There is still a lot of baseball left in the 2024 regular season, but as things currently stand, the race for the National League MVP award appears to be a two-horse race between the Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtaniwho is the clear favorite wherever you look, and Mets Shortstop Francisco Lindor.
Ohtani’s case is based purely on statistics, and his numbers are nothing to sneeze at. In 135 games this season, Ohtani is hitting .292/.377/.616 with 44 home runs, 98 RBI, and 46 stolen bases. He has a real chance to become the first player in major league history to have a 50/50 season. But he’s also not pitching this season (which has earned him MVP chances in years past) and has been exclusively the DH for the Dodgers, meaning he can only focus on one side of the game.
But if you ask the Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns what an MVP looks like, and that’s exactly what happened Tuesday during Stearns’ one-time media appearance at a home game, and he’ll be quick to point to his leadoff hitter.
“I think he looks like the guy that runs to shortstop for us every day at 7 a.m.,” Stearns said. “It’s been an incredible season to watch. I think we’re getting to the point where we’re talking about maybe the best season by an individual outfielder in the history of this franchise.
“I’ve seen some really special seasons. I’ve seen some MVP seasons. This is right up there with anything I’ve experienced on a day-to-day basis.”
Stearns, who was general manager in Milwaukee in 2018, as Christian Yelich The MVP acknowledged that while Lindor’s importance to the Mets locker room is difficult to quantify, it is a big part of what he does on a daily basis.
“I think that’s part of the total package that he brings and it’s easy to quantify what he does on the field and that’s really impressive,” Stearns said. “It’s a lot harder to quantify the impact that he has both through what he says and his actions. He works so hard, he takes so much pride in his own preparation but also makes sure his teammates prepare appropriately. It’s the total package that I think allows him to contribute so much to the organization.”
Lindor’s numbers have also been fantastic this season. With a batting average of .271/.342/.493, 29 home runs, 81 RBI, 36 doubles, 25 steals and 95 runs scored, Lindor has also played in every single game this season and plays a premier position in the Gold Glove defense.
As SNY’s Danny Abriano wrote last week, despite Ohtani’s monster numbers, Lindor has a good chance of being the NL MVP.
“I think he just enjoys it,” Stearns said, “and it’s a lot easier to perform at his best when you come to the stadium every day and have fun.”
