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According to ESPN Outside the Lines report, the Milwaukee Brewers reigning 2011 National League MVP Ryan Braun has tested positive for taking performance-enhancing drugs.

If this holds true, Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers needs to be named the 2011 NL MVP right now.

While both Braun and Kemp had unbelievable 2011 campaigns, Braun’s is now tarnished with this allegation. With that being said, there is no reason why Braun shouldn’t be stripped of the title. 

Some would argue that Kemp had the better year anyways, so there is enough reason for why the MLB should turn their voting around and give the award to Kemp.

In 2011, Kemp batted .324 with 39 home runs and 126 RBI. Those numbers were the best of his career, and he easily was the most dominating hitter in the National League this past season. Braun had a great year as well, hitting 33 home runs with 111 RBI; his batting average was the only better statistic, as it stood at .332.

Braun’s Brewers had a much better season than the Dodgers, and that was likely one of the main reasons why he was given the award. This new situation though will make some wonder if he really deserves to be named the 2011 MVP.

Many will wonder though if the MLB will be willing to punish Braun to that extent. Never in the past has the league revoked a player’s MVP award for PED use, but considering the amount of time between the award and allegation, some could argue that the league should change its ruling in this case.

Obviously it will remain to be seen what comes of this situation. Braun will likely be appealing his case to the MLB to try to clear his name and the likely result of a 50-game suspension.

If it holds true, Kemp deserves this MVP award that obviously Braun didn’t win fairly.

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The Brooklyn Dodgers had some outstanding center fielders, including Joe Medwick, Dixie Walker and Duke Snider.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had some outstanding center fielders, including Willie Davis, Rick “The Patriot” Monday and most recently, Matt Kemp.

In 2011, the 26-year-old Kemp  had an outstanding season. He batted .324/.399/.586, leading the league with 39 home runs, 126 RBIs and 115 runs scored. He stole 40 bases.

Kemp’s great season serves to emphasize that he has a long, long way to go before he can be considered in Snider’s class.

Edwin Donald Snider was 26 years old in 1953. The Brooklyn Dodgers won their second consecutive pennant, only to lose their second consecutive World Series to the New York Yankees.

During the regular season, Snider batted .336/.419/.627 with 42 home runs, 126 RBIs and 132 runs scored. He led the lead in slugging and runs scored.

From 1953 to ’57, Snider hit at least 40 home runs each year, which put him second only to Babe Ruth, who accomplished the feat seven times. Los Angeles Dodgers fans are eagerly awaiting Kemp’s first 40-home run season.

When Walter O’Malley ended the Brooklyn Dodgers’ existence by moving the team to Los Angeles, their new home was the Los Angeles Coliseum, which had been built to host the 1932 Olympics. It was basically a football stadium, and it showed.

The distance down the left field foul line was a Polo Grounds-like 252 feet away. The distance to right center field was a Yankee Stadium-like 440 ft. Nobody was satisfied except O’Malley, because using the Coliseum instead of Los Angeles’ Wrigley Field meant many more tickets could be sold.

San Francisco ace left-hander Johnny Antonelli thought the Coliseum was “the biggest farce I ever heard of.” 

Warren Spahn, possibly the greatest of all left-handers, was more emphatic about the distance down the left field line. “I’d like to see a rule making it mandatory for a ball to travel at least 300 feet for a home run,” he said.

When Snider saw the “ballpark,” he said that he would practice hitting from the right side—shades of Mickey Mantle.

Although he was only 31 years old his first season in Los Angeles, Snider never did as well as he had in Brooklyn. From 1958 to ’62, he batted .292/.385/.523, averaging 24 home runs and 88 RBIs over a 162-game season.

Snider appeared in six World Series, five with Brooklyn. In 1952 and again in 1955, he hit four home runs to set a record that has since been eclipsed.

Matt Kemp is an excellent defensive player, but he has nothing over Snider, who was slightly underrated defensively because he played center field in Ebbets Field. During his World Series appearances, Snider demonstrated his great skills against the Yankees at the original Yankee Stadium.

From age 27 until he was sent to the New York Mets in 1962, Snider batted .300/.396/.581, averaging 36 home runs and 109 RBIs over a 162-game season.

This past season was the only time Kemp hit more than 30 home runs. He should be reaching his peak, but at age 26, Snider had already hit at least 30 home runs twice.

There is no question that Kemp is one of the best center fielders in the game. Curtis Granderson and Jacoby Ellsbury come close, but Kemp may prove to be more valuable in the future. Maybe not, but he had a better 2011 season than either of them.

If Kemp played in 1953, his 2011 season would have topped Mickey Mantle’s (.295/.398/.497), but it is dwarfed by Willie Mays.

The “Say-Hey Kid” won the batting title with a .345 average. He led the league with a .667 slugging average and won the MVP as he led the New York Giants to the World Championship.

Time will tell if 2011 were an aberration for Kemp, but one thing is certain: Duke Snider remains the greatest of all Dodgers center fielders.

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The 2011 Major League Baseball season is nearing an end, yet it’s anyone’s guess as to who will win the National League Most Valuable Player Award.

While Justin Upton was the hot name on the block as recently as two weeks ago, his name has slowly faded from discussion for the prestigious award. The same goes for St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, who may have had a case if the Cards were able to magically secure a playoff spot. With two late-game losses the last two nights, both the Cards and Pujols have fallen out of the race.

When it’s all said and done, the National League MVP has turned into a race of only two horses, both of whom have their teams heading in different directions come October.

Matt Kemp has put together a season for the ages and now sits only .003 batting average points from the Triple Crown. That would be an amazing feat, but does it make him MVP?

This is the tricky part of the MVP equation. Many people these days seem to forget the difference between a player being “valuable” and a player being “outstanding.” If there were a Most Outstanding Player Award for the player who has the best statistical season, there is no doubt Kemp’s name would be inscribed on the plaque. 

The issue here, however, is that there are rare cases—with this being one of them—that the best player of the season isn’t necessarily the most valuable. 

Kemp has the Los Angeles Dodgers at 79-77 and in third place in the NL West. Fans will make the argument that without Kemp, the team would surely be in last place. I agree with that notion 100 percent, but you’re talking about two cases where his team wouldn’t even sniff October! 

If being the Most Valuable Player means bringing your team from last place to third place, then we might as well throw out the award altogether. The luster behind the award and the true meaning of it appear to be all but gone.

I would sympathize with people who claim Kemp to be MVP if there were no other viable candidates around the league, but in no way is that the case.

Ryan Braun proved just how valuable he is to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday evening, hitting a mammoth three-run homer to center field in the eighth inning, breaking a 1-1 tie and ultimately giving the team its first division title since 1982.

Both Kemp and Braun are the only two NL players in the 30-30 club this season, with both players leading the league in pretty much every statistical category. They both have more than 30 doubles, 100 runs and 100 RBI, yet Kemp has played in 11 more games than Braun this season.

The most glaring and obvious factor, however, is the fact that Braun’s team has 92 wins—compared to the 77 of Kemp’s Dodgers—accompanied by a divisional crown and a trip to the playoffs.

While Kemp has been minimally better statistically this season, where Braun has led the Brewers should trump those margins by a mile. 

Jeffrey Beckmann is a MLB Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow Jeffrey on his new Twitter account for all of his latest work. You can also hear him each Friday at 1 p.m. EST on B/R Baseball Roundtable.  

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Matt Kemp is giving Los Angeles Dodgers fans something to applaud in the final five games of the season. Kemp is on an historical mission to capture the first Triple Crown since 1967 and to become the fifth constituent of baseball’s 40-homer/40-steals club.

The Dodgers center fielder’s 37 home runs are tied for first place in the National League with Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals. In addition, Kemp leads the NL in RBIs with 119, which happens to be six more than the next closest hitter to him. The statistical category that may possibly halt Kemp’s Triple Crown pursuit is batting average; as he is three points behind co-leaders Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jose Reyes of the New York Mets.

Kemp’s quest to join Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano in the 40-40 club will have to witness the Dodger slugger knocking three balls out of the park within a five-game stretch. It’s a barrier indeed, but when fans and MLB analysts point out that Kemp has hit four home runs in his last five games it becomes that more conceivable why such a feat could be accomplished.

The odds are against Kemp to accomplish both of these historical monuments individually, but it’s still exhilarating for a fan of baseball to root for something magical in a season where all the divisions were won early and wild card races are mostly not in doubt.

According to Elias, not since 1967 has any competitor been leading the league in batting average or been within five points, leading the league in homers or been within one and leading the league in RBIs or been within one in the final 15 games of the season. Kemp is doing this with five games left and also leads the NL in runs with 105.

Regardless of if Kemp falls short of winning the Triple Crown or joining the 40-40 club, it should be put into perspective that a player that just turned 27-years-old is beginning to scratch the surface. How many times are we fortunate to see a player atop of the league in five statistical categories? Nevertheless, the Dodgers might want to resolve their financial mess and keep No. 27 around for the years to come and build on this season. I’m certain the Dodgers Blue Crew would not want to lose this special player to the money of New York or Boston in 2012 free agency.

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MLB divisions are being clinched, and wild card births are being decided as the clock ticks down on another baseball season.

The American League MVP race seems likely to stoke the fires of debate about pitchers and their place in the MVP voting, and Rookie Of The Year honors seem up for grabs in both leagues. As this season comes to its conclusion there’s certainly plenty to talk about.

So why aren’t more people talking about this? Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers has a very real chance to win the Triple Crown in the National League. Consider this, the last offensive Triple Crown to be won was by Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox in 1967.

The last National League Triple Crown was won by Joe Medwick of the Saint Louis Cardinals in 1937! 

Check out this list: Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Joe Dimaggio, and Stan Musial. That’s an impressive list isn’t it? Not one of them ever won a triple crown. Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams won two Triple Crowns. They’re the only two players in all of Major League history to ever win two.

That brings up to Matt Kemp, who as of Saturday Morning September 24th 2011, has a six RBI lead—119-113—over Prince Fielder. Furthermore, Kemp is tied for the league lead in home runs with Albert Pujols (they both have 37 round-trippers) and is three points, .329 to .326, behind Jose Reyes and Ryan Braun for the National League batting title.

These numbers with less than one week to go in the regular season paint a picture of not just one of the most all-around dominating seasons in recent memory, but also of a player on the cusp of an indisputably historical accomplishment.

Let the MVP debate begin also, because frequently, and with good reason, the MVP award is often given to a player who is on a team that makes the playoffs. The Dodgers have been out of the playoff chase since before the All-Star break.

In fact, it’s been a historically bad season for one of Major League Baseball’s proudest franchises.

The Dodgers are a team of proud tradition dating back to its days as the centerpiece of the burgeoning borough of Brooklyn, NY. A borough that was inundated with a diverse group of immigrants in the beginning of the 20th century that rallied around the Dodgers at Ebbets Field.

A franchise which ushered in the breaking of the color barrier in professional sports by bringing Jackie Robinson to the big leagues in 1947, the Dodgers would continue to be at the forefront of baseball expansion by moving to Los Angeles and bringing baseball to the west coast.

This season has been the worst in Dodger History. It started with the brutal beating of a Giant fan in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium on the night of the home opener. The fan, who is just beginning the long recovery process, was severely injured. Questions regarding fan behavior and stadium security rightly ensued.

The season only got worse as the divorce proceedings between the owners of the team Frank and Jamie McCourt revealed major financial problems within the organization and led to the team filing for bankruptcy and a lawsuit by Frank McCourt against Major League Baseball.

Now, as the season mercifully ends, it appears there may be a very real ray of light on this otherwise forgettable season as Kemp has positioned himself to once again place the Los Angeles Dodgers in the favorable view of baseball history.

The Triple Crown really is an accomplishment to be appreciated. While modern stat geeks may claim that the three categories of batting average, home runs, and runs-batted-in (RBI) aren’t quite as relevant as they were once thought to be, the fact remains that these numbers aren’t to be taken too lightly.

No National League Triple Crown since 1937? Think about how long a period of time that is. Seventy-four years.

The Milwaukee Brewers popped champagne last night to celebrate their first divisional title since 1982. I’m not sure what the Dodgers should do to celebrate Kemp if he can claim the crown this Wednesday, but it’s safe to say that Dodger—and baseball aficionados alike—fans should keep in mind just how rare an accomplishment this is.  

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Ryan Braun is this year’s NL MVP.

Other players might be in the discussion, namely Matt Kemp, Prince Fielder, Joey Votto, Albert Pujols and Justin Upton, but at the end of the season Braun should be adding to a trophy case that already contains Rookie of the Year and three Silver Sluggers.

Braun, who is hitting .332, trails NL Leader Jose Reyes by just one point.

He leads the National League in On-Base plus Slugging percentage (OPS), baseball’s best measure of offensive output, at .987.  He’s one of just three plays in the senior circuit with at least a .400 On-Base and .550 Slugging Percentage (Kemp is just outside with a .399 OBP).  Only Votto (.985) is within 20 points of Braun.

Braun has put together such an incredible OPS through a balanced offensive attack. A patient slugger, he’s walked enough that his On-Base is 70 points over his impressive batting average.  He has 25 homers, 35 doubles and five triples, giving him 65 extra-base hits already – more than any of his potential MVP counterparts except for Upton (68).

Currently leading the league in runs with 93 and sitting fifth in RBI at 91, Braun should easily eclipse the century mark in both fields before season’s end.

Among this group, Pujols’s 51 strikeouts are the only total less than Braun’s 79.  Fielder (88) is the only other player under 100.

Of potential MVP candidates, Braun’s 31 steals trail only Kemp’s 37.  Braun, however, is a more efficient stealer than Kemp, stealing bags at an 86% success rate compared to Kemp’s 82%.  In fact, Braun’s rate is better than anyone in the top 10 in stolen bases except for Cameron Maybin, whose 32-for-37 barely bests Braun’s 31-for-36.

Braun is also the best hitter, and No. 3 batter for a Brewers club that has opened up an impressive 8.5 game lead in the NL Central.  The magic number to clinch their first division crown since 1982, when they were in the American League, is 16.  So with 23 games remaining and 24 for the division rival St. Louis Cardinals, any combination of 16 Milwaukee wins plus St. Louis losses will earn them a trip to the playoffs.  If the Braun-led Brew Crew plays just one game under .500 the rest of the way, St. Louis would have to go 19-4 just to force a tie.

The other players have all had tremendous seasons of their own, and each deserves some consideration, but ultimately none stack up to the season Braun has put together.

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Is it possible for a player to be one of the consensus top five players in his league and still be underrated?

If that player is Matt Kemp, then the answer is an unequivocal Yes.

Last season I took Matt Kemp to task not once, but twice, for being one of the worst regular everyday players in baseball.  

You see, Kemp was in the middle of a bad season; he was getting caught stealing way to much (15 times in 34 attempts), his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage were all on the decline, and he was not scoring, driving in or creating as many runs as he had in the most recent previous seasons.

And, for the most part, I will stand behind those assertions.

The mistake I made, though, was assuming that these aspects of Kemp’s season reflected who he was as a player rather than simply reflecting a bad season.  And on that note, I was wildly incorrect.

Because in 2011, Matt Kemp is back, with a vengeance.

So far in 2011, through 111 games, Kemp is setting full-season career highs in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, which necessarily means OPS and OPS+ as well.  After hitting 25 doubles in each of the last two seasons, Kemp already has 23 doubles this year. He has already topped last season’s total of 19 stolen bases by stealing 28, and he has only been caught four times.

Kemp also has 26 home runs. Let’s put that in perspective: last season, he had 28 dongs in 162 games, and the year before he had 26 dongs in 159 games.  This year’s pace, so far, is well ahead his career best pace, and him on course to top 40 for the first time in his career; not bad for a guy who has never hit 30.

Kemp also leads the NL in total bases, with 235, and (for those who care), he is going to run away with the league lead in WAR, which measures a player’s overall value.

He is, truly, having an amazing season, and at only 26, there is no reason not to believe that Kemp’s prime may just be getting going.

So . . . .

How can Matt Kemp be underrated even as he establishes himself as one of the dominant players in the National League?

The answer is a simple, two word answer: Dodger Stadium.

There are certain stadiums in Major League Baseball which suffer from a presumption of skepticism, stadiums which are so decidedly pitcher-friendly or hitter-friendly that we must look at a player’s home/road splits to verify the validity of their performance.

For example, if a player enjoys a monster offensive season playing at Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Coors Field or Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, chances are there is a home-field explanation.

By the same token, if a hitter has a down season at Petco Park, Safeco Field, Citi Field or Dodger Stadium, chances are he was swimming upstream and walking in mud for most of the season.

Knowing that Matt Kemp plays his home games at Dodger Stadium we must naturally suspect that his numbers are being suppressed, even despite the amazing year he is having.

So, let’s take a look at Kemp’s home/road splits so far this year (care of baseballreference.com):

The evidence, as they say, speaks for itself.

So far in 2011, Kemp is hitting 34 points higher on the road than he is at home. His on-base percentage is over .400 on the road, and his slugging percentage is over 600 on the road. His OPS is nearly 200 points higher on the road (1.070) than it is at home (.892), which is quite literally almost unheard of.

And, of course, Kemp has three more doubles and four more home runs away from Dodger Stadium, in seven fewer games and 16 fewer plate appearances.

Put quite simply, in 2011 Matt Kemp has been one of the best players in the National League despite playing his home games in Dodger Stadium.

In all likelihood, Matt Kemp is a far better player than his 2011 stats, as good as they are, make him out to be.

And oh by the way, Kemp’s current contract is up after this season, but he has one more year of arbitration eligibility left before hitting free agency in 2013. This means that, with Kemp’s true value being under-represented and with him being captive for another season, this would be an excellent time for the Dodgers to ink him to a comparatively cheap, comparatively short-term deal.

If Matt Kemp would re-sign, right now, for something in the three years, $30-40 million range, it would be an absolute steal.

And if some other team, perhaps one in a hitter-neutral or hitter-friendly park, could trade for him and get him to sign a similar deal, well, the windfall would be unbelievable.

You heard it hear first.

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Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers leads the way in our group of award winner from the first half of the 2011 Major League Baseball Season.

Baseball has suddenly become dominated by pitching as there are only seven players in the entire league with at least 20 home runs.  

It’s a fascinating statistic when you think just 10 years ago, Alex Rodriguez hit 52, Luis Gonzalez hit 57, Sammy Sosa hit 64, and Barry Bonds hit 73—the most home runs for a season in the history of baseball.

Now that we’ve officially reached the half-way point of the season, let’s take a look at the MVP’s and Cy Young Award winners of the first half.

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Major League Baseball released its ballot for the 2011 All-Star game this past week. It may be a little early to label a player’s 2011 season as All-Star caliber, but nevertheless votes casted today are worth just as much as those in late June. 

Last season, we saw a noticeable shortage of star talent at the National League outfield spots. There were so few All-Star worthy outfielders in the N.L. that Atlanta Braves rookie Jason Heyward was voted into the game, despite a mediocre first half in which he hit just .251 with 11 home runs.

On the other hand, there appear to be several N.L. outfielders that are poised to have great 2011 seasons. Currently, five different N.L. outfielders possess an OPS greater than 1.000, namely Matt Holiday, Lance Berkman, Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. All five of them are hitting at least .350 with 13 or more RBI.  

Berkman is the most surprising of the bunch. The five-time All-Star is coming off an injury-ridden 2010 season, in which he hit just .248 with 58 RBI in 122 games. He turned 35 years old before the season and is looking to make his first All-Star appearance since 2008.

Meanwhile, both Kemp and Ethier had disappointing 2010 seasons for the Dodgers, but have responded in a big way in the early going. If the two of them are voted into the All-Star game by the fans, it will be the first time that the Dodgers have had two All-Star starters since 1995 when the battery of pitcher Hideo Nomo and catcher Mike Piazza each started the Midsummer Classic.

Assuming that Kemp and Ethier are each named All-Stars one way or another, Los Angeles would have two All-Star outfielders for the first time since 1991. Also of note, the last time that two Dodger outfielders were voted into the All-Star game was back in 1954 (Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson).

If not for the early success of Kemp and Ethier, the Dodgers (13-13) could already be far out of playoff contention. The two outfielders have combined for nearly one-third of the Dodger hits this season, as well as eight of the 20 team home runs. 

Besides Kemp and Ethier, none of the other Dodger hitters have been particularly impressive. The Dodger pitching has been solid overall, but there has been no standout up to this point. Therefore, unless one of the Dodgers not named Kemp or Ethier tear it up over the next couple of months, we may see just two Dodgers in the Midsummer Classic. 

Currently, Braun and Holiday appear to be the front-runners to finish No. 1 and No. 2 in N.L. All-Star voting among outfielders, but it is far too early to tell.

The 2011 MLB All-Star Game will be played on July 12th at Chase Field in Phoenix.

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We are close to three weeks into the season, and few things are going as expected. Some teams have players that are surprising, and other teams are simply outperforming their expectations.

Its a long season, and things change, but some of these surprises are legitimate, and have some staying power. Cleveland may not necessarily be in for a major losing streak, and the Red Sox may not be the 100-win team people were expecting.

If nothing else, these starts have exposed to hot-air-balloon expectations placed on some teams and some players before the season started. Time to get real. (organized from worst winning percentage).

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