Tennessee baseball's Christian Moore deserves SEC Player of the Year but won't win it

Tennessee baseball won the regular-season SEC Championship behind some powerful bats and dominant pitching. The Vols finished the season with a sweep against South Carolina, ending the season with a 46-10 record and 22-8 in the SEC. 

The Vols finished the regular season as the best-hitting team in the SEC with a .316 batting average, the most hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBIs, and total bases, and the highest slugging percentage of all SEC teams. 

Much of that production comes from Vols second baseman Christian Moore and first baseman Blake Burke. Both players finished in the top ten in the SEC for batting average, slugging percentage, hits, runs scored, and total bases. 

However, one had an exceptionally great season, leading the SEC in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. While he didn't perform as well as Condon in out-of-conference games, Moore dominated throughout SEC play, similar to how Dalton Knecht dominated the SEC in basketball. 

That would typically be good enough for Moore to win SEC Player of the Year, but it likely won't be this year. Georgia's Charlie Condon raked throughout the season, finishing the year at the top of batting average, slugging, hits, and home runs. 

Those statistics are throughout the entire season, not just SEC play. Being the No. 1 overall MLB prospect and breaking the BBCOR era single-season home run record could help put his name at the top of the card for SEC Player of the Year honors. 

With Condon being the top prospect in the country, leading college baseball in home runs, and breaking the BBCOR era home run record, what makes Moore a better candidate for SEC Player of the Year?

While Condon leads the SEC in overall season statistics, Moore leads the SEC throughout conference play. Condon qualifies for National Player of the Year honors, but Moore is deserving of the SEC Player of the Year. 

Moore leads the SEC, throughout conference play, in batting average, hits, and home runs, while he is tied with Condon in RBIs, and Condon leads Moore in on-base + slugging percentage. Here's the final stat line for each player throughout the SEC play. 

Christian Moore — .429 AVG, 20 HR, 41 RBIs, 1.386 OPS

Charlie Condon — .412 AVG, 19 HR, 41 RBIs, 1.516 OPS 

Additional Stats:
Moore — 57 hits, 37 runs, 6 doubles, 0 triples, 123 total bases
Condon — 49 hits, 42 runs, 11 doubles, 0 triples, 117 total bases

Condon had the better season, but Moore was better against SEC opponents. He was a big reason Tennessee won the SEC championship in the regular season and the SEC triple crown, leading the league in batting average, home runs, and RBIs.