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 He's hit .300 a few times http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-carlos-rodon-jersey , but he's peaked at 16 home runs and 72 runs batted in, and he's yet to steal 30 bases in a season.And yet, he's more than justifying an $80 million contract by playing like an MVP in his first season with the Milwaukee Brewers.It's par for the course for Cain in the traditional categories in 2018. He has only 10 homers and 35 RBI, and his 26 steals are two off his career high of 28. There's no frowning at his .311/.403/.432 triple-slash line, though. Nor at his 6.1 wins above replacement, according to Baseball Reference. Those lead all National League position players:1.Lorenzo Cain: 6.12.Paul Goldschmidt: 5.6T3.Christian Yelich: 5.4T3.Javier Baez: 5.4T3:Freddie Freeman: 5.4Thanks in part to their 32-year-old center fielder's efforts, the Brewers hold the NL's top wild-card spot. They're also only one game off the Chicago Cubs' pace in the NL Central race.This doesn't mean Cain has the inside track at the NL MVP award. If there's a takeaway from an August 30 MLB Network discussion on the topic, it's that he's worthy of acknowledgment in the crowded race for the award but difficult to elevate in it:MLB Network MLBNetworkWhere do you think ChristianYelich should rank as an NL MVP candidate? How about his Brewers teammate Lorenzo Cain? #MLBNow 8Ifoa03f9iHowever, former Colorado Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd hit the proverbial nail on the head: That Cain is in the MVP discussion at all reflects how much baseball has changed in recent years.A few exceptions aside, the MVP has typically honored guys with the biggest sticks. But as WAR has become a bigger part of the conversation, appreciation has grown for players who can do it all.Hence Cain's impossible-to-ignore candidacy. He's one of the National League's most valuable baserunners and defenders. And despite his 10 dingers and 35 RBI, he qualifies as a well-above-average hitter by way of his 122 OPS+.Whether going over all of this is still necessary in the year 2018 is a good question. The battle for the future of baseball was won by the number-crunchers many years ago, and there are many W-based statistics with which their victory is honored. Every time somebody mentions WAR, wOBA, wRC+ or WPA, a sabermetrician gets his/her wings.Still Nellie Fox Jersey , the special place that Cain has found himself in feels like a singular achievement.Consider Cain's contract. He's one of only 32 free-agent hitters who've signed a contract worth at least $80 million, and he got his despite being relatively old, inexperienced, unproductive and undecorated.Cain didn't become an everyday player with the Kansas City Royals鈥攚ho acquired him from the Brewers as part of the 2010 Zack Greinke trade鈥攗ntil his age-28 season in 2014. By the time he entered free agency, he was 31 and his record included just 756 career games, a 106 OPS+ and 57 homers.Among other $80 million free-agent hitters, those figures rank 29th, tied for 29th and 32nd. To boot, Cain had made only one All-Star team, and his defensive reputation wasn't underscored by any Gold Glove awards. To these extents, he entered the open market as less of a Torii Hunter and more of a Gary Matthews Jr.But Cain had racked up more WAR from 2014 to 2017 than every outfielder except Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Kevin Kiermaier and Giancarlo Stanton. Despite his age, that enabled strong projections for his contract. For example, MLB Trade Rumors and FanGraphs predicted something in the four-year, $70 million range.That the Brewers were willing to beat those projections with their five-year http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-harold-baines-jersey , $80 million offer speaks to how optimistic they were about Cain."As we examined Lorenzo's career arc this offseason, we thought that he was still improving as a player," GM David Stearns told Ben Lindbergh of The Ringer. "It's odd to say that about someone on this side of 30, but we thought that was the case."The readings on Cain's athleticism must have helped Milwaukee reach that conclusion. His average sprint speed was holding steady. While metrics like defensive runs saved and ultimate zone rating cast some doubt on his defense, Statcast was over the moon with it. He had recorded 18 outs above average in 2017, more than even Betts could muster.As for Cain's bat, what it lacked in power, it made up for in gradual advancement. He had established himself as an above-average contact hitter, and his walk rate was on the way up.Even if the latter trend abated, the former promised to bring a welcome dynamic to a Brewers offense that undercut 224 home runs (tied for tops in the NL) with MLB's highest strikeout rate in 2017. Sure enough, Cain has kept hitting for contact and helped the Brewers lower their K% from 25.6 to 23.7.But the real revelation has been his increased patience. He's working on a career-best 11.9 BB%, and it's rooted in a dramatic plate-discipline improvement. According to the most advanced strike zone available at Baseball Savant, his out-of-zone swing rate has cratered:Some of this is circumstantial. After bouncing all around Kansas City's lineups, Cain now mostly bats out of the leadoff spot in Milwaukee. There's a greater emphasis on putting up quality at-bats.But it's no small feat that he's played his part as well as he has. Likewise, it's been no small boon to the Brewers.Their on-base percentage in the leadoff spot has increased from .320 to .357. Meanwhile, Cain's elite .471 OBP with runners in scoring position has helped them raise their collective OBP in those spots from .326 to .336. Thus Luke Appling Jersey , they're keeping the line moving a lot better than they did a year ago.The Brewers have also benefited from Cain's baserunning and defense. His aggression has helped raise their rate of extra bases taken on hits from 35 percent to 40 percent. They've also gone from the middle of the pack in defensive efficiency to fourth-best.Maybe Cain won't be named the NL MVP in November, but his 2018 season is about as complete a success story as he or the Brewers could have hoped for. He's a late bloomer who's still blooming, and they're all the better for it.In a bygone era, it might have been hard to notice as much. But in this era, there's no excuse not to. Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, Baseball Savant and Baseball Prospectus. It will be a tale of two pitchers Sunday when the Pittsburgh Pirates and visiting Miami Marlins close their weekend series at PNC Park.Pittsburgh right-hander Trevor Williams (12-9, 3.15 ERA) is at the top of his game, confident and looking to finish the season as one of baseball’s hottest pitchers.Miami right-hander Jeff Brigham (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will make his second major league start after nerves got the better of him in his debut.Article continues below ...Williams will make his 28th start of the season. He has allowed four runs in his past nine starts, has gone 5-2 with a 0.72 ERA in eight outings since the All-Star break, and has been the starter in eight of the Pirates’ 14 shutout wins.“I’m confident in my ability to pitch at the big league level and have success at the big league level,” Williams said. “It’s just a matter of executing pitches.”That and control are the crux of it.“It’s pitchability,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. “It’s flat-out pitch execution. He’s a technician. He’s hitting spots. He’s throwing his fastball where he wants it, and he’s changing speeds. And it’s really hard to hit.”Williams hasn’t faced the Marlins this year. He went 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in two appearances (one start) in 2017.Brigham was brought up from Triple-A New Orleans on Sept. 2 and made his major league debut that day against Toronto. He lasted only three innings, giving up three runs and four hits http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-bo-jackson-jersey , with four walks and two strikeouts.“I didn’t stay within myself early,” Brigham said. “It was a big day for me and definitely a good learning experience.“My tempo was a little slow and I wasn’t finishing my pitches — wasn’t trusting myself. I think that’s one of the big issues there. A lot of pitches were left up.”Brigham was a combined 10-3 with a 2.36 ERA in three minor league levels before that debut, so Miami manager Don Mattingly suspects the rookie will be better when he calms down.“Talking with (catcher) Chad (Wallach), he had never seen him all over the place like that,” Mattingly said. “So, hopefully, it’s one we get out of the way and next time out, he settles down and we get more like what we think we have. I think you can chalk that one up to (nerves).”The teams are in different places, too, even though both are looking to next season rather than the postseason.The Pirates (71-71) on Sunday will be aiming for a sweep, a sixth straight win and a chance to get back above .500. Miami (56-86) has lost eight of 11 and is in a race to avoid 100 losses.One hitch for Pittsburgh is the loss of right fielder Gregory Polanco. He left Friday’s game after an awkward slide into second.The report Saturday was that he will miss the rest of the season because of a significant bone bruise on his left knee and a left shoulder injury. Polanco leads the team with 23 homers and 81 RBIs.