Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox
Stat line: 10.8 WAR (1st in AL), 126 runs (T-1st in AL), 178 hits (5th in AL), 47 doubles (2nd in AL), .346 AVG (1st in AL), .643 SLG pct. (1st in AL), 1.079 OPS (2nd in AL)
The Boston Red Sox would not be the team with the best record in the majors if it wasn’t for their star Mookie Betts. The Red Sox right fielder is hitting out of his mind. After a relatively down year last year in which he hit below .270, which is underwhelming by his standards, Betts has come back with a vengeance, improving his average by a whopping 0.07 points, which is a huge leap in baseball-speak. And let’s not forget about his defense. In the 153 games he played this year as an outfielder, he has made only 1 error out of a total of 274 defensive chances. There’s a reason why he won a couple of Golden Gloves in his career up to this point. And with the injury of Dustin Pedroia that effectively shut him down for this year, Betts took command of the team and led them on a run that has been unmatched by all of the previous iterations of the Red Sox prior to the start of the season. Their 107 wins so far are the best they have attained in a single season ever, besting their last record which was set in 1912 when they finished the year 105-47. Throughout this season, he has been looked at as the front-runner for the AL MVP and it would be no surprise for anyone to hear his name be called as the recipient of the said award.
