In baseball's National League, Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers is spearheading a competitive MVP race with a commanding lead.
In the world of Major League Baseball, the race for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is always a hot topic. And in the National League during the 2022 season, the competition was fierce. The advanced statistic TPRAA (Tru Player Runs Above Average) was used to measure a player's overall value in terms of runs above average, combining offensive and defensive contributions.
Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers emerged as the frontrunner, leading all contenders with an impressive TPRAA of 59.4. Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals followed closely behind with a TPRAA of 52.7, while Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies came in third with a TPRAA of 46.8. Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pete Alonso of the New York Mets rounded out the top five with TPRAA scores of 44.4 and 38.6 respectively.
Interestingly, some players who initially did not qualify for the batting title but later did include Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks and Juan Soto of the Mets. Soto, in particular, had an impressive TPRAA of 28.8, with a 100.4 mph average fly ball exit speed, which was second only to Shohei Ohtani's 100.5 mph.
Ohtani, who played for the Dodgers during the 2022 season, had a TPRAA of 33.8, while Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs had TPRAA scores of 29.9 and 26.5 respectively. Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies, despite not meeting the qualifications at the time, had a "Tru" Player Runs Above Average of 14.5.
However, it's worth noting that Crow-Armstrong had the lowest average fly ball exit speed among the Top 10 players, at 91.8 mph. This was significantly lower than the top two, Soto and Ohtani, who both averaged over 100 mph.
Other notable players included Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks, Kyle Tucker of the Cubs, Manny Machado of the Padres, and Kyle Stowers of the Marlins, all of whom had TPRAA scores ranging from 21.4 to 16.9.
The analysis, which included batted ball data, also calculated Adjusted Contact Score, Tru Production+, Tru Batting Runs Above Average, and Fangraphs baserunning and defensive runs, providing a comprehensive look at each player's performance.
In the end, Betts' dominance in the TPRAA rankings strongly supported his MVP win that season. But the race was close, and the Top 10 players all demonstrated exceptional skill and value to their respective teams.
Shohei Ohtani, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2022 season, showcased remarkable offensive performance with a TPRAA of 33.8, despite not qualifying for the batting title. On the other hand, Juan Soto of the New York Mets, who also initially didn't qualify for the batting title, had an impressive TPRAA of 28.8 and a 100.4 mph average fly ball exit speed,outranking Ohtani in this aspect.
