DUGOUT: The MVP awards are foregone conclusions

Starting tomorrow, the Baseball Writers Association of America will announce their choices for both the American and National League MVPs.

If anyone other than Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols take home the two titles, the MVP award will lose every ounce of credibility and be ridiculed for years to come. There would be a very heated debate were both players in the same league, as Mauer and Pujols are clearly the two best position players in baseball.

Mauer’s season was one of the best put up by a catcher in the history of baseball. Never before has a catcher posted a triple-slash line as good as .365/.444/.587. Despite playing just five full years, Mauer is already being considered a likely Hall of Fame candidate.

Those who think Derek Jeter or Mark Teixeira should be considered for the MVP Award often (incorrectly) cite Mauer’s failures in clutch situations compared to others. In the 70 times Mauer stepped into the batter’s box with two outs and a runner in scoring position this season, he hit .400/.571/.640 with an OPS of 1.211.

The American League MVP race should be a landslide in favor of Mauer. Rarely has there been a candidate who is so far and away better than his competition.

Pujols, 29, is about to win his third MVP award, and his second in as many years. All but one season of Pujols’ nine-year career has brought a top-five MVP finish. The lone exception, 2007, Pujols finished ninth in the voting.

In his career, Pujols is averaging 42 home runs per season. Never has Pujols had a batting average lower than .314, and just once has the first baseman had an on-base-percentage lower than .400.

Even if he suffered a career-ending injury tomorrow, Pujols would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, no questions asked.

Both Mauer and Pujols are of a unique breed. Both are incredible baseball players, and both enjoyed career years in 2009. If they aren’t awarded on Monday and Tuesday, it will be evident that the voting process for the MVP Award is broken.

Andrew Kneeland is a junior at the Arizona Virtual Academy. He is an intern at the Green Valley News.