AL MVP Candidates: The Case For . . .

Last week, Fangraphs looked at the most likely candidates for American League Most Valuable Player:

These posts are designed to make an affirmative argument for their subject and are not intended to serve as comprehensive looks at every candidate on their own. The authors tasked with writing these posts may not even believe their subject actually deserves to win, but they were brave enough to make the case anyway. The goal of these posts is to lay out the potential reasons for voters to consider a variety of candidates and to allow the readers to decide which argument is most persuasive.

The Case for Jose Altuve for AL MVP
The Case for Mookie Betts for AL MVP
The Case for Mike Trout for AL MVP
The Case for Manny Machado for AL MVP
The Case for Josh Donaldson for AL MVP

Paul Swydan:

Mookie Betts is one of the best players in the American League. Mike Trout is better, but no one cares — his team is terrible. Of the players on good teams, Betts stands out the most — and whether that should make a difference, it will make a difference. He does everything well, he is always doing something exciting, and when his team needed him the most, he was there. In other words, he’s everything an MVP should be — a five-tool, electric, awesome player on a playoff-contending team. What else could you possibly want?