With Mookie Betts on the DL, another Red Sox emerges.
In the AL:
** Mike Trout, Angels**: Trout continues to be Trout with his otherworldly stats. He is on pace to smash the Babe’s 1927 season with a 5.3 WAR in 59 games. He has a .313/.448/.688 triple slash with 19 league leading homers and 37 RBIs. He hasn’t been caught stealing in 13 attempts and has 50 walks while only striking out 48 times. The man is running away with the MVP. Get used to his name on this list.
J.D Martinez, Red Sox: After a somewhat turbulent offseason which saw the Red Sox and J.D Martinez exchange contract terms for months, rumors floated that each side was sick of each other before the deal was even inked. That’s an after thought now as JD’s adjusted perfectly to the cozy confines of Fenway Park. His triple slash is .321/.381/.660 and he’s tied for the major league lead in home runs at 19 and leads the league in RBIs at 50. He is raking right now but his WAR at a solid 2.2 doesn’t reflect it because he is primarily a DH.
In the NL:
Lorenzo Cain, Brewers: Cain continues his hot start with a .277/.388/.436 slash line. His numbers have dipped in the past week but his defense, and base running keep him in the MVP running to this point. His 2.9 WAR leads the NL but no one in the NL is coming close to the AL at this point. Six players from the AL have better WAR’s than the entire NL right now.
Freddie Freeman, Braves:
Freddie Freeman makes his debut in the top two as the first baseman leads the playoff hopeful Braves. The Braves are stacked with young talent but someone has the guide and mentor them. That responsibility has fallen to Freeman and Nick Markakis. Freeman’s triple slash is .335/.431/.534. He has 9 home runs and leads his team with 40 RBIs. As it stands he is leading his team in WAR at 2.7 and is second in the NL behind Cain. Freeman is currently riding a 14 game hit streak.
