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](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/424e2f0a1fd6ccdc111a441b454327ff721d19a96e5f8f2c9de7a0a1ae9b7883.jpg)
NL MVP
- 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.
- 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.
- 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