Everyone in baseball has talked about Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers or Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers winning the National League MVP Award. Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon should be added to the National League MVP conversation as well.
Do you remember when Washington was one of the worst teams in baseball back in May? Back then, people were already talking about trading Rendon to a World Series contender at the trade deadline. At this point, the Nationals sit in the first wild card spot in the National League with a 57-49 record.
Washington is only 4.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the National League East. With the game tied at two in the sixth inning in Monday night’s game. Anthony Rendon hit a grand slam, and the Nationals defeated the Braves 6-3.
The Race for MVP
In 92 games played in so far this season, his batting average is .318 with 23 home runs and 80 RBI’s, along with one stolen base. Rendon’s on-base percentage is .404.
In 97 games played in so far this season, Yelich’s batting average is .337 with 36 home runs and 80 RBI’s, along with 23 stolen bases. His on-base percentage is .434.
In 103 games played in so far this season, Bellinger’s batting average is .330 with 34 home runs and 79 RBI’s, along with nine stolen bases. His on-base percentage is .431.
Anthony Rendon also has a 4.0 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), a .616 slugging percentage, and a 1.020 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).
Christian Yelich also has a 6.0 WAR, a .707 slugging percentage, and a 1.141 OPS.
Cody Bellinger also has a 6.8 WAR, a .673 slugging percentage, and a 1.104 OPS.
Bellinger’s and Yelich’s WAR is two wins higher than Rendon’s. There is also a significant distance in OPS as well. Other than that, there are quite a bit of stats that Anthony Rendon is similar to Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich.
If Cody Bellinger were taken off the Los Angeles Dodgers, they would still be a playoff team.
If Christian Yelich were taken off the Milwaukee Brewers, they would miss the playoffs.
The Washington Nationals were not a playoff team even with Anthony Rendon at the start of the season. But they have played a lot better ever since the end of May. Rendon has also had timely hits for this baseball team.
As of right now, I think Christian Yelich will repeat as the National League MVP. But Anthony Rendon MVP can’t be ignored.
