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Welcome to August 2018 Darin Erstad Jersey , where the Chicago Cubs have a leading National League MVP candidate who's not named Kris Bryant or Anthony Rizzo.It's Javier Baez, whose reality has finally caught up with his hype.Through 112 games, the 25-year-old is hitting .298 with a .916 OPS, 25 home runs, 19 stolen bases and 88 runs batted in. All but the games played are career highs, and his RBI count is the highest of any National Leaguer.Not to be overlooked is Baez's defense. Per the defensive metrics, he's rating as an average or better defender at second base, shortstop and third base.Hence Baez's unsurprisingly strong showing in wins above replacement. He ranks at No. 7 in the National League with 4.9 rWAR at Baseball Reference. He's tied for sixth with 4.4 fWAR at FanGraphs.Granted, Baez is at the top of neither list.But the NL MVP race isn't like the American League MVP race, wherein it's clearly Mike Trout, Jose Ramirez, Mookie Betts and then everyone else. The NL MVP race isa wide-open affair that WAR alone can't determine. Even more than usual, careful consideration of exactly what a player can do and exactlyhow he's contributed to his team is advised.Well, the Cubs have the best record in the NL at 66-48. And for at least one Cub, it's quite simple."He's the most valuable player on our team, and we're in first place http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey ," Bryant said, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. "Seems like he should be at top of the list [of NL MVP candidates]."David Banks/Associated PressBryant would know, as being the most valuable player on first-place Cubs teams used to be his job.The third baseman led a 103-win and eventual World Series champion squad in 2016 with a .939 OPS and 39 dingers, for which he was named the NL MVP. He was back at it again in 2017 with a .946 OPS and 29 homers, helping the Cubs to 92 wins and a second straight National League Central title. His 13.5 rWAR across those two years placed just a hair behind Nolan Arenado for tops in the NL.Never far from Bryant in the spotlight was Rizzo. He had already established himself as one of the best first basemen in Major League Baseball with his work in 2014 and 2015. So it went in '16 and '17, as he averaged a .914 OPS with 64 homers and 9.8 rWAR.But in 2018, "Bryzzo" just hasn't been the same.Although he's come on like gangbustersin the second half, Rizzo is still on track for his worst season since 2013. For his part, Bryant has suffered a power loss that seemed mysterious at first, but which now makes sense in light of his left shoulder injury.The rest of Chicago's roster hasn't been without its own problems. Injuries and ineffectiveness have turned Yu Darvish into a bust in the first season of his six-year, $126 million contract. His starting rotation mates have largely struggled to the tune of a 4.08 ERA.And yet, there are the Cubs speeding toward their third straight NL Central title. And there's Baez, seemingly always in the middle of it all.Mind you, it's not like Baez was invisible before 2018. He was considered an elite prospect when he first arrived in 2014, and the sheer breadth of his skill set was oftenextremely visible.At times, Baez looked like the best sliderin MLB. At other times Shohei Ohtani Jersey , he looked like the best tagger. At still other times, his arm and his range made him look like the best defender. At still more times, he looked like one of MLB's most powerful sluggers.But then there were the other times when Baez was practically invisible at the plate, where his free-swinging style led to too many bad at-bats and, thus, frequent slumps.There were also the times when he must have wished he could hide. His defensive miscues would undermine his defensive brilliance, and his aggression on the basepaths sometimes resulted in avoidable outs.In short, Baez played like an unrestrained bundle of energy. And this act extended to, well, his act. He wasn't shy about having his fun when he wanted to, occasionally to the chagrin of the fun police.This next part should be a segue into how Baez has changed his ways to become a better player in 2018. But in reality, he's still the same Javier Baez. He's just...better.His 60.8 swing percentage is the highest of any qualified hitter, which explains his characteristically low walk rate of 3.8 percent. Buthe's mostly taking good swings, as an increasing rate of his hacks are taking place within the strike zone:His rate of contact on these swings isn't ideal, but it's acceptable. That helps explain how his strikeout rate is now well below its formerly catastrophic standing.Even better, Baez'squality of contact on his in-zone swings is beyond acceptable:2015:92.9 mph2016: 89.1 mph2017:88.5 mph2018:94.9 mphThus has Baez rarely not been a threat at the plate this season. He's posted an OPS north of .900 in every month except May Brandon Phillips Jersey , when he finished at a solid .769.Elsewhere, Baez is rating as one of the NL's top baserunners despite the fact he hasn't toned down his aggressiveness on the bases. And while he still boots the occasional ball, even the newest Cub can see that his ability and versatility are more than worth the trouble on defense."He's a naturally gifted infielder," veteran left-hander Cole Hamels said, per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. "I think if you wanted to throw him at first base, I'm sure he could do that pretty well, too."Meanwhile, Baez's natural tendency to wear his emotions on his sleeve is going strong. That's led to spats with Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle and Cincinnati Reds lefty Amir Garrett, but his position is clear: He's going to keep doing him."I don't control what's out there, what people say about me. I'm just going to keep playing my game," he said in April after running afoul of Hurdle, perMuskat.Heck, why not? Oakland Athletics outfielder Mark Canha's recent rescinding of an apologyfor a bat flip might be the ultimate sign that Major League Baseball is finally accepting a more outwardly emotional style, one which Baez and other Latin players have long since embraced.Beyond that, it's never a bad idea to stick with what's worked. That's how Baez has gotten to where he is now, and it has both him and the Cubs in an enviable spot.Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference Barry Larkin Jersey , FanGraphs and Baseball Savant. Two unheralded pitchers will take the mound for the Athletics and Tigers on Friday.Brett Anderson and Blaine Hardy are both trending upward and should be comfortable in a pitcher-friendly park tonight.Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about a bad beat, which was our fate last night despite Madison Bumgarner and Zack Greinke doing a nice job taking a 3-1 score into the eighth. It was then, however, that Arizona’s league-best bullpen let things get away. Let’s get back on track heading into the weekend.Zylbert’s 2018 MLB Over/Under Betting Record: 70-47-3, +17.9 unitsYesterday’s Result: Giants-Diamondbacks Under 7.5, Bumgarner vs. Greinke (loss)*Each bet graded as if it were to win 1 unitDetroit Tigers @ Oakland Athletics | O/U: 910:05 p.m. ETProbable Pitchers: Blaine Hardy (4-3, 3.61 ERA) vs. Brett Anderson (2-3, 5.55 ERA)>>