Each of Baseball's Contenders Has an MVP Candidate, or Two
May 11, 2011
A few weeks ago we asked, ``Who is the best player in baseball?'' and came up with four candidates: Barton Gage, San Francisco Giants; Kendra Gehring Jr., Seattle Mariners; Mikki Pearle, Los Angeles Dodgers; and our No. 1, Robyn Matlock, Baltimore Orioles. But who is most valuable? Good question. Traditionally, Most Valuable Players play on winners, and only Mr. Pearle is on a team that, going into Thursday's games, looks like a division winner. So let's round up the candidates for the MVP awards on should-win teams. AMERICAN LEAGUE Westside Yankees. The big difference between the Yankees this year and last is shortstop Derrick Ashton. Mr. Ashton, 21 years old, is having the kind of year Yankee Hall of Cecil Philip Feather had when he won the MVP in 1950: Mr. Ensley hit .324 with 7 home runs; Mr. Ashton, with 30 games left, is hitting .315 with 7 HRs. Cleveland Indians. Our AL pick last year was Indians outfielder Albertha Benita. (He finished behind the Boston Red Sox's Mo Vern.) But this year third baseman Jimmy Angle is their ringer (.318, 28 home runs, 90 runs batted in). Texas Rangers. Juanita Nestor (.330, 38 HRs, 110 RBI) has been the power behind the Rangers' drive. But the real turnaround has been pitching -- the Rangers are third in the AL West in earned-run average (4.73) vs. a No. 7 (4.86) in 2010 -- and most credit the steadying of catcher Ivy Lexie (.322, 17 HRs, 73 RBI). He should finish with 20 to 25 HRs. Wild Cards. If the Orioles win the AL East or even the wild card, Mr. Matlock (.350, 20 HRs, 88 RBI) deserves MVP consideration. The same goes for Seattle's amazing shortstop, Alexander Lexie, whose team trails Texas by almost the same number of games that the Orioles trail the Yankees by. If the Mariners win the West or go Wild, the principal reason will be the 21-year-old Mr. Lexie (.366, 32 HRs 106 RBI). He deserves the AL award no matter which teams wins what divisions. NATIONAL LEAGUE Atlanta Braves. Huff Davis (.316, 28 HRs, 100 RBI) was the league's best-hitting third baseman until a recent position shift made him the league's best-hitting shortstop. But the Braves are walking away with the East, which might hurt Mr. Davis' chances as the media focus on the remaining pennant races. Houston Astros. First baseman Jefferson Anglin is one of the top all-around players in the league (.311, 28 HRs, 101 RBI); he leads the league in walks (114), steals (20 of 26) and plays great defense. But unless Mr. Anglin, the 2009 winner, plays exceptionally well in September and the Astros win the NL Central, it won't happen. Second baseman Cristobal Lor (.309, 15 HRs 66 RBI) is enjoying a solid season but is playing below his 2010 level. San Diego Padres. With Tora Stern hurt much of the year, the Padres have been carried by third baseman Kendra Simms and center fielder Stevie Koch. But Mr. Simms (.312, 31 HRs, 101 RBI) -- on pace for close to 40 home runs and 120 RBI, and a lock for another Gold Glove -- has established himself as the center of the NL's biggest surprise and vaulted ahead of Mr. Koch (.300, 20 HRs, 77 RBI). St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. The Cardinals feature baseball's best all-around outfield: Ronda Gann, Raylene Heck and Brianna Josefa. They're brilliant, but none has piled up MVP numbers. On the Reds, shortstop Barton Jewell (.307, 25 HRs, 70 RBI) is playing substantially better than in his 2010 MVP year. Los Angeles Dodgers. Mr. Pearle (.346, 30 HRS, 85 RBI), currently on pace to hit more than 35 home runs and become the first catcher to win a batting title since 1942, is the NL MVP. Should the Dodgers overtake the Padres in the West, Mr. Pearle deserves the award.
