(Every week we will take a look at one award and break down the race on who we think the favorites are. One week we will breakdown MOY, the next week ROY, following week MVP. And then we keep rotating until the voting is done at the end of season)
We still don’t have a definitive black and white answer when judging what the qualifications are for an MVP, but an all-around game and being a part of a good team certainly helps. That means that it’s not just about choosing “best players” or “ranking advanced metrics” though it’s surely a little about those things too. It’s about getting into the minds of the electorate, knowing that the voters often take into account how well a player’s team did or how many good teammates he had in terms of assigning “value.”
Last year we had two divisions. In the American League, Charley Robinson won the MVP for the first place Savages with 60% of the votes. In the National League, Mike Velez of the second place Shooter McGavins, won the MVP in a razor thin race with 35% of the votes.
1. RAFAEL LIRIANO (THE ONES)
.726Avg/2.130Ops/9HR/40r/70rbis
With 1 week to go, Rafael holds the slimmest of leads against a hard charging Andy Sanchez. With Dothrakis not playing this Sunday due to a Backdoor Sliders forfeit, it looks like Rafael may edge it out and win the MVP this year. We will see how the voters vote however as Dothrakis have better record and Andy is a 5 tool player. Rafael with 70 RBIs with one week to go may be a SASL record in total and per game avg.
2. ANDY SANCHEZ (DOTHRAKIS)
.773Avg/2.217Ops/11HR/40r/43rbis
What a second half for Andy. Halfway thru the season he was on the periphery of the MVP race without a real shot. Fast forward to now, and he could have won the MVP if they played on Sunday. Andy leads the league in Average, Home runs and places second in a bunch of other categories. Add in his speed, arm, and defense- he is one of the best players in our league.
3. YAMIN PATEL (DYNASTY)
.739Avg/2.077Ops/11HR/35r/58rbis
Yamin has been a rock for the second seed Dynasty all year. In the middle of the lineup, there aren’t many more fearsome sluggers. The top of the lineup gets on base at an elite clip, and Yamin drives them in better than almost anyone. His defense and lack of base running hurts his MVP case.
4. CHARLEY ROBINSON (THE NORTH)
.736Avg/2.140Ops/6HR/29r/38rbis
After a roaring start, defending MVP has trailed off a little as the season wore on. While his average, OBP, etc remained high, the counting stats and especially the power dropped off a little. Charley is still an elite player with good defense and gets bonus point for being the captain of The North. More than any other player in this list, he is the heart and soul of his team.
5. DAN DIIORIO (BLACK MAMBAS)
.711Avg/2.455Ops/9HR/24r/29rbis
Dan has only played 12 out of 20 games thus far and still makes the top 5. That’s how elite of a player he is. He is the biggest game changer in our League. His OPS is by far the best in the league and he has almost as many Home Runs as the League Leaders in half as many at bats. To boot, he is an elite defender at any position.
Next few on the list:
—Denen Olson (The Ones): .672Avg/1.906Ops/8HR/30r/48rbis
—Omar Hernandez (Dynasty): .651Avg/1.900Ops/9HR/37r/31rbis
—Vincent Florido (MonStars) .698Avg/1.910Ops/8HR/33r/44rbis
—Hashim Naveed (Dothrakis) .712Avg/1.741Ops/5HR/40r/40rbis
—Peter Santos (Black Mambas): .619Avg/1.990Ops/10HR/26r/41rbis
—Nicolas Timpone (The North): .549Avg/1.844Ops/9HR/22r/41rbis
