NL MVP Race: Should a DH get MVP votes?
By Jackson Westfall
A primary DH has never won MVP. Well, outside of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani’s dominance at the plate and on the mound has cemented him as one of the greatest talents in MLB history. He already has two MVP awards to his name, along with a runner-up finish in the past three years alone, and he has been having arguably his best season at the plate this year so he should be a lock for MVP again, right? Well, maybe not.
Shohei’s historic season is different in the sense that he is not pitching like he was for the last three years, showing off his once-in-a-lifetime two-way ability. So, while he has posted a .298/.385/.616 slash line with 35 HR and 32 SB, he can only impact the game while he is at the plate. Despite all of that production, he has only produced a WAR of 5.8, which is 7th in all of baseball and 2nd in the NL. His lack of pitching really hurts his overall analytical numbers. And, in addition to only hitting this year, he hits in a stacked Dodgers lineup which when healthy, has two former MVPs (and probably Hall of Famers) hitting in front and behind him as protection. Something he hardly had the last several years in Anaheim with the Angels.
I think Ohtani’s biggest opponent in the MVP race will be a player from the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks, Ketel Marte. Marte has had his best season as a big leaguer this year hitting a solid .299 with 30 homers and an OPS of .932. He has also been one of the best defenders in the sport, with advanced metrics putting him in the 85th percentile or better in almost every defensive metric. This puts his WAR at 6.1, which is very good for a 2nd baseman. Voters might like a guy who plays everyday in the field and plays the position very well. He also has been productive with little protection, having only Job Pederson and Christian Walker as protection in the lineup with Corbin Carroll having a down year.
With the Diamondbacks hot on the tail of the Dodgers, I’m sure we’ll see an exciting end to both the NL West race and the NL MVP race, which might boil down to whoever is on the team that wins the division, with them being so close in so many categories. The MVP race I would compare this to would be the 2006 AL MVP race in which DH David Ortiz finished 3rd while hitting a league-leading 54 HRs and posting an OPS os 1.049 (good for a WAR of 5.8) and losing to Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau. Morneau Played for the AL central winning Twins and hit 34 Hrs and had a .934 OPS and a WAR of only 4.3. Ortiz unfortunately played for the third place Boston Red Sox and thats what the voters valued more. But with the emergence of advanced analytics and more emphasis on individual player success rather than team accolades, both players have a pretty good chance. Either way, this MVP race will be one for the ages.