It’s that time of season when speculation surrounding Major League Baseball’s postseason awards starts to heat up.
The decision process for many of these awards including National League MVP as well as American League MVP seem to feature no clear-cut favorite.
Let’s start with the AL MVP discussion. Should Detroit right-hander Justin Verlander win the MVP award? The answer is no. Pitchers have their own award — it’s called the Cy Young.
There’s no question that Verlander is one of the best, if not the best pitcher in all of baseball. He owns a stellar 24-5 record with a miniscule 2.40 ERA. But the MVP award should be reserved for someone who plays every day.
The NL MVP discussion has also been a much talked about topic. Dodgers’ outfielder Matt Kemp is flirting with the Triple Crown, while the Brewers’ boast a pair of candidates in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder.
The key to determining this recipient is to remember that it is the Most Valuable Player. The MVP has to be incredibly important to his team. Without him, the club would have a completely different complexion.
With that being said, the honor should go to Braun. His play has helped propel Milwaukee to the playoffs. Braun hit .333 with 33 homers and 110 RBI through 147 games.
With or without Kemp, the Dodgers are still a third place, non-playoff team.
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