Chicago Cubs: Will Kris Bryant or Javier Baez win an MVP award next?

The Chicago Cubs have had two National League MVP finalists between the last three years. Which one is more likely to win another win in the near future?

Kris Bryant and Javier Baez have had interesting trajectories since helping the Chicago Cubs end the team’s long World Series drought two years ago. While Bryant has struggled to replicate the success he experienced in 2016, Baez has taken off to become one of the league’s brightest and most popular young stars for his charisma and daring style of play.

Both players are firmly entrenched in the core of Chicago’s winning formula, and yet they have had very different routes to success.

Whereas Bryant has been working to flatten his swing path and see more pitches, Baez has seen an increase in his swing percentage in every single year that he has been in the bigs, according to FanGraphs.

With both players looking to help the Cubs return to the pinnacle of baseball, which is the more likely MVP candidate in the years to come?

Chicago Cubs: The case for Bryant

Kris Bryant won National League MVP honors in just his second season due mostly to a revamped approach at the plate.

Former MLB.com writer Carrie Muskat wrote about Bryant’s commitment to a flatter swing in 2016, and this new approach translated to Bryant’s strikeout rate fell from 30.6 percent in 2015 to just 22 percent in 2016. This is notable considering Bryant’s swing percentage was nearly identical to his 2015 rate, and he actually swung at more pitches outside of the strike zone, according to FanGraphs.

While KB was not quite as productive in 2017, he still put up good numbers. Bryant posted a 146 wRC+, just a touch below his 148 wRC+ produced the year prior, according to FanGraphs.

Of course, injuries and inconsistency derailed Bryant in 2018. But with John Mallee disciple Anthony Iapoce taking the reins as hitting coach and Bryant likely being as determined as ever this offseason, it is more than likely he can regain his form as one of the best players in baseball.

Chicago Cubs: The case for Baez

After showing signs of his pending stardom for years, Baez finally burst onto the national stage this year, leading the Cubs in home runs (34), RBI (111, which also led the National League), runs (101), doubles (40), hits (176) and stolen bases (21) while posting a 5.3 fWAR.

Baez became just the fourth middle infielder in Cubs history to record a 30-homer, 100-RBI season while becoming the fifth Cub to do so by the age of 25, according to Muskat.

“El Mago” certainly provided the magic on the bases as well, with daring forays around the bases that caused chaos for opposing defenses and miraculous diving catches into the stands:

Despite the increased swing rate, Baez saw a decline in his strikeout rate while his isolated power climbed to a colossal .264, according to FanGraphs. He had more success swinging early in the count, rather than falling behind and becoming more susceptible to the fastball up or a breaking ball in the dirt with two strikes.

Baez’s base running value improved despite making a number of outs on bases, and he posted 10 total defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs. Considering just how much he has improved in a few years, it seems the sky is the limit for El Mago.