Philadelphia Phillies: Why Carlos Ruiz Deserves MVP Consideration

Before the season, nobody would have thought that Carlos Ruiz would be among the most productive offensive players in baseball.

After what he has done so far this season, it would not be surprising at all to hear his name even in MVP discussions.

Right now, Ruiz is hitting .340, which is the fifth best in the National League to go along with 14 home runs and 58 RBI. That is the highest batting average among catchers as well.

On top of what he provides on the offensive side of the ball, Ruiz is one of the elite defenders in baseball.

However, on top of simply his individual performance, it is hard to think about where the Philadelphia Phillies would be without him this season. They have not had very much offense to speak of outside of Ruiz.

He has definitely been the most valuable player for the Phillies, but it is going to be interesting to see if the voters shy away from voting for a player on a disappointing team. There is always a debate as to whether or not the MVP needs to be on a team that is actually doing well.

Even though there are plenty of other choices in the MVP race, if the season ended right now, Carlos Ruiz undoubtedly deserves to be considered for the honor. With guys like Joey Votto and Andrew McCutchen having good seasons for highly successful teams, there will undoubtedly be in the discussion as well.

I haven't done this for a while, but let me open it up to all of you readers. Who is your National League MVP right now?

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