MLB

Have Jose Altuve, Bryce Harper locked up MVP awards with huge months?

Jesse Yomtov
USA TODAY
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve hits an infield single during the third inning against the Oakland Athletics at Minute Maid Park.

It’s been just two weeks since the All-Star break, but the short stretch may very well have decided the race for baseball’s most valuable player awards.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper have each gone on a tear in July and – barring injury or catastrophic meltdown – have built up nearly enough equity to win a plaque in November.

Altuve rides an 18-game hit streak heading into play Thursday while Harper extended his streak to 19-games with a 3-for-5 day against the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Altuve posted a .494/.538/.747 line for the month and Harper at .429/.506/.896.

Altuve’s Astros have a 17-game lead in the AL West and FanGraphs gives the team 100% odds of reaching the postseason. Harper’s Nationals are also a near-lock for the postseason, with a 13-game lead in the NL East and 99.6% FanGraph odds.

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Team success isn’t always the end-all, be-all for baseball awards, but Houston and Washington running roughshod will factor in.

There are still games to be played, but Altuve has a real chance at batting .500 for the month, a feat accomplished eight times previously in baseball history.

Harper, meanwhile, is on track to post at least a 1.250 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in a month for the second time this season.

If Altuve and/or Harper do wind up collecting the hardware, it will surely have been this summer run that clinched the award.

What of the MVP competition?

For Altuve, the most obvious challenger is Yankees rookie Aaron Judge. The Home Run Derby winner has cooled off since the All-Star break and his Triple Crown chances have taken a hit, but it’s possible that Judge’s final power numbers will be too impressive to ignore.

There’s always a fear of teammates cannibalizing votes from a frontrunner, and other Astros could pose a threat to Altuve’s chances. While the recent injury to Carlos Correa effectively knocks him out of the running, George Springer has stayed hot and is on pace to top 40 home runs and 100 RBI.

The story is much the same in NL, as Harper will be competing with several of his own teammates in addition to rivals Paul Goldschmidt and Justin Turner.

Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon actually has a higher WAR than Harper, Daniel Murphy is chasing the batting title again and Max Scherzer has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball this season. Don’t forget about Ryan Zimmerman, who has cooled off in recent months but his renaissance may be the most important part of the team’s push toward a fourth division title in six years.

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