Hardly a clear-cut choice, though.
McCutchen has legitimate challengers in Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina and Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. Maybe even Cardinals leadoff man Matt Carpenter, too.
Together they evoke all the classic questions when it comes to MVP debates.
Goldschmidt is the slugger with prodigious power numbers for a .500 team. Should he beat out worthy candidates headed to the postseason? Is it fair to downgrade him simply because his teammates didn’t provide enough help?
“Goldschmidt’s probably more deserving than anybody if they were winning,” Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. “But then you have to weigh, is he that much better than anybody else?”
Goldschmidt led the league in RBIs (125), slugging percentage (.551), total bases (332) and OPS (.952). He shared the home run title with 36 and finished tied for third in runs (103). He even stole 15 bases and supplied a steady glove.
“This guy’s been a one-man wrecking crew at times for them,” San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. “How many games has he won in the ninth?”
But there’s no getting around it: MVP voters from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America tend to lean toward playoff participants.
Kershaw dominated on the mound for the NL West champions, compiling the lowest ERA (1.83) for a major league pitcher in 13 years. He started 33 of 162 games, however, so could he possibly do enough to outdistance the best everyday players?
Detroit right-hander Justin Verlander won the AL MVP award two years ago, but no NL pitcher has won since Bob Gibson in 1968.
Molina’s contributions to the Cardinals, who had the NL’s top record at 97-65, are more difficult to quantify. He had an excellent season at the plate—a .359 on-base percentage with 12 homers, 44 doubles and 80 RBIs in 136 games—but it’s his presence behind the dish that makes him a serious contender.
Almost universally regarded as the game’s best defensive catcher, Molina did a masterful job handling St. Louis’ young pitching staff. He shuts down opponents’ running games with his rocket arm and textbook technique.
So how do you attach a specific value to all that?
Kershaw led the NL in WAR (Wins Above Replacement) this season, according to baseball-reference.com. McCutchen was tied for second, Goldschmidt was fifth and Carpenter tied for sixth.
Molina was not in the top 10. Still, he has vocal supporters.
“I like Molina, and this is just because I know what he does defensively, how he runs their pitching staff,” Roenicke said. “I know what he saves those guys in runs behind the plate. No other position can do as much defensively as he does.”
The biggest argument against McCutchen lies in his power numbers: 21 homers and 84 RBIs. But he makes up for that with Gold Glove defense, brilliant baserunning (27 steals, 97 runs) and a .912 OPS in 157 games.
Third in MVP balloting last year, McCutchen didn’t lead the league in any of the major offensive categories this season—but he ranked among the top six or seven in most of them. His all-around play is what makes him the MVP.
“It’s going to be one of the tougher calls,” Bochy said.
We’ll go with warm and fuzzy.
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