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MESA http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , Ariz. (AP) — For Anthony Rizzo, spring training sure has a different feel this year.The three-time All-Star showed up cracking jokes and slinging one-liners as he set out to help the Chicago Cubs bounce back from a disappointing finish last season.“It’s the first day; I picked out my outfit last night,” he said as position players officially reported to camp this week. “I was off to school.”Rizzo left camp a year ago to return to his home in Parkland, Florida, in the wake of a deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. A 2007 graduate, he fought back tears as he spoke at a vigil for the 17 people killed. He visited victims in the hospital, spent time with family and talked with neighbors following the rampage.Once he rejoined his team, well, it wasn’t easy focusing on baseball. Rizzo acknowledged the shooting affected him — and it still does.“I went back and spoke from my heart,” he said. “It was a tough time. I still think about it every day for the most part. You have to move on in life and try to do the best I can.”The way Rizzo handled the tragedy gave a glimpse into how he became one of the team’s clubhouse leaders.“He’s a great teammate, great guy to be around,” Kris Bryant said. “I can’t get enough of him. I love the guy.”While Bryant clearly has affection for Rizzo, he doesn’t think the Cubs’ first baseman gets enough around the league.“I feel like he is still underrated,” Bryant said. “It’s tough — first base in the (National League) is loaded. He seems to be not talked about very much. He’s consistent and brings it every day.”Rizzo has had four straight 100 RBI seasons and five in a row with 25 home runs or more. Despite being slowed by a back injury early on and batting .149 through April, he finished with a .283 average, 25 homers and 101 RBIs last year. He also won his second Gold Glove.But with Cincinnati’s Joey Votto, Pittsburgh’s Josh Bell, Milwaukee’s Jesus Aguilar and St. Louis’ Paul Goldschmidt, the NL Central has no shortage of star power at first base.“It’s going to be fun and it’s going to be a battle,” Rizzo said. “Probably going to be some really intense games.”The Cubs feel like they have something to prove after blowing a five-game lead over Milwaukee in the Central and losing to Colorado in the wild card game. Chicago combined for just two runs over 22 innings and watched as the Brewers and Rockies celebrated on consecutive days at Wrigley Field. It was a weak finish after three straight trips to the NLCS and a drought-busting World Series championship in 2016.“A lot of guys are used to going to the NLCS,” Rizzo said. “To get knocked out, is like, ‘Whoa. What is this? Barbecuing in October?’ Just talking to everyone, everyone is excited.”Coming off a 95-win season, the Cubs were noticeably quiet in free agency because of budget constraints. That’s just fine with Rizzo.“It’s a challenge for all of us,” he said. “We didn’t win last year, so what are we supposed to do — sit back and do the same thing? That’s insanity. We’ve got to play better. We’ve got to be better and take it upon us to lead this group.”Manager Joe Maddon likes what he’s seeing from Rizzo.“He looks great,” Maddon said. “He’s been working hard to create flexibility to his body. The extra month we’re not used to all of sudden had some benefit in how he felt and how eager he was to get going.”Urgency has been the buzzword in camp. And Rizzo senses it.“Maybe with a mentality we can set the tone a little bit better this year,” he said. “We go out there every day and try to win. I know we will come out strong.” The Baseball Writers' Association of America announced the finalists for each major MLB award earlier this week Ross Stripling Jersey , including the three players in the running for the AL and NL MVP awards.In the American League, Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts, Cleveland Indians infielder Jose Ramirez and Los Angeles Angeles center fielder Mike Trout finished in the top three in the balloting.On the National League side, it was Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez and Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich as the leading vote-getters.With the field now trimmed to three, it's time for some updated look at each MLB race, complete with odds and predictions.AL MVPMookie BettsBillie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty ImagesOddsMookie Betts, RF, Boston Red Sox: 1-4Mike Trout, CF, Los Angeles Angels: 17-3Jose Ramirez, 2B/3B, Cleveland Indians: 19-1Stat ComparisonBetts:186 OPS+, 84 XBH (32 HR), 80 RBI, 129 R, 30 SB, 10.9 WARRamirez:150 OPS+, 81 XBH (39 HR), 105 RBI, 110 R, 34 SB, 7.9 WARTrout:199 OPS+, 67 XBH (39 HR), 79 RBI, 101 R, 24 SB, 10.2 WAROutlookMLB MLBYour 2018 AL MVP finalists:mookiebettsmrlaparaMikeTrout xLG3flO3CkBetts was runner-up to Trout in the 2016 voting, and those two will dominate the balloting once again this year.However http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , it's Betts who is the clear front-runner this time around.The 26-year-old led the AL in batting average (.346), slugging percentage (.640) and runs scored (129) as one of the driving forces behind a juggernaut offense in Boston.With 30 steals and 32 home runs, he was one of just two 30/30 players around baseball this year.Betts was also his usual brilliant self defensively in right field, tallying 20 DRS with a 21.1 UZR/150 to win his third straight Gold Glove Award.Mike TroutMasterpress/Getty ImagesWhile Trout had another excellent season鈥攍eading the AL in walks (122), on-base percentage (.460), OPS (1.088) and OPS+ (199)鈥攈e did it while playing for sub-.500 Angels team that finished a distant fourth in the AL West.Fair or not, playing for a winning team still factors heavily into the voting.After finishing third in the voting a year ago, Ramirez actuallyimproved in a number of statistical categories, including OPS+ (145 to 150), home runs (29 to 39), RBI (83 to 105) and steals (17 to 34), to join Betts as a 30/30 player.However, a case can be made that he wasn't even the best player on his own team, as Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (131 OPS+, 38 HR, 92 RBI, 25 SB, 7.9 WAR) is headed for a top-10 finish in the voting as well.In the end, the biggest surprise on the AL side was that Ramirez finished ahead of Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez, whohit .330/.402/.629 with 37 doubles, 43 home runs and an AL-leading 130 RBI.Prediction:Betts wins AL MVPNL MVPChristian YelichMorry Gash/Associated PressOddsChristian Yelich, LF, Milwaukee Brewers: 1-9Javier Baez, 2B/SS, Chicago Cubs: 23-2Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies: 49-1Stat ComparisonArenado:133 OPS+, 78 XBH (38 HR), 110 RBI Joc Pederson Jersey , 104 R, 2 SB, 5.6 WARBaez:126 OPS+, 83 XBH (34 HR), 111 RBI, 101 R, 21 SB,6.3 WARYelich:164 OPS+, 77 XBH (36 HR), 110 RBI, 118 R, 22 SB, 7.6 WAROutlookMLB MLBYour 2018 NL MVP finalists:Nolan Arenadojavy23baezChristianYelich CulW8H0IyjYelich has garnered MVP votes just once in his career, finishing 19th in the balloting back in 2016.That speaks to the significant strides he made this season in his first year with the Brewers, as he helped lead Milwaukee to a surprise NL Central title.The 26-year-old won the NL batting title and finished two home runs and one RBI away from winning the Triple Crown.An otherworldly month of September where he hit .370/.508/.804 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI in 27 games helped the Brewers chase down the Cubs in the standings and solidified his standing as the MVP front-runner.At this point, the question is not whether he'll win the award. It's whether he'll win it unanimously.There have been just two unanimous NL winners in the past 15 years鈥擜lbert Pujols in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2015.Javier BaezJonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesBaez should scoop up the majority of the second-place votes after turning in a breakout season with the Cubs.The free-swinging infielder showed a slightly more refined approach at the plate, trimming his strikeout rate (28.3 to 25.9 percent) and improving his hard-contact rate (32.4 to 35.8 percent) in the process.His quick-twitch athleticism was still on full display on a daily basis, though, as he was a game-changer on the basepaths and defensively at second base and shortstop, along with his gaudy offensive numbers.Arenado edged out the likes of Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt and Matt Carpenter to finish third in the voting.As usual, he filled up the stat sheet while playing excellent defense at third base for a contending Rockies team.However, his dramatic home (1.105 OPS, 23 HR, 62 RBI) and road (.772 OPS, 15 HR, 48 RBI) splits water down his overall stat line.Prediction:Yelich wins NL MVP unanimouslyAll stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.