Dodgers' Top of the Order is Loaded with MVP Candidates

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NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 06: Dodgers’ Corey Seager (left) and Justin Turner (right). /

It’s not every year that a single team gets two MVP-caliber seasons on the same roster, which makes what the Dodgers are doing just that much more special.

When you are a good team, you will most likely have at least one player in the discussion for a major award such as an MVP or Cy Young. When you are a great team, you’ll probably have at least one for each award. But when you are these Dodgers, you have multiple guys for each.

The NL MVP race is headlined by Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. He should be one of the favorites as he is putting up tremendous numbers (as usual) while leading his team to the third best record in the NL and a wild card spot.

Others that join him are Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Joey Votto (statistically), Anthony Rendon (possibly) and of course Bryce Harper. But Harper got injured Saturday and is out indefinitely, so he will lose steam in this wide-open race.

And the Dodgers? Well, they have candidates up-and-down the roster, and the top of their lineup is littered with viable ones. You don’t have the fifth ranked offense in baseball, while playing in a pitcher’s park, without having some real studs. Here are their best bets to win the 2017 NL MVP.

Chris Taylor

Yes, you’ve read correctly. This might come as a big surprise, but you can’t argue against the fact that Chris Taylor is putting up elite numbers which deserve recognition. His numbers are very similar to the next guy on this list.

He is batting over .300, has 17 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 99 games, has a .926 OPS (after Sunday’s win) and most importantly, has done all this while playing second base, third base, shortstop, center field and left field. Talk about value.

He has primarily settled into left for the Dodgers, a position of weakness for LA until his breakout. And he has played some good defense while making highlight-reel catches almost every other day. And he has filled the leadoff role perfectly for Los Angeles. CT3 is the table-setter they have been lacking

Probably the biggest surprise is his rank in WAR amongst National League players. According to FanGraphs, his 4.2 WAR places him eighth in the NL. To put that into perspective, according to FanGraphs, a WAR between 4-5 is considered All-Star quality and Taylor should comfortably push past five.

He won’t win the award, but he deserves to be brought up in the conversation.

Corey Seager

It almost feels like we have forgotten that Corey Seager plays for the Dodgers. We obviously haven’t, but breakout performances from players throughout LA’s roster, such as the other guys in this list, have taken the spotlight away from the reigning NL Rookie of the Year.

But it hasn’t affected his play one bit. He is still raking and will only get better. He doesn’t stand out in any one category, but his numbers are elite across the board. He has a great average, a tremendous OBP, is hitting for power and even playing some really good defense at a premium position.

He won’t have the gaudy RBI total that you want from an MVP winner, but that is because he is a two-hitter so he doesn’t get the same amount of opportunities. This is why RBI is an outdated stat to judge a player on; it’s an opportunistic statistic (just like a pitcher’s win or closer’s save). He’s batting an absurd .360 with runners in scoring position, and if you put that in cleanup, he’d reach 110 RBI easy.

According to FanGraphs, he is fourth in WAR in the National League and is on pace to have another season with an MVP quality WAR.

WAR isn’t the be all end all when it comes to statistics. You can’t just crunch the true value of a player into a single number. That is why we have a bunch other stats to look at too. But WAR gives us a good idea (better than any other stat) of a player’s value. And his other numbers are terrific too.

Remember, he finished third in NL MVP voting last year as a 22-year-old rookie, so he is a legitimate contender. He may not win this year but you can book it right now that he will win at least one MVP during his career.

Justin Turner

The leader of the Dodgers. When the leader (and possibly best player) on the best team in baseball is putting up ridiculously good numbers, he should be one of the favorites for the award.

JT leads the National League in batting average, has an OPS above 1.000, and is playing the best defense at third base after Nolan Arenado. Turner is arguably the best third baseman in baseball. Yes, possibly even better than Arenado.

His OBP of .436 is second in the NL, and his batting average hasn’t dipped below .343 at any point this season. That is not a typo. And he strikes out in less than 10% of his plate appearances.

JT is the heart and soul of this Dodger club. He plays with the perfect balance of grit and flair that embodies this team. Like last year, he has shown the ability to carry this ballclub when he gets going, and it feels like he always delivers the big hits when needed most.

He is my pick as the best Dodger candidate in the MVP race. There is no other person on the team that I’d choose with the game on the line. And he has the old “best player on the best team” argument backing him.

He’s been so good, that even with missing a few weeks because of a hamstring injury, he is in the top 10 in NL WAR according to FanGraphs.

Cody Bellinger

74-23. That is the best way to summarize Cody Bellinger’s impact to this Dodger team. When he was called up, Los Angeles was 9-11. Since his debut though, LA has gone a video game-like 74-23. That is a 123 win pace.

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His 34 home runs place him second only to MLB-leader Giancarlo Stanton (42) in the National League. But Belli also came up three weeks after the season had started so who knows how close he’d be. Since Bellinger’s debut, only Stanton has more home runs in baseball (35). Bellinger also has the second best slugging percentage in the NL, behind only, you guessed it, Stanton.

He has had a similar spark plug effect to that of Yasiel Puig in 2013. The team was underperforming before his arrival (although it was extremely early) and proceeded to go on a tear after his call-up. But he’s been the energizer while putting up elite numbers like his 34 dingers and .972 OPS (after Sunday’s win).

The cleanup hitter on the best team in baseball will always get looked at in the MVP discussion, and Belli is certainly putting up eye-catching numbers. He has been clutch all season with 16 of his home runs coming after the 7th inning and a .400 batting average in high-leverage situations.

He’s also played left field and first base this year and has shown off his elite defensive capability. But ultimately, the 74-23 is his biggest argument for MVP. You just can’t argue with that record.

Next: Re-evaluating the Forsythe Deal

Not many teams, if any, can say that their number one through four hitters are legitimately in the MVP discussion. Just another mind-boggling number from this historic 2017 Dodgers team.

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Dodgers’ Top of the Order is Loaded with MVP Candidates