Is it too early to name Yangervis Solarte the 2014 AL MVP?

Pundits and fans alike were worried about the Yankees infield entering the season, with Alex Rodriguez's suspension, Derek Jeter's age, Robinson Cano's absence, and Mark Teixeira's health all raising red flags.

Turns out, there was no reason to worry. At least not after Yangervis Solarte, the now-obvious selection for 2014 American League MVP, made New York's Opening Day roster out of Spring Training. Go ahead, BBWAA writers, cast your ballots now.

The 26-year-old rookie, formerly a member of the Twins and Rangers systems, has been a revelation. Solarte entered Wednesday hitting .458/.519/.708 with six doubles and seven RBI in his first 27 plate appearances. Among AL hitters, he's third in average, fourth in slugging, fifth in on-base percentage, and, naturally, first in our hearts. Put another way, Solarte is on pace to accumulate (hang on, let me get my calculator), roughly 1,000,000 WAR by the end of the season. 

A six-game hitting streak since entering the Yankees' starting lineup April 3rd indicates that he may actually be a cyborg with advanced AI that will only improve as his motherboard adapts to Major League pitching. 

So just who is this half-man/half-machine hybrid? Well, we know that Solarte was only signed by his agent as a favor to his uncle, former Major Leaguer Roger Cedeno. He's never been listed as a top prospect and doesn't grade highly in the field - although he has seen action at every position except pitcher and catcher in the Minor Leagues.

But he can hit, oh lord, can Solarte hit. 

I mean, here's his first hit against the Astros: 

Which, sure, maybe you're thinking, "They faked the moon landing, so they could probably fake a base hit up the middle."  

OK, that's a weird correlation to make and Buzz Aldrin would probably disagree with you, but what about Solarte against the Blue Jays. You can't fake a double to the gap like this:

Solarte probably won't be the first player since Ted Williams to hit .400 and he probably won't supplant Mike Trout as the greatest living hitter in our solar system. But as a previously unheralded utility infielder, isn't it more fun to believe that he could? What's the first month of the season for if not getting excited about extremely small sample sizes? 

And if Solarte does win the AL MVP this season, well, just remember that we called it first.