Mark Trumbo for MVP

Danville, Kentucky -- Every now and then, a man faces a choice so clear, it feels as though the choice was predetermined; laid out before him by some invisible hand of fate. Some of life's choices are difficult, and made only after painstaking contemplation and internal debate: Raising Cane's or Popeyes, Mike Pence or Newt Gingrich, Spicy Nacho or Cool Ranch.

After the 2015 season, the Baltimore Orioles faced a difficult choice: they needed dingers. Their starting pitching rotation was star-studded and full of more big guns than a Schwarzenegger movie: any rotation with Ubaldo Jimenez, Yovani Gallardo, and Mike Wright is destined for October glory. Yet, the roster was incomplete. The Orioles did not have enough slow plodding guys who can hit moon-shots out of the comically small confines of Camden Yards. The Orioles gambled and signed Mark Trumbo, an aging slugger with a bit of an injury history. Their difficult decision paid off: by all measures, he was the missing piece that the Orioles needed to become a true offensive juggernaut and return to the post-season.

This year, the BWAA faces a very simple choice. The choice before them - for the American League MVP - is as clear as Trump's conscience after a 3 AM twitter meltdown. Mark Trumbo, right-fielder for the Baltimore Orioles, is the American League's Most Value Player. To make my case, I need only one stat:

47 bombs, and a monstrous 100+ RBI season. Forget OBP. Forget base-running. Forget DRS. Trumbo is a man who knows how to put his team on the scoreboard, and carry his teammates upon his broad shoulders. Mike Trout couldn't get his team to the postseason; Mark Trumbo, Trout's one-time mentor while an Anaheim Angel, could. Mike Trout and his 9 fWAR points couldn't get his team to the post-season; that's not valuable. Trumbo, on the other hand, has come through in the clutch time in and time out. Like a fifth of vodka after a tortuous divorce, Trumbo is there when you need him.