Chicago Cubs: Javier Baez or Christian Yelich for MVP? The choice is obvious

The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are going down to the wire, as is the race between Javier Baez and Christian Yelich for National League MVP.

With less than a week left in the regular season, there’s a lot about the Chicago Cubs’ season to be decided. Can Joe Maddon‘s club capture a third-straight National League Central crown? How will the NL Wild Card picture wind up sorting itself out?

Aside from the standings though, these teams’ two stars continue to battle it out for National League Most Valuable Player honors. First-year Brewer Christian Yelich has his team on the brink of returning to the postseason for the first time since 2011.

Meanwhile, in the absence of Kris Bryant for much of the season, Chicago infielder Javier Baez continues to impress, setting career-highs in virtually every offensive category while filling holes all over the diamond defensively.

So, needless to say, there’s a lot at stake here in the final days of the regular season. While we’ll all focus on the standings and suffer through nights of scoreboard watching, Baez and Yelich are playing for more than their teams – a shot at the league’s top honors.

Chicago Cubs: Yelich putting it all together for the Brewers

As much as it pains me to admit it, Christin Yelich is putting together one of the best all-around seasons we’ve seen in a long while.

In 141 games this season, the Brewers outfielder has compiled a league-leading .321 average to go along with 32 home runs and 98 RBI. He’s never surpassed the century mark in runs batted in, but his 32 home runs are by far a new career-best.

He received some national press recently when Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield campaigned for Yelich in his postgame presser after leading the Browns to their first win since 2016.

“We’ll see,” he said. “That’s up to you guys. In all honesty, we’re trying to just see if we can win as many games as we can down the stretch here, these last nine. I feel like everything else just takes care of itself.”

He’s teamed up with fellow Milwaukee newcomer Lorenzo Cain to take the Brewers’ offense to a new level in 2018. Yelich leads the league in batting and OPS, is second (behind Cain) in WAR among position players and ranks fifth in on-base percentage.

So, while North Side fans love El Mago, our neighbors up I-94 have very different ideas about who the league’s most valuable talent is this season.

Chicago Cubs: There’s no one in the game quite like ‘El Mago’

What can we say about Javier Baez that hasn’t already been said?

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The Puerto Rican-born standout is becoming an absolute stud – on both sides of the ball. He’s always been fun to watch. There’s no one better at slapping down lightning-quick tags on would-be base stealers. I’m yet to see anyone swing with as much raw power and ferocity and actually turn it into something. And let’s not forget his smart, sometimes borderline reckless, base running skills that somehow seem to work out.

This season, Baez has done everything asked of him – and then some. In

In 2018 however, Baez has put it all together and then some. In 153 games this season, Baez is hitting .292 with 34 home runs and 110 RBI. Although he won’t break the 30-30 barrier, he’s thrown in 21 stolen bases for good measure while he’s at it.

As far as league leaders? El Mago is tied for second in home runs, and ranks second in triples and slugging percentage. That’s not to mention he leads the National League in runs batted in and total bases, as well.

He’s done of this while continuing to player Gold Glove-caliber defense at second base, shortstop and third base. What more can you ask for, really?