2023 Kevin Mitchell Award candidates

It looks like a wide open race for the Kevin Mitchell Award in 2023. You could make a case for any one of a number of top-tier candidates.

The award recognizing the league's top batter is voted upon by the DMBL's 20 owners. Each ballot has six players, with a point system of 10-7-5-3-2-1. Which 6 will make your ballot? The following list of about a dozen or so candidates is in no particular order beyond perusing the League Leaders page for comparisons.

Aaron Judge, CF, Sardine City

It would be easy to see how Judge could be the pick for The Mitch. The 31-year-old put together a monster season on all levels, making 162 starts in RF and powering the Straphangers to a 97-win campaign and the No. 3 seed as the DiMaggio Division champs. He shared the HR title with Mike Trout of Allentown with 60 dongs but he led the league with 148 RBI -- that's 33 more than anyone else.

Judge led the league in numerous categories:

• HR, 60 (T1)
• RBI, 148
• OPS, .939
• Total average, .970
• Secondary average, .504
• AB/HR, 10.1

He ranked 2nd in walks (99) to Livingston's Juan Soto and in intentional walks (17) to Albert Pujols, both of Livingston. He also was 2nd to only Trout in runs scored (112), SLG (.585), and Isolated Power (.337). For SABRmetricians, Judge ranked only 4th in RC/27 (7.0), trailing Trout, Erie's Jeff McNeil and Paul Goldschmidt of Livingston, and 3rd in RC (124.6) behind Trout and McNeil.

The 31-year-old was 3rd in two categories where he trailed both Trout and Livingston's Mookie Betts: extra base hits (84) and total bases (354).

Mike Trout, CF, Allentown

The 85-77 Mules missed the playoffs, finishing one game behind No. 8 Vancouver, making Trout among the strongest candidates from non-playoff teams. But you can't blame Trout, who was by no means a slouch in the batting department. It could very well have been his best season in years. His 126 runs led the DMBL by a healthy margin, 14 more than Judge (12.5%), and his 391 total bases were 27 more than Betts (7.4%). 157 games in CF.

In addition to sharing the HR crown (a league-high 50 came vRHP) with Judge and leading the league in runs scored and total bases, Trout was tops in four other categories:

• SLG, .602
• Extra base hits, 100
• Runs created, 133.1
• Isolated power, .339

He trailed only Judge in OPS (.935), secondary average (.438), and AB/HR (10.8). Only McNeil and Goldschmidt had a higher RC/27 than Trout (7.4). He also matched Betts in RBI (114), trailing Lindor and Judge.

Jeff McNeil, 2B/OF, Erie

McNeil doesn't have the raw power of other candidates - a mere 13 HRs - but he flashed his offensive game in other areas, leading the DMBL in five categories. He played a big part in the 2nd-ranked offense in the league (775 runs/4.8), leading the Sea Wolves to a 92-70 mark and their first postseason berth, as the Jeter Division champs (No. 4 seed). 132 games at 2B and 30 at RF

The batting champ (.343) had the league's longest hit streak (30) in 17 years, and his 218 hits are the most in a while too (14 ahead of Joey Meneses of Marietta, 6.8%) along with a DMBL-best 53 doubles, .392 OBP, and .383 In-play average. He might garner votes from the analytics crowd, tying with Goldschmidt for the league lead in RC/27 (8.0) and finishing 2nd to Trout with 127.3 RC. He didn't just set the table for Erie's offense, he also cleaned up, cracking the century mark in RBI (101), ranking 9th in the league, behind 310 total bases (8th), and .878 OPS (5th).

Mookie Betts, OF, Livingston

The 106-win Lords of Swing secured the No. 1 seed behind a potent offense. There's no shortage of Livingston candidates, the question might be whether one rises to the top or they split the vote. There's only 6 batters that fit on the ballot but Betts has done his best to make sure he's among them. He quietly finished 3rd in the league, behind Judge and Trout in key categories, including SLG (.547, a smidge ahead of teammate Paul Goldschmidt, .545), runs (110), total bases + walks (419). His 119.7 RC ranked 5th in DMBL.

Only Trout had more extra base hits and total bases than Betts (95 and 364, respectively), who matched Trout for 4th in RBI (114) while trailing only McNeil in doubles (52). He did it while finishing 3rd in plate appearances (734), behind only Tommy Edman of Rockland (757) and Erie's Yandy Diaz (766), thanks to making 162 starts in RF.

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Livingston

Goldschmidt is not your traditional Mitch candidate or traditional 1B as he batted out of the 1 or 2 hole for the Lords. Where he really stands out is matching McNeil for the league lead in RC/27 (8.0) and his 123.8 RC, which trailed only Trout, McNeil and Judge, and just ahead of Betts. He finished 3rd in the batting race (.309), 2nd in OBP (.379), and was on the heels of Betts in SLG (.545), while also sporting a total average (.951), just ahead of Trout (.950), that was only outdone by Judge (.970).

While his 105 runs scored tied for 5th in the DMBL, remarkably, it was only 3rd best on Livingston, behind Juan Soto (108) and Betts (110). That might lead to Goldschmidt getting overlooked or split the vote among teammates or the fact that he missed 20 games, logging 142 games at 1B.

The Lords of Swing have no shortage of candidates. DH Vlad Guerrero, Jr. finished 2nd in the batting race (.311), T7th in SLG (.509), T6th in RC/27 (6.6), 7th in OPS (.862). OF Juan Soto led the league in walks (110), helping to rank 8th in OBP (.369), 4th in runs scored (108), 7th in RC (104.9), 8th in total average (.844). He also had an 18-game hitting streak. SS Carlos Correa quietly ranked 10th in RC (99.3) while finishing 2nd on Livingston with 97 RBI.

Francisco Lindor, SS, Erie

A shortstop with 115 RBI? Yes please. The switch-hitter racked up the counting numbers making 162 starts at SS, ranking 4th in hits (193), matching Goldschmidt and two others for 5th in runs scored (105), but his 115 RBI were second only to Judge. He also laced 7 triples, good for 9th in the league and his 110.0 RC ranked 6th overall. Despite not ranking in the top 10 in HR (30) or doubles (30), where Lindor might make his case best is total bases (327), which were only eclipsed by the triumvirate of Trout, Betts, and Judge.

Salvador Perez, C, Arkansas

If you're looking for a dark horse or another candidate at a premium position, Perez might be your man. All of his 134 starts came behind the plate for the Golden Falcons, who boasted the league's best team ERA (3.06) and WHIP (1.07) on their way to a 99-63 campaign and the No. 5 seed.

The 33-year-old Venezuelan led the Arkansas offense with 38 HRs (tied for 4th in the DMBL with Hillsborough's Byron Buxton) and 102 RBI (8th). That put him 5th in DMBL in SLG (527) and 3rd in DMBL in HR/AB with 14.0, behind Judge and Trout, whom he also only trailed in isolated power (.267), tied with O'Neil Cruz of Blue Ridge).

Nolan Arenado, 3B, Tucson

Arenado manned the hot corner in all 162 games for the top-ranked offense in the DMBL. He was tops on the 2nd-seeded King Snakes with 36 HR (9th in the league), 107 RBI (T6th), and 91 runs. He also ranked 7th in extra base hits (71) and 9th in total bases (309) in the entire league.

Jose Altuve, 2B, Tucson

A line of .293/.366/.511 puts Altuve among the top 10 in all three categories, an impressive feat coming from while playing a premium position. He also matched Betts for 8th in RC/27 (6.4) and barely trailed him in OPS (.877) for 6th in the DMBL, and was 10th in RC (98.9). He was sandwiched between Soto and Betts for 7th in total average (.868). The 33-year-old Venezuelan also topped the DMBL in SB% (.882) and was 8th with 15 SBs.

Austin Riley, 3B, Arkansas

While his line of .237/.288/.449 might not win any awards, the slugging 3B was among only 10 players in DMBL to reach 100 RBI. He also contributed 32 dongs and 32 doubles for the Golden Falcons.

Luke Voit, 1B/DH, Hopatcong

If you're looking for a traditional big bopper, Voit launched 39 HR, which trailed only Judge and Trout, helping to power the Floating Fish to an 87-75 mark and the No. 7 seed. He also led the squad with 92 RBI but a line of .232/.287/.471 will no doubt hurt his candidacy as might his 214 strikeouts, which tied for 4th in the league.

Kyle Tucker, OF, Allentown

Tucker might be on the second tier of candidates but that's not a knock on him. He was 2nd on the Mules in most key offensive categories but that's because Trout is on his team. He still tied for 6th in RBI (107) with Arenado, and was one of only.8 players to top 100 RC (100.6), plus had an 18-game hitting streak.

Alex Bregman, 3B, El Paso/Erie

Dealt by El Paso at the deadline for a 3rd rounder, Bregman joined the playoff-bound Erie where he lit it up, batting .305/.379/.567 in 41 games. He finished the season ranked 10th in OBP (.368), tied with Guerrero for 6th in the league in RC/27 (6.6), and right between Soto and Guerrero at 9th in total average (.841), as well as 8th overall in OPS (.838). Since finishing the season with Erie, Bregman joined 4 other Sea Wolves to lead the league in OBP v. RHP (McNeil, Yandy Diaz, Christian Kirk, and Steven Kwan).

Well, that's about a dozen candidates who could warrant consideration on the 6 slots on the Mitchell Award ballot. But how about rookies? A few stand out among the freshman class, have a look at the Listach Award candidates to see if any of them make your ballot for The Mitch.