Matt Kemp: NL MVP

Consider me a new wave guy or even an idiot, but when it comes down to it, I define the MVP as the best baseball player in their given league and this year, it’s far and away Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Kemp is having the SuperStar season that Dodger’s fans have been waiting for, it just happens that it came two years too late and when the Dodgers are having a hard time fielding a very competitive team.  Outside of Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Clayton Kershaw (My preseason pick to lead the league in ERA) the Dodger’s are on par with the Houston Astros.  This post is not intended to defame the Dodgers but rather give some insight into how absolutely incredible Matt Kemp has been all year. He’s my pick for NL MVP and seems like the consensus guy in the national media as well.

Kemp’s batting average has not dipped below .306 at any point this year and his .315 average marks the fourth best average in the league.  His 33 home runs are tied for 3rd and his 2nd place RBI total of 111 becomes all the more impressive when you consider the players surrounding him in the order.  Dee Gordan (and his .289 OBP) has been the leadoff hitter for much of the past two months with some combination of Casey Blake or Justin Sellers (yes, Justin Sellers. And no, I don’t know who that is either) batting in the number two spot.  Throw in Kemp’s 39 steals (2nd in the league) and the fact that he plays an above average Center Field and you have all the mixin’s for the league’s top player.

Fangraphs gives Kemp the Number 2 WAR in the NL behind Joey Votto but, Votto’s not the sexy pick for MVP.  Baseball-Reference calculates WAR in a slightly different way which leads to Kemp’s 8.7 not only leading the MLB but topping Cliff Lee (the NL’s No. 2 guy according to them) by over a game and a half.  The difference is because of a difference in how position is valued in WAR, it’s honestly above my head but as I understand it, B-R rates up the middle guys much higher than does FanGraphs.

Stepping back out of the world of sabermetrics we notice that Matt Kemp is the scariest, most talented guy in the NL.  Yes, Ryan Braun is hitting .330 with 30 homers but he doesn’t bring the element of speed or up the middle defense.  Yes, Justin Upton is playing on a winning team as the only stalwart in otherwise sad lineup but, he just doesn’t do it for me (Maybe it’s just that he hasn’t reached his peak yet).  Yes, Kemp plays for a bad team that’s still bad with him but, name a player who has played a higher caliber baseball this season than Matt Kemp.

Stat O’ The Day: Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have combined to hit 5 home runs at Target Field since it opened in March of 2010.  That’s almost two full seasons and there’s a push within the Twins clubhouse and fanbase to move the fences in.

-Sean Morash