Arizona’s Gonzalez Hits His Stride in MVP Race

It isn’t the primary focus, but the race within the races is almost as close as the races themselves.

Say what?

Well, more than playoff berths will be determined over the final 21/2 weeks of the National League’s adjusted schedule.

Competition for the league’s most-valuable-player award among Barry Bonds, Luis Gonzalez and Sammy Sosa remains one of the tightest ever and could depend on how the races play out, although two or even all three of those players could still reach the playoffs and the issue of whether statistics or team performance should be the ultimate criteria is left up to individual voters anyway.

The competition in the American League is no less intense and probably comes down to two sets of teammates--Ichiro Suzuki and Bret Boone of the Seattle Mariners and Juan Gonzalez and Roberto Alomar of the Cleveland Indians, with Jason Giambi of the Oakland Athletics still in the mix for a second consecutive MVP award.

In fact, if it wasn’t for the depth of competition, two rookies, Suzuki and Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals, might sweep the rookie and MVP awards, or two players named Gonzalez--Juan and Luis--might, and conceivably still could.

It’s just that Juan will probably have a tough time beating out Suzuki and/or Boone in the AL, and Pujols--despite one of the most productive freshman seasons in history--will have a difficult time out-polling Bonds, Luis Gonzalez and Sosa in the NL.

Voting is conducted by special committees of the Baseball Writers Assn. between the end of the season and start of the playoffs. Although hardly swamped by inquiries, this is how my chads would fall at this time:

AMERICAN LEAGUE--Given his league-leading average and catalytic influence on a team that may set a record for wins in a season, Suzuki would get a narrow nod over Gonzalez and Boone.

NATIONAL LEAGUE--Bonds, Gonzalez and Sosa have all had to carry a disproportionate share of their team’s offense, but the feeling here is that Bonds--even beyond his 64 homers and 124 runs batted in--is having a season for the ages and deserves a similarly narrow nod over Gonzalez and Sosa.

The San Francisco left fielder is challenging Babe Ruth’s record for walks in a season, could break Rogers Hornsby’s league record (.756) for slugging percentage, has an on-base percentage of almost .500 and is batting .360-plus with runners in scoring position. At Dodger Stadium Thursday night, Luis Gonzalez stood in the Arizona clubhouse before the start of the crucial four-game series with the Dodgers and spoke admiringly about Bonds.

“What amazes me is that he obviously gets pitched around more than myself and the other guys, but when he gets a pitch, he doesn’t miss,” Gonzalez said. “He’s just very short and quick to the ball. You very rarely see him take a bad swing.”

Gonzalez, of course, hasn’t taken many bad ones himself. He came in hitting .330 with 52 homers and 128 RBIs. He led the league in total bases and was third to Bonds in on-base and slugging percentage.

On a team that led the West by two games over the Giants and four over the Dodgers despite an inconsistent offense, Gonzo had been a model of consistency until teams awakened in September and began pitching around him, prompting Gonzalez to expand his strike zone.

He was batting .216 over his last 14 games before the Dodger opener, in which he hit his 53rd homer, and there is also a feeling among some observers that he has begun to tire from playing in every game and 332 in a row.

“I don’t think that’s it at all,” Gonzalez said. “I’m fine when I’m relaxed and don’t try to force it, but my intentional walks have increased tremendously this month and I’ve tended to expand the zone. I mean, when you’re hitting well and hitting home runs, they eventually stop pitching to you. It’s part of the learning process and comes with the territory. I just need to stay relaxed.”

All of this is new territory for Gonzalez, whose story has been chronicled. A part-time outfielder with the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers, he has blossomed into one of baseball’s elite power hitters with the Diamondbacks. The opportunity to play regularly in a championship-caliber lineup, the adjustment to a more open stance, the hiring of a personal trainer and the 1998 birth of triplets, giving Gonzalez something to think about besides the game, contributed to the development of an MVP candidate at 34.

Of course, Gonzo insists he isn’t thinking about the MVP. He described himself as a regular Joe, the guy next door, during interview sessions at the All-Star game. There are no boasts, predictions or flashy quotes.

“I’m locked into trying to get to the playoffs,” he said. “I don’t think it would be fair to my teammates to suddenly become an individualist. They’re the ones who have created the situations that made it possible for me to put up the numbers that I have. It would obviously be nice to win something like that, but it’s not what I’m striving for. As a player, the goal is to reach the World Series, not to win an MVP or Cy Young Award.”

In addition, Gonzalez said, the goal is to mimic a “fine wine” and improve with age. His home run totals alone--from 26 to 31 to 53 with the Diamondbacks--would indicate he has done that, but he said, “the home run stuff is nice, but I want to be the total package. I know when I go out there my teammates are counting on me. When you get the respect of your teammates and the guys you play against, you know you’re doing something right.”

Gonzo may not win the MVP, but they don’t need to take a vote regarding his respect.