With the Major League Baseball hot stove heating up for the 2015 season, it is time to look back one last time at the 2014 season as the league will announce the Most Valuable Player of the American League and National League on Thursday.
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Six players who had fantastic seasons in 2014 are up for the honors as the Cleveland Indians' Michael Brantley, Victor Martinez of the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout duke it out for the AL MVP and Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers), Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Giancarlo Stanton (Miami Marlins) are up for NL honors.
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Brantley, 27, is up for his first MVP Award after making his first All-Star team in 2014. Brantley finished second in the AL with 200 hits, third with a .327 batting average and 45 doubles and fourth with a .385 on-base percentage this season. The Indians outfielder also had career-highs with 20 homers, 97 RBI, 94 runs and 23 stolen bases. He'll look to join AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber as Indians who took home awards for their 2014 performances.
Martinez, 35, is a five-time All-Star and also comes in looking for his first MVP Award. Martinez led the entire MLB with a .924 OPS in 2014 while leading the AL with a .409 on-base percentage. Martinez ranked second in the AL in batting average (.335) and slugging percentage (.565), fourth in hits (188-tied) and fifth in total bases (317).
Trout, 23, won the Rookie of the Year in 2012 and has made the All-Star game in each of his first three seasons, but he also is looking for his first MVP crown. Trout led the entire MLB with 115 runs and 338 total bases in 2014. The Angels slugger also led the AL with 111 RBI while ranking third with 36 homers, a .561 slugging percentage, a .939 OPS and nine triples. Trout's defense could also put him over the top to win the award. Trout was a big reason why the Angels finished an MLB-best 98-64 record in 2014.
The Pick: All three of these guys had great years, but it will likely come down to Martinez vs. Trout. Martinez had an amazing offensive year, but the fact that he doesn't play defense while Trout continued to emerge as a great player in all facets of the game will lead to Trout picking up the MVP honors.
Kershaw, 26, is looking for his first MVP Award after picking up his third Cy Young Award on Wednesday. Kershaw hopes to become the first NL pitcher in 46 years to win the MVP Award after Bob Gibson did the honors in 1968 and is looking to be the first pitcher since Justin Verlander (2011) to win the MVP and Cy Young Awards in his league. Kershaw is coming off of a season where he led the entire MLB with 21 wins, a 1.77 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP, 10.85 strikeouts per game and six complete games. The southpaw also led all NL players with a 7.5 WAR. The Dodgers ace also held opponents to a .231 on-base percentage against him and had a .235 OBP as a hitter in 2014.
McCutchen, 28, is looking for his second straight MVP Award after taking home honors in 2013. McCutchen led the MLB with a .410 on-base percentage and paced the NL with a .952 OPS while ranking third in the NL with a .314 batting average and playing solid defense. The Pirates outfielder was also second in the NL with 297 total bases and a .545 slugging percentage while his 84 walks ranked fourth.
Stanton, 25, is looking for his first MVP Award and is a two-time All-Star. Stanton led the NL with 37 homers despite having his season cut short after getting hit in the face with a fastball. Stanton also ranked second in the NL in RBI (105) while pacing the league in total bases (299) and slugging percentage (.555). The Marlins outfielder also placed second with a .395 on-base percentage, a .952 OPS and 94 walks.
The Pick: This vote may come down to how many people agree with Tommy Lasorda that Kershaw, a pitcher, shouldn't win the MVP. McCutchen had another great year, but it could be tough for him to best the great pitching of Kershaw and the seemingly mythical power of Stanton. Stanton had another amazing year and hit for plenty of power, though it's unknown if he'll be punished by voters for playing in just 145 games. To that effect, an argument can certainly be made that Kershaw appeared in just 27 of 162 games for his team this season. Still, Kershaw put up a performance warranting an MVP trophy to go along with his Cy Young hardware by leading the MLB in many pitching categories.
The MLB announces the 2014 AL and NL MVP tonight at 6 p.m. ET.
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