Ranking the MVPs from all 30 MLB teams in 2016
No matter where they finished in Major League Baseball's regular-season standings in 2016, every big-league club has one player who stands above the rest.
Kris Bryant, Mookie Betts, and Corey Seager were three of MLB's best during the 2016 campaign, which just goes to show that the future of baseball is bright, as the three players averaged 23.3 years of age.
The trio are finalists for their league's Most Valuable Player awards, which will be determined Thursday when the Baseball Writers' Association of America announces its decision at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
While the baseball world anticipates this year's winners, let's take a look at all 30 teams and their MVPs, ranked from top to bottom in respective order.
1. Chicago Cubs, Kris Bryant, 3B
Bryant, the 24-year-old favorite for the NL MVP was second in baseball in WAR (8.4), finished top 10 in runs (121), home runs (39), and OPS, and played above-average defense at six different positions for the World Series champion, Chicago Cubs.
2. Boston Red Sox, Mookie Betts, OF
Betts, the electric 24-year-old Boston Red Sox outfielder, finished second in baseball in runs scored and hits, was a 7.8 WAR player, and set career highs in nearly every offensive category for the AL East champions.
3. Los Angeles Angels, Mike Trout, OF
Arguably baseball's best player, Mike Trout is a finalist in the AL MVP race for a fifth consecutive season, after leading baseball in WAR (9.4), on-base percentage (.441), and walks (116).
4. Los Angeles Dodgers, Corey Seager, SS
Corey Seager, the unanimous NL Rookie of the Year, is in contention for his league's MVP award too, after leading the Los Angeles Dodgers in runs (105), hits (193), doubles (40), and OPS (.877).
5. Houston Astros, Jose Altuve, 2B
Baseball's favorite little man, Jose Altuve, won the AL batting title and posted career highs in runs (108), home runs (24), RBIs (96), and OPS (.928).
6. Washington Nationals, Daniel Murphy, 2B
Possibly the biggest bargain of last offseason, the Washington Nationals received a .347 average, 104 RBIs, 47 doubles, and a .985 OPS from Daniel Murphy in exchange for $8 million.
7. Toronto Blue Jays, Josh Donaldson, 3B
Josh Donaldson didn't have as productive of a year as his MVP season, but he was still ridiculous, posting a .953 OPS, walked 36 more times than 2015, and drove in 98-plus runs for a third consecutive season.
8. Baltimore Orioles, Manny Machado, 3B
In five fewer games than his season prior, Baltimore Orioles superstar Manny Machado set career highs in runs (102), home runs (37), RBIs (96), average (.294), and OPS (.876).
9. Colorado Rockies, Nolan Arenado, 3B
Nolan Arenado, the defensively gifted, power-hitting Colorado Rockies third baseman, won a fourth consecutive Gold Glove, posted a plus-20 in defensive runs saved, and led the NL in home runs (41), and RBIs (133).
10. New York Mets, Noah Syndergaard, SP
Noah Syndergaard, more commonly known as Thor by the New York Mets, certainly wielded his hammer during his sophomore campaign, posting the NL's third-lowest ERA (2.60) and fourth-highest strikeout total (218) in the NL.
11. Cleveland Indians, Francisco Lindor, SS
Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor didn't just win a Platinum Glove as the best defensive player in the AL, but the 23-year-old hit over .300 for a second consecutive season, including .310 during his first appearance in the postseason.
12. San Francisco Giants, Madison Bumgarner, SP
San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner is the epitome of a workhorse, tossing 200-plus innings for a sixth consecutive season, while lowering his ERA to 2.74 and striking out 251 - both career bests.
13. Texas Rangers, Adrian Beltre, 3B
Adrian Beltre is an ageless wonder. During his 19th season in the bigs, the Texas Rangers third baseman bettered his 2015 home run total by 14, RBI total by 21, and slugging percentage by .068, while winning his fifth Gold Glove.
14. Miami Marlins, Jose Fernandez, SP
The Miami Marlins are going to have trouble replacing Jose Fernandez, who died in a September boating accident. Before his death, he struck out a MLB-best 12.5 hitters per nine during a career-high 182 1/3 innings.
15. Seattle Mariners, Robinson Cano, 2B
A resurgent and healthy Robinson Cano posted his highest OPS since his last season with the New York Yankees, and with his improved performance came a 10-win increase for the Seattle Mariners.
16. Detroit Tigers, Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Arguably the best pure hitter of his era, Miguel Cabrera continued to do what he does best, hitting .300 or above for his eighth consecutive season, while driving in 100-plus runs for a 12th time.
17. Chicago White Sox, Chris Sale, SP
Chris Sale, the wirey side-slinging Chicago White Sox ace appeared to be a Cy Young front-runner after a 14-3 mark before the All-Star break, en route to 223 strikeouts in a career-high 226 2/3 innings.
18. Cincinnati Reds, Joey Votto, 1B
One thing that is consistent for the rebuilding Cincinnati Reds is first baseman Joey Votto and his high on-base percentage which eclipsed .400 for the seventh time in his 10-year career.
19. New York Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka, SP
Masahiro Tanaka, the wealthy New York Yankees ace, fell just one out short of his first 200-inning season, and 0.07 behind Aaron Sanchez for top spot among pitchers in AL ERA.
20. St. Louis Cardinals, Matt Carpenter, IF
Even though he's listed by MLB.com as a third baseman, super-utility player Matt Carpenter played nearly equal time at third, second, and first, while providing the St. Louis Cardinals with a team-leading .885 OPS.
21. Pittsburgh Pirates, Starling Marte, OF
Although his home run total shrank by 10, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte provided his value elsewhere, securing a second consecutive Gold Glove, stealing 47 bags, hitting 34 doubles, and posting an .818 OPS.
22. Atlanta Braves, Freddie Freeman, 1B
After getting off to a slow start through the first half of April, Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman showed his hitting prowess en route to a ridiculous .968 OPS and 6.1 WAR. His OPS skyrocketed to 1.147 in the month of August after his team acquired Matt Kemp.
23. Arizona Diamondbacks, Jean Segura, 2B
Paul Goldschmidt may be the franchise player in Arizona, but Jean Segura was from another world this season, belting 41 doubles, swiping 33 bases, and leading the NL in hits with 203.
24. Tampa Bay Rays, Evan Longoria, 3B
As the Tampa Bay Rays recorded their lowest win total since 2007, Evan Longoria posted arguably his best season since 2011, recording 173 hits and 36 home runs - both career highs.
25. Minnesota Twins, Brian Dozier, 2B
There wasn't much joy floating around Target Field for the 59-win Minnesota Twins, but Brian Dozier's 42 home runs injected some life into the fan base of the struggling franchise.
26. Philadelphia Phillies, Odubel Herrera, OF
Despite his yawn-inducing routine before stepping into the batter's box, Odubel Herrera energized the Philadelphia Phillies lineup by getting on base at a .361 clip, hitting six triples, and swiping 25 bags.
27. San Diego Padres, Wil Myers, 1B
Wil Myers' can't-miss status from his time as a top prospect finally came to fruition in 2016, as he led the San Diego Padres in home runs (28), RBIs (94), hits (155), and runs scored (99).
28. Milwaukee Brewers - Jonathan Villar - SS
Although Ryan Braun had a great year, Jonathan Villar's break-out campaign in his first year with the Milwaukee Brewers was an incredible thing to watch as the 25-year-old bested his previous career high in hits by 113, while swiping a major-league best 62 bases.
29. Kansas City Royals, Danny Duffy, SP
It was a down year for the 2015 World Series champion Kansas City Royals thanks to a slew of injuries and inconsistency, but southpaw Danny Duffy was a revelation for the club. He posted a career high in wins (12) and innings pitched (179 2/3), including a franchise-record 16 strikeouts against the Rays on Aug. 1.
30. Oakland Athletics, Khris Davis, OF
The Oakland Athletics finished near the bottom of baseball in RBIs, but that was no fault of Khris Davis, who - in his first season in the Bay Area - led the team with 102, to go along with a career best 42 home runs.