Sites for betting favour Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim center fielder and Chicago Cubs third baseman and outfielder Kris Bryant to win the 2017 American League and National League Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award, respectively. Status quo is not just rock band from England. There haven’t been back-to-back MVP winners since Miguel Cabrera (NL) in 2012-13 and Albert Pujols (NL) in 2008-09.
American League candidates
Mike Trout. The Millville Meteor won his second AL MVP in the last three seasons in 2016. Trout failed break the 30-home run mark for the first time since 2013, but led the league in walks (116), runs scored (123), and on-base percentage (.441), and posted 30 stolen bases, and 100 RBI. In addition to that, he was Sporting News’ “baseball’s best player” of the season and the 2016 Esurance MLB/This Year in Baseball Award winner for Best Major Leaguer.
Josh Donaldson. The Toronto Blue Jays third baseman was the 2015 AL MVP. Donaldson’s 2016 season was the kind most ballplayers would wish for themselves, but by his own standards it was a step down from his previous campaign. Add to that a recent calf injury and the overall decline of Toronto’s offense as a whole with Edwin Encarnacion’s departure for Cleveland and what we’ve got left is that Donaldson may be the Blue Jays’ MVP, but the American League’s – at least not at most sites for betting.
Manny Machado. The Dominican-American professional baseball third baseman and shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles had his best season yet in the majors in 2016, even though he did not steal a single base – which was very out of character. A guy like him should have been able to steal plenty. What? We’re not supporting any stereotypes here; after all, Machado did steal 20 bases in 2015. Elsewhere, Manuel Arturo kept taking his batting average to new heights.
National League candidates
Kris Bryant. Bryant was NL Rookie of the Year in 2015 and MVP in 2016 – not to mention World Series champion. Since he can’t win the Cy Young, he might as well set his sights on a second straight MVP award. Like Trout, Bryant just keeps on getting better; unlike Trout, he has the advantage of playing in the best team in the league (or not playing in one of the worst, if one wants to look at it that way).
Bryce Harper. If the Washington Nationals right fielder had a breakout season in 2015 – in which he won the NL MVP – does that mean we would have to call 2016 a “break-in” season? His batting average sank from .330 to .243, and after hitting nine homers in April he finished with 24, almost half as many as his 2015 home run total.
Corey Yeager. The Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop was the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year, and like Bryant before him, he would like to go 2 for 2 with the MVP award.
P.S. Dark horses at sites for betting include Robinson Cano, and Giancarlo Stanton.
