Breaking Down Fan Picks for MLB Midseason AL and NL MVP Winners
We've arrived at roughly the midway point of the shortened 2020 MLB season, and with that comes the inevitable midseason award selections.
In this week's MLB mailbag article, we asked Bleacher Report app users to place their votes for American League and National League MVP honors.
In the end, two clear favorites emerged, along with a handful of other contenders who also belong in the conversation as the calendar flips to September.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this week's crowdsourcing thread on the app. Be on the lookout every Tuesday afternoon for your chance to weigh in on the newest topic.
Let's get to it.
Others Receiving Votes
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American League
- Matt Chapman, Oakland Athletics
- Kyle Lewis, Seattle Mariners (2 votes)
- Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays (2 votes)
- Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Angels
- Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox (3 votes)
- Anthony Santander, Baltimore Orioles (2 votes)
- Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (3 votes)
Mike Trout has never finished lower than fourth in the AL MVP balloting in any of his eight full seasons in the majors. He's won the award three times and finished as the runner-up four other times.
National League
- Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs (2 votes)
- Max Fried, Atlanta Braves (2 votes)
- Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
- Trea Turner, Washington Nationals
Max Fried is a solid under-the-radar candidate. He leads the NL with 2.6 WAR, and his importance to the first-place Braves' success is undeniable given the current state of their starting rotation.
NL MVP Contender: CF Mike Yastrzemski, San Francisco Giants
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NL MVP Votes: 3
After six seasons in the minors and entering his age-28 campaign, Mike Yastrzemski didn't inspire lofty expectations when the San Francisco Giants acquired him in an under-the-radar swap with the Baltimore Orioles in March 2019.
He made his MLB debut on May 25, 2019, and he quickly emerged as a bright spot for a Giants team in transition, hitting .272/.334/.518 with 22 doubles, 21 home runs and 55 RBI in 107 games. His 2.8 WAR trailed only Jeff Samardzija (3.0) and Madison Bumgarner (2.9) on the San Francisco roster.
Despite those strong numbers and solid peripherals, regression was an inevitable possibility for a late-bloomer with a limited track record of success.
Instead, he has continued his rise to stardom.
The 30-year-old is hitting .280/.399/.568 for a 164 OPS+, and he ranks among the NL leaders in runs scored (30, third), doubles (11, third), extra-base hits (21, second), total bases (75, sixth) and WAR (1.9, sixth).
A strong finish from the Giants, who are currently 17-19 and in fourth place in the NL West, would be a boon to his MVP case.
AL MVP Contender: DH Nelson Cruz, Minnesota Twins
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AL MVP Votes: 4
Nelson Cruz is the fourth-oldest active player in baseball right now, behind only Albert Pujols, Rich Hill and Erik Kratz.
Let that sink in for a second.
At 40 years old, he is still one of the most feared hitters in the sport, and he's currently leading the AL in home runs (13) and OPS+ (188) while hitting .311/.404/.664 for a Minnesota Twins team in the thick of the AL playoff race.
Cruz is a free agent at season's end, and the two-year, $26 million contract he signed with the Twins will go down as one of the best contracts that franchise has ever handed out.
He's never finished higher than sixth in MVP voting, and he checked in ninth in the balloting a year ago when he posted a 169 OPS+ with 41 home runs and 108 RBI. Some voters will hold the fact that he's a designated hitter and only impacts part of the game against him, but that hasn't stopped him from ranking ninth among AL position players with 1.4 WAR.
At the very least, his first top-five finish in the voting should be forthcoming.
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NL MVP Contender: RF Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
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NL MVP Votes: 4
Mookie Betts hit just .206/.270/.265 with zero home runs during his first seven games in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.
He went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run on July 31, raising his batting average 50 points in the process, and he spent the entire month of August raking.
In 108 plate appearances last month, he hit .315/.407/.696 with 10 home runs and 21 RBI, and his 2.5 WAR leads all NL position players.
The 2018 AL MVP winner inked a massive 12-year, $365 million extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers in July, and he remains one of baseball's best all-around players.
He's the most obvious MVP candidate on the best team in baseball and a proven two-way superstar. If anyone is going to make a late run to claim the hardware, he might be the most likely candidate.
AL MVP Contender: 1B Luke Voit, New York Yankees
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AL MVP Votes: 7
New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit sputtered to a .228 average and .715 OPS after the All-Star break last season, and a strong finish from Mike Ford raised some legitimate questions about whether his starting role could be in jeopardy.
Those questions have been resoundingly answered.
The 29-year-old has been on an absolute tear since early August, hitting .348/.411/.803 with nine home runs and 19 RBI in his last 18 games.
The importance of DJ LeMahieu to an injury-plagued Yankees team was not lost on voters in 2019 when he finished fourth in AL MVP balloting. With star sluggers Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres all currently on the injured list, Voit has been the guy shouldering a significant offensive load this season.
If he keeps mashing for the most high-profile team in the sport, there's no reason he can't make a run at MVP honors.
NL MVP Runner-Up: LF Juan Soto, Washington Nationals
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NL MVP Votes: 10
Juan Soto missed the first eight games of the season for the Washington Nationals following a positive COVID-19 test on the cusp of Opening Day.
That might not sound like much, but it's the equivalent of missing 22 games during a regular 162-game slate.
He went 2-for-4 with a double once he finally took the field on Aug. 5, and he's been making up for lost time ever since, including his second multi-homer game of the season to close out August.
Still just 21 years old, Soto is hitting .367 with a .452 on-base percentage, and he's leading the NL in slugging (.800) and OPS (1.252) thanks to his 11 home runs in 104 plate appearances.
Teammate Trea Turner is currently leading the NL in batting average (.377) and hits (49), so there's some risk of splitting votes if he keeps hitting at that clip.
That said, Soto is clearly establishing himself as one of the game's elite offensive players, and the offseason departure of Anthony Rendon has made his contributions that much more important to the Nationals.
AL MVP Runner-Up: 1B Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
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AL MVP Votes: 14
With one massive series against the crosstown rival Chicago Cubs, slugger Jose Abreu vaulted into the AL MVP conversation.
He came to the plate 14 times in the three-game series and launched six home runs, and that outburst was by no means an isolated uptick in production.
The 33-year-old is hitting .315/.359/.636 with 12 home runs on the year, leading the AL in hits (45), total bases (91) and RBI (32).
He's also currently riding a 14-game hitting streak, and the White Sox are arguably the hottest team in baseball right now, so it's easy to draw a connection between the team's success and his own individual production.
Rookie standout Luis Robert might be the talk of the town on the South Side, but Abreu is the team's best MVP candidate and could make a legitimate push for the award if the White Sox walk away with the AL Central title.
NL MVP: SS Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
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NL MVP Votes: 42
User Comment: "He has absolutely lit up the MLB since his first game this season. Every time he steps up to the plate there's an anticipation for something great to happen." (@YoungHerf)
Nearly two-thirds of fan voters chose Fernando Tatis Jr. for NL MVP honors, and it's not hard to see why.
The dynamic young shortstop is the face of an upstart San Diego Padres team that is poised to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a run for their money in the NL West.
Still just 21 years old, he's hitting .313/.395/.660, and he leads the NL in home runs (13), RBI (33), runs scored (38) and total bases (97).
His 2.3 WAR is the fifth-highest mark in the majors, trailing only Mookie Betts (2.5) among position players, and he's also made a positive impact with his glove (1 DRS, 3.2 UZR/150) while providing an abundance of highlight-reel material.
The hype train left the station during an injury-shortened rookie season in which he hit .317/.379/.590 with 22 home runs in 84 games, and it's now barreling down the tracks as the Padres eye their first postseason berth since 2006.
He's the man to beat on the NL side.
AL MVP: SP Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians
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AL MVP Votes: 27
User Comment: "I know he can win Cy Young, but I don't think a single position player has been more impactful than the pitcher that's been lights out every single start." (@Briott14)
Since the inception of the Cy Young Award in 1956, only 11 pitchers have won MVP honors, and only Justin Verlander (2011) and Clayton Kershaw (2014) have done so in the last 25 years.
Will Shane Bieber join that exclusive list in 2020?
The 25-year-old was one of the breakout stars of 2019, going 15-8 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 259 strikeouts in 214.1 innings to finish fourth in AL Cy Young voting.
With Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer both traded, he stepped into the role of staff ace to start the 2020 season. On Opening Day, he twirled six shutout innings, striking out 14 along the way.
He has yet to allow more than three runs in any of his eight appearances, all of which have been quality starts. He has five games with double-digit strikeouts, and he's kept the opposing team off the scoreboard five times, as well.
All told, he's 6-0 with a 1.20 ERA, a 0.82 WHIP and an absurd 84-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 52.2 innings, good for a 383 ERA+ that would shatter the single-season record.
With Mike Clevinger also shipped out in a deadline deal, he's now the clear leader of the staff in Cleveland. And with an MLB-best 2.7 WAR, he has to be viewed as a legitimate MVP candidate.
My Picks
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AL MVP: Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
Where would the White Sox be without Abreu?
Not only has he been the most productive hitter in a stacked lineup, but he's also been an invaluable veteran leader on a young, upstart team. He's always been a great hitter and a great run producer, but he's never done it on a winning team. Now the games matter, and he's having arguably the best season of his career.
Shane Bieber has been amazing, and he deserves to win AL Cy Young unanimously, but I've never been a pitcher-for-MVP guy.
NL MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
The Padres are the most exciting team in the National League right now, and Tatis is the catalyst offensively and defensively.
Aside from all the numbers we've already talked about, he's also hitting .440/.548/1.000 in 31 plate appearances with runners in scoring position. When it matters most, he has answered the call time and time again.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.
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