MV-3 Award
Jenny Dial Creech says injuries prevented a three-Astro MVP race.
LOS ANGELES — Alex Bregman was looking forward to watching his teammates duke it out.
Before the All-Star break, George Springer, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa all were making strong cases to be named best of the best in the American League.
“You could have given any of those guys MVP in early July,” Bregman said. “It’s too bad two of them got hurt. It would have been fun to see how that went down.”
It was an argument worth having before Springer suffered a quad injury and Correa a thumb injury later that month.
All three were playing at extremely high levels — producing runs, making key defensive plays, and helping the Astros establish themselves as one of the best teams in baseball.
While two of the three lost their shot at the AL’s Most Valuable Player Award, the trio is healthy now as the Astros prepare to face the Dodgers in the World Series.
Altuve, who played in 153 regularseason games and has been one of the best postseason players from any team, should be this year’s MVP.
He will have competition but shouldn’t. His consistently strong play month to month helped propel the Astros. It will be a huge error if he doesn’t win.
While he did rise to the top, he had stiff competition.
Right there in his clubhouse.
Pick your poison
At the break, Altuve carried a .347 batting average. Correa sat at .325 and Springer at .310.
Springer led the team with home runs at that point with 27. Correa had 20 and Altuve 13.
Correa had 65 RBIs, Springer 61 and Altuve 50. Altuve led the team in hits with 116, while Springer had 104 and Correa 103.
The numbers were more than impressive.
“We definitely feed off each other,” Springer said. “Getting a chance to play with those guys, it elevates your own game. You want to keep up with them, especially with the way (Altuve) has been swinging the bat and the way Correa was at that point. It makes it fun to come to the park every day.”
Springer grinned thinking about it while he sat in the madhouse of media availability at Dodger Stadium on Monday afternoon.
“When we are all hitting like that, it’s fun,” he said. “Really fun.”
Now they get the chance to show off their skills at the highest level when they take the biggest stage in baseball this week.
Springer missed 13 games and Correa 44 after suffering their July injuries. But the setbacks are over.
“Man, the sky’s the limit when you think about what would have happened if they didn’t get injured,” catcher Brian McCann said. “Let’s face it. Those three are a big reason we are here today.”
What the three are capable of on offense is one thing. Their defense is often overlooked because of how well they can hit the ball.
The ball rarely gets past Altuve, who has made several exceptional plays at second over the course of the season.
In Game 7 against the Yankees on Saturday, he made a key stop with the game scoreless, robbing Chase Headley of a single by getting to a ball that was practically behind first base and throwing him out in time.
Correa has excelled at shortstop, making the turning of double plays a regular part of his routine.
And Springer had two of the season’s most highlight-worthy catches in Games 6 and 7 against New York.
“They’re so talented,” veteran outfielder Josh Reddick said. “And so young. You forget how young all three of those guys are when you watch them. They are already such elite ballplayers and have a lot of years left. It’s going to be crazy watching what they are able to accomplish.”
For those scoring at home, Springer is 28, Altuve is 27, and Correa is 23. If all three can get going this week in L.A., it would bode very well for the Astros. When they are hitting consistently, the rest of the lineup seems to follow suit.
During the last round, it was clear the Astros’ hitters feed off each other. When they slumped, it was a group experience. When a few got going again, everyone’s bats came alive.
“When those three are hitting that way, you see what it does to the whole team,” Reddick said. “They can light us up.”
Formidable task
This would be a good time for them to do it. The Dodgers were easily the best team in the National League en route to 104 victories. For the Astros to beat them, they will have to be at their very best.
Having three guys playing MVPlevel baseball at the same time would do the trick.
“They’re all healthy,” Bregman said. “Dang right, they are. And that’s great for us.”
Only Altuve can win MVP now, but all three have a shot to win the World Series.