A Washington Nationals star is doing the best he can to make sure the National League MVP race isn’t just between Fernando Tatis Jr. and Bryce Harper.
Juan Soto, against all odds, is slowly, but surely gaining ground in the race for the MVP in the NL with his incredible recent play.
Over the last 14 days, the Nats’ star outfielder is hitting .523/.633/.932.
Those are some video-game like numbers when you set the difficulty on “easy.”
Over the last 16 games he has played, Soto is 29-for-54 with 19 walks, one hit by pitch, four doubles, a triple, and five home runs, good for a .537/.653/.926 line.
The last player to hit .500/.650/.900 in a 16-game span before Soto was Barry Bonds, in 2004.
A Unique Hitter
Soto is a truly special hitter who may not have Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s raw power, but he has the best plate discipline in baseball and it may not be particularly close.
When Soto is on a tear, only two hitters in MLB are in the same league as pure hitters: Mike Trout and Guerrero.
Soto offers a unique combination of power, contact ability, and plate discipline that makes him a threat to flirt or surpass a .300 average, 30 home runs, and a .400 OBP annually.
For the season, the slugger is hitting .325/.470/.559 and leads all qualified hitters in average and OBP.
He also has 29 home runs, 106 runs, and 92 RBI.
His plate discipline is really what sets him apart: he has a 21.4 percent walk rate and a 13.7 percent strikeout rate, both elite numbers.
In other words, he won’t swing at bad pitches, and he is extremely difficult to strike out.
The best of all is that he is still only 22 years old, so his numbers may be those of a Hall of Famer when all is said and done.
He has already carried a team to the World Series and won there, in 2019.
Right now, he is making a strong case to be considered the MVP of the NL.
Can Soto Win The NL MVP?
After his recent tear, he has as good a case as Harper and Tatis.
Here's a look at how NL MVP contenders Juan Soto, Bryce Harper and Fernando Tatís Jr. compare by the numbers with a little over a week left in the season. pic.twitter.com/A3TLgrlZGA
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) September 24, 2021
Harper is carrying the Philadelphia Phillies with a .312/.432/.618 line, 33 homers, 96 runs, 80 RBI, and 13 stolen bases.
Tatis is at .284/.370/.615 with 40 home runs and 25 stolen bases, adding 97 runs and 94 RBI.
If we go to Wins Above Replacement, or WAR, Soto and Harper are tied in the NL lead with 6.5 while Tatis has 6.0.
If the award had to be handed today, voters would have an extremely difficult decision in their hands.
Harper may have the slightest of edges at the moment, with Soto a very close second and Tatis third.
However, we would not be surprised if any of the three earned the award.
It is remarkable, though, that Soto has mashed his way into serious MVP consideration on a last-place team.
Juan Soto is the MVP, Harper close but I still have Soto. OPS of almost 1.300 in last 70 games
— Victor III (@treytackett3) September 24, 2021
He has been that good, and he will only get better as he approaches his prime.
For now, we are lucky to enjoy such a close race in one of the most important awards of the season.
Leave a Reply