The announcement tonight of the National League Most Valuable Player Award, for which Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen is a favorite, will conclude months of hype and speculation. McCutchen is worthy of all of it.
Whenever millions of people invest themselves in something, hype eventually builds, often with its own runaway momentum. Ask Jeremy Lin or any of the finalists on “American Idol.” For McCutchen, the hype was unavoidable: As the best player on a team destined for the playoffs for the first time in 20 years, his MVP candidacy almost built itself, much the way a quarterback on the best team in college football finds himself in consideration for the Heisman Trophy. The media started writing and saying it, and the fans started chanting it, and now here we are.
In McCutchen’s case, the combination of his broad skill set, consistency and top-notch performance stamp his candidacy as legitimate.
“I’m very grateful that I’m in the running for it,” McCutchen said. “We have two other guys in [St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier] Molina and [Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul] Goldschmidt, those guys definitely had great seasons as well. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
Members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voted for the award before the playoffs began, and McCutchen, Goldschmidt and Molina were named finalists last week. The presentation begins at 6 p.m. on MLB Network.
McCutchen finished third a year ago in voting, behind San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey and Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun.
McCutchen, 27, made his third consecutive All-Star team in his fifth season in the majors. He played in 157 games and hit .317 with a .404 on-base percentage and a .508 slugging percentage. McCutchen hit 21 homers and stole 27 bases and earned his second consecutive Silver Slugger award.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2013/11/14/Pirates-center-fielder-Andrew-McCutchen-heavy-favorite-for-MVP/stories/201311140182#ixzz2kclgXZ00
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