Miguel Sano is the MVP candidate nobody is talking about, as he has put the Minnesota Twins on his back and taken them to the top of the AL Central.
Miguel Sano of the Minnesota Twins might not be one of the first names brought up in a discussion of baseball's most exciting young players, much less in one about MVP candidates. He probably should be.
There's no shame in it, really. Already this year, we have the likes of Aaron Judge (191 OPS+) and Michael Conforto (187 OPS+) vaporizing baseballs as they begin their professional careers in earnest. Mike Trout (226 OPS+) and Bryce Harper (195 OPS+) are advanced by a few more years, but are already household names signifying dominance.
Then there is Miguel Sano, the 24-year-old third baseman for the oft-forgotten Minnesota Twins who has quietly climbed to fifth in the league in FanGraphs' fWAR metric so far in 2017, adding an extra 2.4 wins. The next Minnesota Twins player on the list is Max Kepler, who ranks 75th in baseball among hitters with 0.8 added wins.
Pick virtually any statistical measure of value you please, and Sano is currently in the top-10 or so throughout all of baseball. Sano is currently 10th in FanGraphs wOBA at .417. He's ninth in baseball in wRC+ at 167. He's also eighth in both OPS+ (170) as well as walk rate (16.3 percent).
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Sano's indisputable dominance of the league thus far shows up in the standings, too. Such is a prerequisite for MVP consideration in the minds of many voters. Presently, the Twins rule the AL Central at 26-19, a full three wins above their expected Pythagorean win-loss record. For a specific instance of Sano's influence, recall a mid-May game against the Cleveland Indians, in which Sano's home run off Josh Tomlin was the only run scored, and allowed the Twins to take first place in the division.
At this point in the season, regression to the mean is the biggest fear for the Twins and Sano. His BABIP is a ludicrous .459, which tops the league among qualified hitters. Similarly, his HR/FB rate is an equally ridiculous 28.2 percent. If either of those numbers falter, as they are wont to do, Sano risks his production falling off a cliff, with the Twins' playoff hopes in hot pursuit.
With a full five of their regular starting nine players sporting OPS+ figures below league average, as well as a coveted prospect headed for a long rehab, the Twins must pin their dreams to Miguel Sano. Only time, as well as more samples, will tell if he can shoulder that load. For now, though, he is unquestionably an incredibly valuable player to a first place team, so his credentials match those of all other candidates for MVP.
