joey.
Sure, he plays in Great American "Small" Ballpark, but his home/road splits are very similar. He's hit .339 with 50 RBI and 16 homers on the road.
The AL and NL Winners
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AL
Miguel Cabrera has been outstanding all season long. His numbers stack up against anybody and the lack of a better record has nothing to do with "Miggie." Just because his team is in the tank doesn't mean a MVP-caliber season should be overlooked. Injuries plagued his team and unless Cabrera learns how to help rehab players, it's out of his hands.
He has truly been the best player in the AL this season. Give the award to the guy that fits the description.
NL
Joey Votto's numbers speak for themselves, but it's the way he has lifted his team that gives him the "V" in MVP.
The Reds are a 70-win club without Votto. You can make the argument that no position player is more valuable to their team than Votto. The presence he creates in that lineup gives everybody around him more pitches to hit.
Pitchers have been tip toeing around him for the last two months now—doesn't mater. Anytime he is given an opportunity, he takes full advantage of it.
Votto is a star, and is extremely deserving of taking home the MVP hardware.
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