As a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), it was my honor this year to cast my ballot for the National League Most Valuable Player. Living north of Denver and as a member of the Colorado BBWAA chapter, I joined Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post in casting ballots as the Colorado representatives.
I know there will be some questions about my ballot, so let me try to tackle what I think could be three of the biggest votes I cast that baseball fans could take issue with now that the voting has been revealed.
Why I selected Ronald Acuña Jr. over Mookie Betts
Sorry Dodgers fans but, in my mind, there wasn't a player who made more of an impact for a National League team than Acuña. His 8.2 bWAR was the best for a Braves team that was the best of all teams in the regular season, Yes, I know that Acuña was slightly behind Betts (8.3) in that category, but I'm also taking offensive bWAR into consideration as well, where Acuña's 8.5 led all NL players and was well ahead of both Freddie Freeman and Betts (each with 7.5).
I also think there is something to be said for the historic season that Acuna put together, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 40 or more home runs and steal 70 or more bases. Say what you will about MLB's new rules helping Acuña reach that mark, but the outfielder still had to perform at the plate to get on base to steal those bags. It was a display of power and speed like we have never seen in the game before and I believe that deserves the top MVP vote.
Why Bryce Harper's name was on my ballot
Remember, these votes were sent in before the postseason began, so I had no idea how Harper would do in the postseason and if the Phillies would make it back to the World Series or not. I didn't vote for postseason Harper. I voted for the guy who helped Philadelphia get to Red October.
What I did know before October arrived is that the Phillies wouldn't have been in the position they were this season without Harper pushing himself to get back to the field after having Tommy John surgery ... and doing it just 160 days after undergoing that surgery. For Harper to post 3.7 bWAR (finishing third on the team in that category) and put up the numbers he did while playing a month less than his teammates says something about the impact the former MVP had on his squad.
Harper sliding in at designated hitter when he returned solved one of Philadelphia's lineup questions, but volunteering to learn and play first base to help the Phillies be a better team spoke volumes to me. That determination helped Philadelphia make it to the postseason and earned Harper a nod on my ballot, despite his numbers not being as gaudy as some of the ones he has posted in the past.
Why Blake Snell received an MVP vote from me
I know that pitchers don't often get MVP votes, especially in such a much-discussed race as was this season in the National League, but this was the year that Snell deserved some recognition for what he did to keep the San Diego Padres in the hunt for the postseason.
And remember this ... on May 1, Snell was 1-4 with a 5.28 ERA. The fact that he finished the season with a 2.25 ERA tells you just how dominant he was after that opening stretch. Over his last 14 starts, Snell allowed just 44 hits in 82.0 innings. Simply put, he was overpowering on his way to winning the Cy Young Award.
Snell was also a stalwart for a San Diego rotation that suffered through numerous injuries in 2023. Snell made his 32 starts last season, and was someone that the Padres could count on in a season where little went right for the Friars.
In terms of players who were valuable to their team, Snell certainly fit into that category and earned a vote from me.
