It’s been 13 years since a NY player last won a Most Valuable Player award. Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez was the last local player to win it in 2007. The Mets have never had an MVP winner but they’ve got two players who should be given strong consideration, while the Yankees also have a candidate.
Micheal Conforto and Dominic Smith are making strong bids for the award while Luke Voit is doing the same in the Bronx.
The Mets have been waiting for Conforto to have a break out season and it has finally arrived. The talented left hand hitter is batting .343 with 9 HRS and 32 RBI’s. Smith is right there with Conforto (.331, 8 HRS, 36 RBI’s) and maybe this will be the year that the Mets will get their first MVP award winner.
Voit has carried the Yankees and has proven that he can be a dependable and productive major league hitter. The big right handed bat has accounted for a .285 average with 16 HRS and 36 runs batted in.
Could the NY teams dominate the MVP award with a winner in each league? The odds are against it, but it’s not out of the question.
If the Mets go on to make the playoffs, they have a weapon that makes them a very dangerous opponent. His name is Jacob deGrom, but there are a number of hurdles to clear before the Mets can even begin to think of a post-season run.
The Mets will probably have to go the Wild Card route because first and second place are likely out of reach. Going into Saturday’s play, the Mets trailed the first place Braves by five in the loss column, and the second place Phillies by four in the loss column with 15 games left. Anything can happen, but the Mets are going to need a big time run down the stretch to have any shot. Something like winning 10 or 11 of the final 15 games is what it will take, and the Mets cannot afford to lose even two games in a row at this point.
If the Mets finish 8th, they will likely face the top seeded Dodgers in that 2 of 3, first round series. deGrom gives the Mets more than a fighting chance, but a couple of factors are in play. Will deGrom be able to pitch game 1 and, barring unforeseen circumstances, will he only be available to pitch one game in that series.
Sure, you’d like to have deGrom lined up for game one, but it looks like the Mets will have to play right until the final day or two to punch their ticket to playoffs. If the two time, reigning Cy Young Award winner does pitch game one, would he be able to throw a few innings out of the pen (on what would be his throw day) if the series goes three games.
deGrom will pitch every five days for the remainder of the season. After last night’s win, the Mets’ ace will have three starts remaining on the 16th, followed by the 21st and the penultimate day of the regular season on Saturday, September 26th.
The first round of the post season is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 29th with the American League’s games. The Mets get a break in that the National League series’ are scheduled to start on Wednesday, September 30th. That would give deGrom an extra day but it would still have him pitching on short rest.
Sweeping a doubleheader from the Orioles last night was just “what the doctor ordered” for the Yankees. The two wins left them a half game behind Toronto for second place in the AL East. The Yankees also opened some distance between themselves and their main competitors that crept up on their tails while they were losing 15 of 20.
The Yankees have had two extended losing streaks of 7 and 5 games. They cannot afford another one.
MLB is apparently ready to proceed with their post season bubble plan. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, all that stands in the way of playing the post season games at neutral sites is approval from the Union.
Reportedly, the plan is to have the teams play the 2 of 3, first round at the home ballparks of the top four finishers in each league.
According to multiple reports, the League Division and Championship Series would be played at sites in Texas and California. Reportedly, the National League Division series would be played at Houston’s Minute Maid Park and the brand new Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, while the American League Division series would be held at Dodger Stadium and Petco Park in San Diego, so as not to give any team a “home advantage.”
Petco Park would host the ALCS while the NLCS and the World Series would be played at Globe Life Park.