San Diego Padres: 2018 MVP, Rookie Of The Year, Cy Young

Your 2018 San Diego Padres MVP is….

During most points of the 2018 season, giving this award to shortstop Freddy Galvis seemed like the obvious choice. One of the most divisive topics among San Diego Padres fans, Freddy Galvis was an absolute pleasure to watch this year in San Diego.

Completing his second straight season of playing in all 162 games, Galvis hit .248 with 13 home runs and a career-high 31 doubles. He put up the exact sort of offensive numbers anyone should have expected him to put up. It was his defense that dazzled and amazed many Padres fans throughout the year, putting on a show up the middle of the diamond that fans haven’t seen in a very long time.

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However, there was one thing that separated Hunter Renfroe from the rest of the pack in this race. The growth he showed at the plate defined exactly what this season was supposed to be about for this young Padres team, making him the 2018 San Diego Padres Most Valuable Player.

We have written about Renfroe’s growth numerous times this season, the sort of growth that Renfroe needed to show in order to save his spot on the 2019 roster. He finished the year with a .248 average, .302 on-base percentage, .504 slugging, and an .805 OPS, all noticeable improvements from his rookie numbers.

Renfroe led the team in home runs (26), ISO power (.256) and fWAR (1.6). Only Franmil Reyes posted a higher wRC+ (114) than Renfroe (107).

It is pretty hard to find a “most valuable player” on a team that flirted with 100 loses, maybe a more accurate award description is “most impressive?” The 2018 season was supposed to answer a large number of questions about this roster, unfortunately, it only created more questions (Margot, Hedges, etc). The Renfroe question was answered. He’s a powerful hitter who is capable of growing and developing at the plate. Hopefully, we get to see that continued growth in San Diego.

What do you say, Padres fans? Who are your nominations for these awards?