Reviewing the Brew’s Awards: Most Valuable Player

As we hand out our last award, it should really come as no surprise as the staff had a unanimous vote on this award. We named Carlos Gomez as the Milwaukee Brewers’ Most Valuable Player for 2013 and who better than Gomez to receive the award?

Is there anything Carlos Gomez can’t do on the field? Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Gomez was by far one of the most impressive Brewers this season and it certainly was nice to watch him play even though the season was shot in May. Known for his home run robbing catches, miraculous dives and a bat that was dangerous as can be, Gomez was truly the all-around player the Brewers needed this season and hopefully for many more to come.

With the bat, Gomez worked his way not only to the first All-Star Game of his career, but to a new level in the major leagues. The Brewers were known for their offensive power in the past few seasons, even after losing Prince Fielder, but Gomez made sure that they would continue to be one of the best teams with the bat. Of course, Gomez’s contribution factors in against the rest of the team, but individually he stood out among the crowd.

In 2013, Gomez would surpass all the stats from previous years and what a jump it was. When Gomez came to Milwaukee, he posted his first ISO (isolated power) above .200 and just this season, he had one of .222. Gomez has quite a bit of power with the bat which can be directly correlated to his 24 home runs and slugging percentage of .506. Despite falling off a little bit in September, he still held an average this season of .284 with an on-base percentage of .338.

Perhaps one of the most startling stats for Gomez was his WAR (wins above replacement) of 8.4, which was the best in the National League and only second to Mike Trout‘s 9.2 in all of baseball. It’s a shame Gomez isn’t up for the actual MVP award, because he certainly played like one with the bat and glove.

Out in center field, Gomez made some of the most jaw dropping catches and dives for baseballs that you just don’t see much anymore. Not only did Gomez rob five homers this season, he held a tremendous UZR (ultimate zone rating) of 24.4. Many times Gomez would crash into a wall while taking a hit away from someone, and in August it cost him about a week. However, Gomez stayed fairly healthy this season so after awhile it became mesmerizing to watch his defensive work in action which got him his first career Gold Glove and the Brewers’ first since 1982.

Gomez certainly stole the show in Milwaukee this season and it will be interesting if we see a repeat performance in 2014. He easily won the MVP award from us because he truly was the best player on the team this season. Heading into next season, Gomez will remain as one of the core Brewers’ in the line-up, so here’s hoping that he’ll carry over the momentum from 2013 to 2014.