MLB Awards Watch: The final ballot

Los Angeles Angels. Mike Trout. 1. player. 102. Mike Trout remains the best baseball player on the planet. For me, that’s enough to warrant the MVP, even in a year in which the Angels won only 74 games. <p>Unlike the case in the NL where Freddie Freeman will garner less consideration than he deserves, Trout was easily the best player in the AL. He led the league in bWAR (10.6) and fWAR (9.4) by staggering amounts, and it wasn’t as if those calculations hid behind the veil of defensive uncertainty. Trout sits atop Baseball-Reference’s offensive WAR statistic and FanGraphs wRC+ in measuring his offensive greatness, and Trout led the league in OBP while finishing the top five in both batting average and slugging percentage. Oh, and he led the league in walks and runs scored while generally lighting the world on fire. Defensively, Trout measures as slightly above-average, but he plays a premium position and, this year, he didn’t need the defense to be labeled as the runaway MVP. Mike Trout may not win the MVP award, but if he doesn’t, we’ve all failed. </p>. OF