NL MVP power rankings: A battle between Fernando Tatis Jr. and Mookie Betts

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ATLANTA, GA. – AUGUST 18: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves hits a two-run fourth inning home run against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on August 18, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

1B. player. Atlanta Braves. Freddie Freeman. 4. 17. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis

The veteran first baseman is the heart of the Braves lineup that has plenty of pop and young bats throughout the lineup, but it’s Freeman’s on-base skills that have allowed him to flourish. Freeman leads the Braves in OBP (.465), SLG (.648), RBI (46), walk rate (16.6 percent), is tied for the team lead in runs (43) and currently, only Fernando Tatis Jr. has a better fWAR (2.8) than him this season.

Freeman’s numbers are incredible but it’s also important to note that the Braves have four players in the top 30 of fWAR this season, and while Freeman has been a key cog to their offense it’s clear having Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna have helped Freeman tremendously this season. His numbers are MVP worthy, but when you take a look at the Braves roster with five players with an OPS higher than .900, it’s clear why the Braves lead the league in runs per game. Freeman is probably the biggest reason for Atlanta’s success on offense, but it’s hard to say that the Braves wouldn’t still be a very good team without Freeman.

Pick Analysis. Ian Happ. 3. player. 9. Scouting Report. OF. Chicago Cubs

The switch-hitting 25-year-old spend the majority of his 2019 season in Triple-A Iowa working on his swing from the right side of the plate, showing over his first three seasons in Chicago he was a much better hitter from the left side. But since getting called up towards the end of 2019, Happ has been one the Cubs best hitters with a .898 OPS in 2019 and an even better .941 OPS this season.

He leads the Cubs in home runs (12), RBI (28), walks (28), and has the 10th best fWAR in the NL at 2.0 this season. But what’s more important to note is Happ is one of only two batters in the Chicago lineup with an OPS north of .900, the other being Jason Heyward (.927) as the Cubs haven’t gotten the production they expected out of bats like Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and to some extent Anthony Rizzo this season. Happ also took over as the Cubs leadoff hitter for the struggling Bryant while also solidifying himself as the Cubs starting center fielder this season.

Had someone told the Cubs Happ could solve the black hole at leadoff and center field, that alone would have been enough to classify his season as a success, but Happ has taken his game to another level and deserves recognition for being the only consistent hitter for the current No. 2 seed in the National League.

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