Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked fans if they think Brice Turang is a legit MVP candidate. The results were pretty split.
Turang, 26, has only gotten better in each of his MLB seasons. He won the NL’s Platinum Glove in 2024 and followed that up with one of the better offensive seasons for a second baseman in the league last season, hitting .288/.359/.435 with 18 homers, 28 doubles, 81 RBIs, 97 runs, and 24 steals to generate 5.6 bWAR.
While he’s missed the last two games with a nagging ankle injury, he’s expected to return for this weekend’s series against the Nationals. Even in a small sample of 10 games, he’s hitting .270/.413/.514 with a homer, four doubles, seven RBIs, 10 runs, and four steals while continuing to provide above-average defense, putting him on a 162-game pace of between 9 and 10 WAR.
With all that in mind, the majority of fans said Turang is at the very least a borderline MVP candidate, with 43% voting “borderline” and another 37% voting “yes.” Just 20% of our voters said “no,” he isn’t an MVP candidate. Considering he finished 14th in the MVP race with 5.6 WAR a year ago, it isn’t inconceivable that even a 6-7 WAR season pushes him into the top 10 or even the top five.
In one of our national polls this week, fans weighed in on who they expect to win each division this season. The NL Central results probably won’t come as much of a surprise to Brewer fans after watching this team the last few seasons.
More than half of the vote went to Milwaukee, at 56%. The Cubs finished a distant second at 24%, while the streaky Pirates got 11% of the vote. The Reds and Cardinals made up the rear at 8% and 1%, respectively.