Chicago Cubs: Javier Baez should be early favorite for NL MVP

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On a team like the Cubs, who over the past few seasons, have lived and died by the long ball, Baez is one of the lone guys who have taken flight. Not only is he first on the team with 10 home runs thus far, but he is third in the National League.

Baez has had some pretty impressive games strung together in a short time. Back in April, Baez hit two home runs in back-to-back games against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This month, he put together three games in a row with a home run against — two against the St. Louis Cardinals and one against the Miami Marlins.

Baez hasn’t just excelled in knocking them out of the park, though. He has also maintained a well-balanced offensive arsenal. Baez is second in the NL with three triples while coming in at fifth in the NL with nine doubles. Extra base hits are key for the Cubs, who have younger guys constantly swinging for the fences, thus causing more strikeouts than the average club.

Here is where it gets really fun. Baez has been a machine when it comes to batting in runs. He is currently first in, not only the NL, but the entire league, in RBIs with 32. Baez has four games this season with three or more runs batted in. The Cubs also boast a record of 10-5 when he knocks in at least one run — that’s pretty telling.