Could This Texas Native Be a MLB MVP Dark Horse?

This year the baseball season has seemed, to a certain extent, almost predetermined. The preseason betting odds had Aaron Judge winning the American League MVP and Ohtani winning the NL MVP. And, with only about 10 games left, the season has kind of played out according to plan.

Ohtani is 2 home runs and 2 stolen bases shy of the first ever 50/50 season in MLB history. Aaron Judge has hit over 50 home runs - joining an elite club of Yankees Sluggers. So, everything is about wrapped going into the last week of the regular season, right?

Well, I'm not so sure just yet. There's this young buck from Texas that's hot on the heels of Aaron Judge in the MVP race. His name is Bobby Witt Jr.. He's from Colleyville, Texas.  And, if you haven't been paying attention, he's absolutely electric!

Can Texas Native Bobby Witt Catch Aaron Judge?

On the surface, there's seemingly no way Bobby Witt can win an MVP award. Judge has 50+ home runs, he's racked up over 130 RBIs. How can anybody compete with that, right?

Well, the race may be closer than it appears at first glance. Seriously. Let's just take a dive into the numbers real quick.

Yes, Judge is the clear winner on the HR & RBI front. However, Bobby already has a 200 hit season. He's got his 3rd 30/30 season (30 home runs, 30 stolen bases). And his batting average is above .330 on the season, which is quite the accomplishment.

On the flip side, Judge is destroying on the on-base percentage front - mostly due to intentional walks. They're different style of players...but they are both playing elite level ball.

But, to me, here's the difference between the two: defense. Bobby can hit. Bobby can run the bases. Bobby has a little pop. So, can Judge. But the one thing Witt can do that Judge can't is play elite level defense every day of the week. Not saying Judge is a bad defender...but he needs days at DH or in right field to stay healthy. Witt goes out and plays elite level defense at a premium defensive position - shortstop.

And here's why that's important - according to the definition set by Major League Baseball and the Baseball Writer's Association - the MVP award is supposed to go to "the baseball player who is of the greatest all-around service to his club".

And as good as Judge is, if he wasn't in the lineup for the Yankees, the Yankees would probably still be pretty good. The lineup is loaded with former MVPs, MVP candidates, & Cy Young Winners. The Royals on the other hand do not. They have Bobby Witt, Sal Perez and some role players that are pretty good. You take Bobby Witt away from the Royals, they're probably in for another 100+ loss season.

So, in the purest sense, the true MVP this year is not Aaron Judge. It's Colleyville, Texas native Bobby Witt Jr.