Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton finished second in voting for the 2014 National League Most Valuable Player on Thursday.
Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers won the award a day after also taking home the Cy Young award. Stanton received eight first-place votes. This would have marked the first time in franchise history that a player took home MVP honors. While the slugger continues to engage in contract talks with the Marlins, he has added several pieces of hardware to his mantle.
Stanton already this off-season picked up a Silver Slugger award and the Hank Aaron award. In addition, he was a finalist for a Gold Glove. He likely coveted the MVP award most of all but finishing second is an accomplishment in itself.
The 25-year old led the entire NL in home runs which was a first for any player in Marlin history. Names such as Miguel Cabrera and Gary Sheffield came and went without accomplishing the feat. Stanton's 37 home runs were only three shy of being tops in the Major Leagues as a whole. In addition, Stanton has a disadvantage of playing half of his games in spacious Marlins Park.
While he posted the power numbers everyone has come to expect, Stanton also amassed great production in other facets of the game. The right-fielder showed excellent plate discipline as pitchers attempted to work around him. Stanton made the most of every mistake he'd see and he took his base when the pitches weren't there for him.
Stanton led the NL in total bases and slugging percentage while finishing second in walks and on-base percentage. Some of those walks were of the intentional variety while others were examples of good pitch recognition. Even with Casey McGehee providing some protection behind Stanton, opposing teams opted to let anyone else beat them on most days.
The work put in by Stanton goes beyond simply hitting though, he also made several highlight reel plays defensively. Whether it be laying out for a ball or throwing a missile to nail a runner on the bases, Stanton saved runs on defense. Even though he lost out on a Gold Glove award this year, Stanton is certainly a candidate to win one down the line.
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With the Marlins still in the hunt for a playoff spot in September, Stanton fell victim to a pitch that hit him in the face. The pitch ended his season and cut short his ability to add to his MVP credentials. It also ended any realistic hope that Miami had of making the playoffs in 2014. Stanton is expected to be fully recovered and ready to go for Spring Training in February.
If the Marlins can sign Stanton long-term as they are trying to do presently, this could be only the first of multiple MVP opportunities for him in Miami.
