Rockies SS Tulowitzki deserves NL MVP nod

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Troy Tulowitzki is having one of the best single-month performances in recent years. His power numbers for the month of September are incredible. With a little under a week still left, the Rockies shortstop has homered 15 times and drove in 40 runs.

Those numbers are absolutely ridiculous. He needs only four more to set the record for RBI in the month of September and it couldn’t come at a better time for the Rockies.

As of Sunday, the Rockies trail Atlanta and San Francisco in the wild card race by 3.5 games. Saturday night, Tulowitzki went 4-5 with a home run, 5 RBIs, and the game winning double in a must win game over the Giants. The reason Colorado is in contention for a playoff spot is due largely in part to the 10-game win streak they assembled earlier in the month. Perhaps no player is more vital to his team’s success than “Tulo.”

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is seldom handed out to the player who is actually of the most value to his team. Instead it is more like the Most Productive Player on a Championship Contending Team. If the award were true to its name, the 2010 MVP would be difficult to give to anybody other than Tulowitzki.

Despite missing extensive time this season, he is batting .324 while nearing 30 homers (27) and 100 RBI, the usual benchmark for offensive production in order to be considered. His slugging and on-base percentages are both in the top 10 and he plays defense as well as any shortstop in the game.

I don’t expect him to win the MVP award this year, as it will probably go to struggling Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto. The Rockies aren’t at the forefront of the playoff picture like Cincinnati is so that will lose Tulowitzki votes. Nonetheless his play at the end of this season deserves recognition.

Without him, the Rockies are nowhere near contending for the playoffs. He’s always been a productive player since entering the league but the September he’s having this year is garnering the national attention he’s always deserved. Colorado sits 3.5 games out of a playoff spot right now.

Perhaps they will play the type of baseball that was on display during their 10-game win streak. Conversely, this late season push could just be a tease. The final results will be tallied in a few weeks. Either way, you can bet that Troy Tulowitzki will have something to do with how things shake out.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 26th, 2010, 10:22 pm. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.