Tonight, MLB will unveil the winners of the 2018 Most Valuable Player awards, and while I don’t think Javy Baez has a realistic chance of taking out Christian Yelich, I do hope that it’s a night to remember just how impressive Baez was in 2018.
Not only did he continue to play stellar defense and dazzle on the bases, and not only did he move around the infield as the Cubs needed, but he broke out at the plate, posting a .290/.326/.554 line with a team-best 131 wRC+. Whether Baez was the league’s MVP or not, he was the clear MVP for the 95-win Cubs.
For what it’s worth, he’s getting Theo Epstein’s symbolic vote:
#Cubs Theo on Baez: ""He cares so much about winning and he cares about his teammates, doing little things to help engage them and get them better. Those intangibles behind the scenes are part of what makes him more valuable." #MVP #ElMago
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) November 15, 2018
Tonight, Baez is an MVP finalist, together with Yelich and Nolan Arenado. But he’s already the MVP in our hearts.