The MVP is Major League Baseball’s Most Valuable Player award. This award is given out every year to a player from the National League and a player from the American League. The MVP award is given to a player who is a great team player and contributes to the team on both offensive and defensive. The player also has to play a majority of the season to be in the MVP race. 

In 1911, the award started as the Chalmers Award, which then stopped being given in 1914. In the American League from 1922 to 1928 the MVP award was given and from 1924 to 1929 in the National League the MVP was given. In 1931, the current MVP award was made which is now picked by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). 

This year, there are many great players, but some stand out more than others. In the American League the top candidate is Shohei Ohtani. He plays for the Los Angeles Angels and is a great pitcher that also can be a DH. He had a .608 (SLG) and had 46 home runs, 93 RBIs, and 89 runs scored. He did so much on both offensive and defensive. There is a big chance that Shohei Ohtani will win the AL MVP. Sophomore Jacob Corman agrees.

“In the AL I think Shohei Ohtani should win MVP, because what he is doing hasn’t really been done since Babe Ruth, and the fact that he has a .257 batting average and has a 3.18 era is crazy. The numbers he’s putting up this year both hitting and pitching are very deserving of winning MVP,” Jacob said. 

The next candidate behind Ohtani is First Baseman Vladimir Guerrero, who plays on the Toronto Blue Jays. Any other year he would be a good pick for MVP, but Ohtani is something MLB hasn’t seen in decades. Guerrero leads in batting average with a .319, 100 RBI, and 107 runs scored. 

As for the National League, there is a little more of a debate of who will win the MVP award. There are three players that are getting attention: Right Fielder Bryce Harper from the Philadelphia Phillies, Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. from the San Diego Padres, and Left Fielder Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals. Bryce Harper has had a great season, with  a .300/.400/.500 batting line. He was one of three to do that this season. He has had 35 home runs this season. Harper has a great chance of winning the NL MVP. Jacob Corman agrees again.  

“In the NL, I think Bryce Harper deserves the MVP award the most. The reason I think this is because he has the highest OPS in MLB, has 6th highest batting average, and has 35 home runs, and the fact that he’s putting these numbers up while getting walked 100 times and having the team like he does is very deserving of mvp,” Jacob said. 

As for Fernando Tatis Jr., hee has 42 home runs and 92 RBIs. Tatis Jr. has a few factors going against him, like his 22 errors at shortstop this season; and it is hard to vote for a player who is not  in the playoffs. Tatis Jr. still has a great chance of winning the National League MVP. English teacher Mrs. Kelley Kreiger agrees. 

“As for the NL, Tatis Jr. should win hands down. He’s great for the game and for the fans. Bryce Harper can take a backseat on this one. Is he a great baseball player? Yes. Does he need to check his ego at the door? Also, yes. We get it, you can hit home runs. Stop flipping your bat every time you hit the ball,” Mrs. Kreiger said.  

Juan Soto is another great player that could also win the MVP for the National League. He hit 29 home runs, 95 RBIs, and a .313 batting average. He also had an .465 OBP, which leads in the MLB. All three of these players are great MVP choices, neither of their teams made it to the postseason. But it will most likely come down to Bryce Harper or Juan Soto.