Only twice since 1992 and four times in the past 30 years has a pitcher won a league Most Valuable Player award. In 2014, we have a very strong possibility of seeing it happen again as Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers is a front runner for the honor in the National League.
Who can argue with Kershaw's success? As of September 19, Kershaw holds a record of 20-3 with a 1.80 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 228 strikeouts, 31 walks, and 7.4 WAR in 26 starts. These totals come after he missed all of April when he took a foul ball off his right shin. He also struggled a little right as he came back. However, after giving up three earned runs in five innings to the Chicago Cubs on September 19, Kershaw's earned-run average rose to 1.80.
Certainly, Kershaw will capture the National League Cy Young award. The question that arises whenever a pitcher has this caliber of performance is whether or not said pitcher should also qualify for the league MVP. The last time it happened, Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander took both honors in the American League in 2011. Verlander put up a record of 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 250 K, 57 BB, and 8.4 WAR. Kershaw's numbers parallel Verlander's with still a start or two left in the regular season.
So, is this a viable award for a pitcher -- Kershaw in this case -- who already has another award coming? To answer this question, just look at the name of the award: Most Valable Player, not Position Player. The name does not limit the award to non-pitchers; therefore, anyone who plays the game should qualify and does.
Next, the MVP award should go to the player who not only puts up terrific numbers but also means too much to his team for it to lose -- so much that the team may not have nearly the chance to win without him. Look at Kershaw's record again: 20-3. Kershaw is personally 17 games over .500 for just this season. MLB Network's September 20 edition of Quick Pitch showed a graphic that displayed that the Dodgers have won 22 of Kershaw's starts, the exact number of games over .500 that their record of 88-66 (as they entered play on Saturday) shows. They lost to the Cubs on Saturday, so they are now 88-67 and now 21 games over .500.
The two other strongest candidates for the National League MVP are the slugging right fielder Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins and reigning MVP center fielder Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both are very deserving themselves.
Stanton's line reads .288/.395/.555, 37 HR, 105 RBI, and 6.3 WAR. The fact that he will not finish the season (he last played on September 11) should have no bearing on his chances. The Marlins stayed in the National League Wild Card race until Stanton went down. One more loss or Pirates win will eliminate them. Without him, the Marlins would have dropped out of the race a long time ago.
McCutchen's line (through September 19) reads .309/.398/.532, 23 HR, 75 RBI, and 5.8 WAR. Pittsburgh leads the race for the second wild card spot by 4 1/2 games and trails the San Francisco Giants by one game for the top spot. We could arguably assume that the Pirates do not stay in the race without McCutchen's performance.
Still, when combining all factors, Kershaw should win the MVP award. He has the numbers, the record, the dominance, and the value to his team that put the Dodgers into the postseason.
In just one particular game this year, Kershaw displayed that same dominance that he has shown since he became a full-time starter in 2009. On June 18, Kershaw pitched a no-hitter, the second of the season for Los Angeles. Kershaw was just one error away from a perfect game. See that performance and hear legendary announcer Vin Scully call every out.
Kershaw struck out 15 Colorado Rockies in throwing 107 pitches.
That was only one game, but Kershaw has pitched almost just as effectively in most of his starts this season. Without his performace, the Dodgers do not clinch a wild card berth (and most likely a division title). Let us hope the voters get it right. Clayton Kershaw is the 2014 National League Most Valuable Player.