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MLB Awards Watch: David Price, Dallas Keuchel in two-way battle for AL Cy Young

By Brad Rowland

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher David Price (14) pitches against Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher David Price (14) pitches against Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) has Gatorade dumped on him by Washington Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon (6) after knocking in the winning run against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) has Gatorade dumped on him by Washington Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon (6) after knocking in the winning run against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

NL MVP

  1. Bryce Harper, OF Washington Nationals – Harper was in the news this weekend for less than desirable reasons stemming from his dugout altercation with Jonathan Papelbon, but that shouldn’t be a deterrent to his MVP run. In short, Harper is a runaway winner, and if anyone else takes home the hardware it’s an injustice. He leads all MLB (not just NL) players in OBP (.467), wRC+ (201), fWAR (9.7) and bWAR (10.2), and that doesn’t even take into account his ridiculous counting numbers. Some will point to a lack of team success, but for me, that’s a tiebreaker and no one else is close to Harper to the point where that would make a difference.
  2. Joey Votto, 1B Cincinnati Reds – Votto has the best chance to dethrone Harper for the OBP title (.464), and he has put together a resurgent and dominant season. His power numbers don’t stack up to someone like Harper, but 29 home runs and a .554 slugging percentage is nothing to sneeze at. Votto also leads the world with a 21% walk rate. Oddly, it still feels as if he is being slept on nationally.
  3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B Arizona Diamondbacks – It wouldn’t be a surprise if Goldschmidt finished second on the strength of his counting numbers (31 HR, 21 SB). He slots in third in the NL in both OBP (.431) and wRC+ (159), with a slugging percentage higher than Votto’s. Regardless, the gap elsewhere is enough to  justify a fall to number three. It has still been a more than acceptable season for Goldschmidt, who remains one of the game’s most underrated superstars.

Next: AL MVP

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