Mookie Betts: Legitimate American League MVP Candidate

The American League East race is turning into the best in baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays now lead the second place Boston Red Sox by one game and the Baltimore Orioles by 2 games.

One of the reasons the Boston Red Sox have stayed close all season is the offensive output of Mookie Betts. Some pundits are even saying he deserves more than just a look as the AL MVP this season.

At this time, the Red Sox slugger is hitting .317 with 28 home runs and 89 runs batted in. On Tuesday night, he hit a pair of home runs to go with three that he knocked out of the park on Sunday.

Betts easily has been the breakout star of the American League and is now being noted as a potential MVP and not just mentioned in passing.

Betts might have to overwhelm voters that like Edwin Encarnacion as the Toronto slugger already has 34 home runs and reached the century mark in RBIs and there are still 41 games to be played.

Betts however is not only a legitimate candidate for the MVP award but he has become an all around star in the big leagues.

He does not hit only home runs. Betts has 34 doubles on the season, a .571 slugging percentage and .926 OPS.

A number of players in the AL are having strong seasons but will not be awarded the MVP at the end of the season. Mark Trumbo could reach 45 home runs this season for Baltimore. Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano have had big seasons for Seattle.

However, those three players are not doing for their own clubs what both Betts and Encarnacion are doing for theirs.

Betts might be trailing Toronto’s Encarnacion in both homers and RBIs but Encarnacion has played the majority of his games during the season as just the designated hitter.

While that does not automatically disqualify someone from winning the MVP, it does diminish his output somewhat when going against a player who takes the field every game and plays defense.

Betts on the other hand is a strong outfielder who can run very well evidenced by the fact that before becoming a cleanup hitter, he was the leadoff hitter for Boston earlier this season.

If he continues with the numbers he is posting, Betts will give Encarnacion a run for his money as the MVP and the award would be well deserved.

Lest we forget his defensive skills, Betts is second in all of baseball in defensive runs saved. Did we say he is just 23 year old as well?