Red Sox Mookie Betts, Angels Mike Trout on track for greatest MVP race

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SCOTTSDALE, AZ – MARCH 10: Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants speaks during a press conference about his return to the organization as a special hitting coach for one week of Spring Training at Scottsdale Stadium on March 10, 2014 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

2004 NL MVP Race

MVP Winner: Barry Bonds

MVP Runner-Up: Adrian Beltre

Name	PA	HR	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	wRC+	Def	fWAR	bWAR
Barry Bonds	617	45	6	.362	.609	.812	233	-4.4	11.9	10.6
Adrian Beltre	657	48	7	.334	.388	.629	161	27.8	9.7	9.6
Total	1274 (11th)	93 (6th)	13 (11th)	.348 (5th)	.495 (3rd)	.718 (2nd)	196 (2nd)	23.4 (1st)	21.6 (3rd)	20.2 (4th)

Total Score: 55

When Barry Bonds won his first MVP award in 1990, Adrian Beltre was eight-years-old. Beltre grew up watching Bonds win awards and, despite almost being young enough to be Bonds’ son, in 2004 25-year-old Beltre gave the 39-year-old Bonds a run for his money.

Bonds was so feared in 2004 that he was walked intentionally 120 times. Let that sink in. The highest number of intentional walks ever received in a year by a player not named Barry was 45. Last season,120 walks, intentional or not, would’ve ranked third in the league.

On the other hand, Beltre somehow managed to belt 48 homers while playing in Dodger Stadium for half his games and defending third better than anyone in the game. It would be the last MVP award for Bonds and he would find himself out of baseball three years later (though not necessarily because of his performance).

On the other side of the coin, it would be the first great season for Beltre in a career that now rivals the greatest third basemen to ever play the game.

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