Arguments for Morneau as the MVP.

The first player I will examine in the MVP race is Justin Morneau. He has improved so much this and is a big reason the Twins had such a large turnaround since their dismal start. As he heated up the Twins heated up.

Pro arguments for Justin:

1. He has been very durable and has only missed 5 games this season. He has played in over 80 games in a row.

2. He is in the top 10 in the Triple Crown stats. He is 5th in average, 10th in homeruns and 2nd in RBIs.

3. He is the best offensive first baseman in the league. He has the highest VORP (value over replacement player) at 1st, in the league at 52.3. Defensively he does not hurt the team. He is 2nd in Zone rating but last with 8 errors at first but the difference between first and last is only 5 errors. That is a de minimis amount.

4. He is the best offensive player on a playoff team.

5. He has performed adequately in the clutch. He is a better hitter with runners in scoring position and hit about the same in Close & Late situations. Which is difficult to do since batters are facing the teams best pitchers in those situations.