Mookie Betts is the best player in baseball currently and has been among the top players for the last few seasons.
Coming into tonight's game at Tampa Bay, Betts is leading Major League Baseball in batting average, home runs, runs, slugging percentage, total bases, on base percentage, doubles and OPS. He is also second in the American League in stolen bases and has almost as many walks (20) as strikeouts (21) this season.
Betts came out of the gate firing this season, and hasn’t let up as we near the conclusion of May baseball. In terms of overall productivity this season, no player has done it all like Betts has.
Looking beyond Mookie’s stolen bases alone, the intelligence that Betts runs with on the bases is among the best in baseball. On multiple occasions this season and over Betts’s career, he finds a way to gain an extra base or two that could be invaluable when it comes toward trying to win a game. This skill is evident when seeing that Betts leads the MLB in total bases and runs, but even those accolades don’t do justice to his base-running ability.
Mookie Betts is also the 2x reigning Gold Glove award winner out in right field who has already shown this season that he’s still atop the best defensive outfielders in the MLB.
Betts has led the way for the Red Sox this season, being an integral part of Boston’s best start in franchise history. The Red Sox currently sit a half game ahead of the Yankees in the AL East with the best record in the Major League Baseball.
His Wins Above Replacement rating (WAR) is 3.9, barely behind Mike Trout’s MLB leading 4.0 rating despite Betts leading Trout by a significant margin in most statistical categories.
Mookie is no stranger to being ripped off by the WAR stat. In 2016, Betts had a higher batting average, more home runs, RBIs and hits than Trout; along with similar numbers with stolen bases and runs. Betts also won his first Gold Glove out in right that season, helping to lead Boston to the AL East division title. Trout didn’t win a Gold Glove himself in the 2016 campaign, and his team failed to make the playoffs. Yet Trout sported a 0.8 better WAR rating and beat out Betts to take the MVP.
WAR is a statistic that unfortunately punishes players for having good teammates. Betts is leading all of baseball in most of the major statistical categories, never mind the contribution put forth into elements of the game that don’t show up on the stat sheet. How that doesn’t translate into the best WAR in the MLB is beyond me. Baseball already has established a precedent of awarding the MVP to the best player regardless of how the team does, such as with Cal Ripken Jr. in 1991. This mindset contributes to a skewed viewpoint on players who are among the best in the MLB who happen to also be apart of one of the League’s best teams. Discounting the services of a player such as Betts on the voting ballot for MVP because his team is also good is not conducive to the sport or the award.
Even so, Betts just trails Trout for top WAR in baseball. Yet according to an article by Sam Miller of ESPN.com, it is Trout who is “on pace for the greatest season in MLB history.” Considering Betts has been the front runner all season, setting the bar for all other batters and fielders, it is the Red Sox right fielder that should be receiving said consideration; especially with practically the same WAR.
Mookie had a down year batting average wise last season, yet still managed 24 home runs, over 100 RBI’s and 46 doubles. His 16 bombs already this season put Betts on pace to top his career high 31 homers during his 2016 campaign. The way #50 has been playing puts him clearly atop the running for this year’s AL MVP.
The baseball season is still young, with months to go which could feature slumps and streaks for many of the MLB’s best, Betts included. But if the production of these first two months and last three seasons for Betts is any indication, the 25-year-old will surely remain among the best in baseball. To this point, he has shown to be the best. Only time will tell whether the rest of the League takes notice.
Sources-
Trout article:
2016 Awards Voting:
Betts Stats:
Trout Stats:
League Wide Stats:
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