Primary Voting

When it rains, it pours. And right now it's raining baseball blogs written by yours truly. Two posts in two days, after a three week absence may seem like gluttony. But you'll read it and you'll enjoy it, damnit. Today we are going to focus on some early MVP voting in both the American and National Leagues. So let's get cracking.

In the National League there are some familiar names that come up when discussing this year's Most Valuable Player. There's Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals. He is hitting a beefy .320, which is good for third-best in the N.L. The reigning MVP is also leading his league in homeruns with 35. This might not seem like a whole lot, but considering the power numbers are down all across baseball, 35 is not so bad. Pujols is also leading the N.L. in slugging percentage and RBI. So he's a lock for a repeat of MVP, right?

Well, not so fast there. There are a few other players doing some incredible things this year as well. Take Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds for instance. The fellow first-baseman is second in the league in average, hitting .325 in 2010, and he has 32 dingers to boot. Plus, Votto has 93 RBI, which trails Pujols by only two. Meanwhile Votto is leading in on-base percentage. These two players are so close that a two or three-game slump from either player could mean an award lost later in the year. So, if these two guys are so close in the race, does that mean everyone else is out of it?

Hardly. Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies might have something to say about it. I know I've gushed about this guy once already this year, but when you see these numbers, you'll understand why. Cargo, as he is referred to in Denver, is leading both Votto and Pujols in average by hitting a fantastic .326. Granted, he's not blowing them away or anything, but a lead is a lead. And he's keeping up in the power department too, having hit 29 bombs already, meanwhile driving in his fair share of runs. He has 90 RBI, just five off of Fat Albert's pace. And while he is in the top five for OBP and SLG, Carlos' real edge is his speed. He has 20 SBs so far, compared with Albert and Joey being tied at 12. Throw in 7 triples for good measure, and Gonzalez holds the speed lead over his competition. Consider also that Carlos did a lot of his damage while fellow star player Troy Tulowitzki was out with a wrist injury. So while Pujols and Votto have been known to carry their teams, they haven't had to do so alone the way Gonzalez has. Does this make Gonzalez the clear-cut winner. Not by a long shot. It just proves that these three players are so closed tied right now, that if MVP voting took place today, I could realistically see a three-way tie. But there is still a month of regular-season baseball to play and anything can happen.

The story is similar in the American League as well. Josh Hamilton, the darling of the Texas Rangers may be turning heads with his .359 average, but it's Miguel Cabrera who is leading in RBI (107), OBP (.437)and SLG (.647) Hamilton isn't far off Miguel's pace, but it's Miggy who is leading. And let's not forget about yesterday's mention, Jose Bautista. True, he really only has the homeruns working for him right now, but he's got a comfortable lead, and don't second-guess how the voting sports writers value homeruns in this game. But is that all their is?

That's a negative. Like I mentioned before, there are other things to consider, like defense and speed. Ok, defense only really shines if a race is insanely close, or if there is almost no league offense to speak of. But speed shows. And in Carl Crawford's case, it puts you into the history books. In yesterday's game, the Tampa Bay Ray became only the 8th player in MLB history to have 100 homeruns, 100 triples and 400 stolen bases. In a quote from NBC Sports, "The other guys in the 400-100-100 club: Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Lou Brock, Frankie Frisch, Kenny Lofton, Paul Molitor, and Tim Raines. All but Raines and Lofton are in the Hall of Fame." But does this give Crawford a chance at a MVP award? Not really. While he's having a career year by hitting 15 homers to go with his 41 stolen bags, and a very good .296 average, I severly doubt he'll be bringing home the big hardware come post-season. The likes of Hamilton and Cabrera are just too much of a match this year.

But we have yet to discuss the dark-horse candidates. They're big. They're bad. And most importantly, They're back. First up, Paul Konerko is telling everyone in the American League to watch the hell out, because he is having a comeback year for the ages. While his power was never quite sapped, his homerun production was marginal in the past few years. But with 32 dingers already this year, which compares nicely with his competitors, and his .319 average, Pauly might just get a few sympathy votes and steal away a trophy. And his 92 RBI are just four off of Vlad Guerrero's pace. Vladdy is hitting just under .300 with 24 pops so far in 2010. However, he has the privilege of sharing a locker room with Mr. Hamilton, so he will be looked over quite heavily come voting day. But it's still nice to mention these older fellows that are showing a return to prominence.

So will Hamilton or Cabrera take the A.L. trophy home in November? Can the young Carlos Gonzalez steal some National League thunder from Pujols and Votto? Can an Adam Dunn or a Jose Bautista catch fire in the last month of the season and blow everyone away? It's anyone's game right now. There are favorites, most definitely. I have mine. But awards aren't handed out for doing well most of the season. You have to dominate for 162 games. Now who's got the stuff to win it?