With the MVP awards for the National and American League coming up, for both leagues there is a lot of questions and uncertainty who the award should go to. In the NL, you have Clayton Kershaw who had a historical season and was basically dominant, with the question looming should a pitcher win the MVP award? In the American League, that question isn't an issue. For the last two seasons, we have seen Miguel Cabrera dominate the American League on his way to two MVP's. In each of those two seasons, Mike Trout continually fell short. In 2014, Miguel is not in discussion or eligible for the award with the finalists being another Detroit Tiger; Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians outfielder Michael Brantley, and another appearance from Mike Trout. Since Miguel Cabrera is not in the running, some are finally saying Mike Trout deserves an MVP award. Yes he does deserve one and I don't doubt that he will win at least once in my generation, but is 2014 the year he gets his first MVP? If a vote was awarded to me, I wouldn't pick Mike Trout. Here are four reasons why:
1. High Strike Outs for Trout - I am not sure why his strike out rate was high this season, but my guess is he was trying hard for power, or pitchers have known how to throw to him. Trout hit an impressive 36 home runs this year, but a knack for the fences and the desire to destroy the ball when he hit resulted in a lot of strike outs. Here is a comparison of the amount of at-bats and the strikeouts Trout, Martinez, and Brantley had:
Trout: 602 AB; 184 Strike Outs
Martinez: 561 AB: 42 Strike Outs
Brantley: 611 AB: 56 Strike Outs
2. 98 Wins for the Angels is Deceiving - Those MLB-leading 98 wins are impressive, but Mike Trout is not responsible for all of those wins. Angels saw a significant change in their pitching staff this season with the reemergence of Jered Weaver and the rise of Garret Richards and the rookie Matt Shoemaker. Angels also found a way to develop a decent bullpen. Albert Pujols and Howie Kendrick were a significant part of producing runs in that offense. Those 98 wins were a team effort.
3. Trout Shied Away from Steals in 2014 - When Mike Trout came up to the majors, he played hard-nosed baseball, with the hustle of the greatest effort baseball the game has ever seen, Pete Rose. Trout was a balanced hitter who used speed to his advantage, Trout has athleticism like no other, and this season he shied away from relying on his athletic ability and worked on just skilled hitting. That is not a bad thing, but for a guy who was going for 40-50 steals a season to 16 is an odd decrease. Trout's attempts were down majorly this year as well. Not sure if it was a personal choice or a coaching staff decision how to use Mike Trout, but the lack of steals I think is one of the top reasons why he shouldn't win the award. Here are Trout's stealing statistics from 2012 to 2014.
2012 - 49
2013 - 33
2014 - 16
4. Trout's Batting Average Took a Huge Hit in 2014 - In 2012 & 2013, Trout was hitting in the .320's to .330's. In 2014, Trout finished with a career low .287. For some, that is considered a good batting average for the whole season, but for a guy who is being considered by some to be the next face of Major League Baseball, they shouldn't be batting below .290. Towards the end of the regular season, Trout was having a large slump and his average kept dipping. To the likes of the other finalists for the AL MVP (Martinez and Brantley), they separate themselves largely from Trout. Here is their batting average comparisons:
Martinez - .335
Brantley - .327
Trout - .287
Mike Trout should be considered an MVP candidate every year and he is going to get an MVP award. There's a good chance that the media pushes for it to happen this season. Victor Martinez doesn't play in the field anymore and focuses strictly on batting. As a designated hitter, Martinez should be a good hitter and he had an incredible season for a guy a couple seasons removed from a serious knee injury and at the age he is. Michael Brantley, continually gets better each season, and this season broke out in almost every category and finished top 5 in a lot of categories. Brantley also had no offense to back him up so he was responsible for a bulk load of it. If I had the vote, I would crown Michael Brantley, who's attention could be stolen from the 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner, Corey Kluber. Also, Michael Brantley was one of two players to finish at 200 hits or more (Jose Altuve the other). Mike Trout I feel is going to receive votes to make up for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, because of guilt and not strictly baseball-related. The baseball writers need to get the vote right and it should come down to Martinez vs. Brantley for the MVP award. Mike Trout does not deserve the 2014 AL MVP.
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