Fansided

MLB Awards Watch: All-Star break edition

By Brad Rowland

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) high fives right fielder Bryce Harper (34) after defeating Baltimore Orioles 3-2 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) high fives right fielder Bryce Harper (34) after defeating Baltimore Orioles 3-2 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 7
Next
Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) stands at the plate during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park. Cincinnati Reds defeated Washington Nationals 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) stands at the plate during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Nationals Park. Cincinnati Reds defeated Washington Nationals 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

NL MVP

  1. Bryce Harper, OF Washington Nationals – With apologies to the great Mike Trout, Bryce Harper has been the best player on the planet since the 2015 MLB season opened. He leads MLB in on-base percentage (.464), slugging percentage (.704), wRC+ (216) and fWAR (5.7), and Harper is nipping at the heels of the home run crown with 26 long-balls in just 81 games. He is the complete package, and Harper is finally realizing the immense talent that made him baseball’s “next big thing” since his arrival as the top pick in the 2010 draft.
  2. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B Arizona Diamondbacks – Goldschmidt has been the third-best player in baseball this season, and easily the number two guy in the National League. He trails only Harper in OBP (.455), slugging (.610) and wRC+ (183) among NL players, and with 21 home runs and 16 stolen bases from the first base position, he has established himself as a mega-star.
  3. Max Scherzer, SP Washington Nationals – The argument against Scherzer is, well, that he is on the same team as Bryce Harper. However, I take the pure definition of “value” when taking a look at the MVP race, and Scherzer has been head and shoulders better than any other pitcher in the NL. That combined with a clear drop on the hitting side after Harper and Goldschmidt paves the way for his landing spot.

Next: AL MVP

Home/MLB