Who's Your AL MVP?

[DeliciousBacon]

Bautista received one 9th and Ellsbury one 10th.

I'd love to read the arguments of those writers. Just insanity.

Probably from the same writers who gave 3 first place votes to a .262 hitter.

 

[MOFNY]

Lets face it, more often than not, the voters probably don't scour the stats and instead they go with trends. Verlander was being overwhelmed by fan speculation and meanwhile Bautista gets overlooked. He was a completely legitimate candidate. It might be one of the most underrated great seasons of all time.

 

[sheetskout]

Miguel Cabrera or Justin Verlander.

I just don't see how it could be someone else. Without either one of them the Tigers don't get to the playoffs.

 

[JustinVerlander35]

Lets face it, more often than not, the voters probably don't scour the stats and instead they go with trends. Verlander was being overwhelmed by fan speculation and meanwhile Bautista gets overlooked. He was a completely legitimate candidate. It might be one of the most underrated great seasons of all time.

I thought Bautista should of won as well. This reminds me a lot of last year when Cabrera should of won but didn't because the Tigers were a .500 club, like the Jays were this year, and didn't win it because the Tigers didn't go to the playoffs. Am I mad that the that Verlander won? Hell no! Do I think he was the MVP? Eh... hard to say.

 

[braden]

Behold the ballot of Evan P Grant, Dallas Morning News:

1. Michael Young, Rangers
2. Justin Verlander, Detroit
3. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
4. Curtis Granderson, New York
5. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston
6. Adrian Gonzalez, Boston
7. Jose Bautista, Toronto
8. Robinson Cano, New York
9. James Shields, Tampa Bay
10. Adrian Beltre, Rangers

 

[JustinVerlander35]

Behold the ballot of Evan P Grant, Dallas Morning News:

1. Michael Young, Rangers
2. Justin Verlander, Detroit
3. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
4. Curtis Granderson, New York
5. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston
6. Adrian Gonzalez, Boston
7. Jose Bautista, Toronto
8. Robinson Cano, New York
9. James Shields, Tampa Bay
10. Adrian Beltre, Rangers

Homer much?

 

[markakis8]

Behold the ballot of Evan P Grant, Dallas Morning News:

1. Michael Young, Rangers
2. Justin Verlander, Detroit
3. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
4. Curtis Granderson, New York
5. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston
6. Adrian Gonzalez, Boston
7. Jose Bautista, Toronto
8. Robinson Cano, New York
9. James Shields, Tampa Bay
10. Adrian Beltre, Rangers

Really the only thing that is outlandish is Michael Young at #1. I mean #'s 2-8 you could make an argument for them getting first place votes. Obviously Bautista doesn't deserve to be #7 but maybe he had a criteria he was following...

 

[braden]

Behold the ballot of Evan P Grant, Dallas Morning News:

1. Michael Young, Rangers
2. Justin Verlander, Detroit
3. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
4. Curtis Granderson, New York
5. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston
6. Adrian Gonzalez, Boston
7. Jose Bautista, Toronto
8. Robinson Cano, New York
9. James Shields, Tampa Bay
10. Adrian Beltre, Rangers

Really the only thing that is outlandish is Michael Young at #1. I mean #'s 2-8 you could make an argument for them getting first place votes. Obviously Bautista doesn't deserve to be #7 but maybe he had a criteria he was following...

The sole reason I posted it was because the nut had Young first. The rest isn't insane (though Granderson ahead of Ellsbury and Gonzalez ahead of Bautista is pretty egregious). But ranking Young first is more than worthy of ridicule.

 

[MallCopKJ]

Behold the ballot of Evan P Grant, Dallas Morning News:

1. Michael Young, Rangers
2. Justin Verlander, Detroit
3. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
4. Curtis Granderson, New York
5. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston
6. Adrian Gonzalez, Boston
7. Jose Bautista, Toronto
8. Robinson Cano, New York
9. James Shields, Tampa Bay
10. Adrian Beltre, Rangers

Really the only thing that is outlandish is Michael Young at #1. I mean #'s 2-8 you could make an argument for them getting first place votes. Obviously Bautista doesn't deserve to be #7 but maybe he had a criteria he was following...

The sole reason I posted it was because the nut had Young first. The rest isn't insane (though Granderson ahead of Ellsbury and Gonzalez ahead of Bautista is pretty egregious). But ranking Young first is more than worthy of ridicule.

Even Grant is a moron that should in no way have an MVP vote. He is the same guy who did not vote for Dustin Pedroia in 2008, when he WON THE MVP! He didnt even have Pedroia in his top 10! He later admitted on boston radio that he forgot about Pedroia.....

 

[KC37]

Sorry to the Bautista fans, but it's hard to be valuable to a team that bad. And, in fact, it's hard for Ellsbury to be valuable to a team that missed the playoffs, even though he wasn't really a culprit in the fold.

Verlander was the man, plain and simple.

What needs to happen is that a Most Outstanding Player needs to be created, to reward seasons like Bautista.


As one of my friends said on twitter - this is the day every year that Ivan Rodriguez needs to call Pedro Martinez, and let him know that even Pudge knows he shouldn't have won in 99.

 

[MallCopKJ]

24-5 (Lead the MLB in wins)
2.40 ERA (Lead the AL in ERA)
250 Stirke-outs (Lead the MLB)
251 Innings (Lead the MLB)
0.920 WHIP( Lead the MLB)

AL Triple-Crown Winner, first pitcher since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 to win the MVP and Cy Young. First starting pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1986 to win AL MVP and Cy Young.

To be fair, Ted Williams won the triple crown 2 times and didnt win the MVP either season..

 

[JustinVerlander35]

24-5 (Lead the MLB in wins)
2.40 ERA (Lead the AL in ERA)
250 Stirke-outs (Lead the MLB)
251 Innings (Lead the MLB)
0.920 WHIP( Lead the MLB)

AL Triple-Crown Winner, first pitcher since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 to win the MVP and Cy Young. First starting pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1986 to win AL MVP and Cy Young.

To be fair, Ted Williams won the triple crown 2 times and didnt win the MVP either season..

Babe Ruth recorded the highest slugging percentage ever in a season and hit 54 HRs with 137 RBI with a .376 AVG and didn't win the MVP.

In fact, he only won MVP one-time. Don't come crying because Ted Williams didn't win the MVP in those great seasons he had. A lot of players don't win MVP when they should.

 

[MallCopKJ]

24-5 (Lead the MLB in wins)
2.40 ERA (Lead the AL in ERA)
250 Stirke-outs (Lead the MLB)
251 Innings (Lead the MLB)
0.920 WHIP( Lead the MLB)

AL Triple-Crown Winner, first pitcher since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 to win the MVP and Cy Young. First starting pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1986 to win AL MVP and Cy Young.

To be fair, Ted Williams won the triple crown 2 times and didnt win the MVP either season..

Babe Ruth recorded the highest slugging percentage ever in a season and hit 54 HRs with 137 RBI with a .376 AVG and didn't win the MVP.

In fact, he only won MVP one-time. Don't come crying because Ted Williams didn't win the MVP in those great seasons he had. A lot of players don't win MVP when they
should.

I didn't post that Verlander won the triple crown, you did.

 

[JustinVerlander35]

24-5 (Lead the MLB in wins)
2.40 ERA (Lead the AL in ERA)
250 Stirke-outs (Lead the MLB)
251 Innings (Lead the MLB)
0.920 WHIP( Lead the MLB)

AL Triple-Crown Winner, first pitcher since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 to win the MVP and Cy Young. First starting pitcher since Roger Clemens in 1986 to win AL MVP and Cy Young.

To be fair, Ted Williams won the triple crown 2 times and didnt win the MVP either season..

Babe Ruth recorded the highest slugging percentage ever in a season and hit 54 HRs with 137 RBI with a .376 AVG and didn't win the MVP.

In fact, he only won MVP one-time. Don't come crying because Ted Williams didn't win the MVP in those great seasons he had. A lot of players don't win MVP when they
should.

I didn't post that Verlander won the triple crown, you did.

I know I did.

 

[MOFNY]

Sorry to the Bautista fans, but it's hard to be valuable to a team that bad. And, in fact, it's hard for Ellsbury to be valuable to a team that missed the playoffs, even though he wasn't really a culprit in the fold.

Verlander was the man, plain and simple.

What needs to happen is that a Most Outstanding Player needs to be created, to reward seasons like Bautista.


As one of my friends said on twitter - this is the day every year that Ivan Rodriguez needs to call Pedro Martinez, and let him know that even Pudge knows he shouldn't have won in 99.

I just can't compute docking Bautista because of his bad team. Just like I won't dock Verlander because he's a pitcher. Value comes from being a great player and having great stats.

 

[KC37]

Sorry to the Bautista fans, but it's hard to be valuable to a team that bad. And, in fact, it's hard for Ellsbury to be valuable to a team that missed the playoffs, even though he wasn't really a culprit in the fold.

Verlander was the man, plain and simple.

What needs to happen is that a Most Outstanding Player needs to be created, to reward seasons like Bautista.


As one of my friends said on twitter - this is the day every year that Ivan Rodriguez needs to call Pedro Martinez, and let him know that even Pudge knows he shouldn't have won in 99.

I just can't compute docking Bautista because of his bad team. Just like I won't dock Verlander because he's a pitcher. Value comes from being a great player and having great stats.

But value to what? The Blue Jays could have finished in 4th without Bautista. I'm not knocking his season or his talent, I'm just not seeing the definition of "valuable" in it.
However, I think Verlander absolutely defined "valuable", because without him, the Tigers don't make the playoffs. Pitcher or not, he qualifies.

 

[Sly]

Everyone seems to forget something...

Hitters DO have their own award that's given to the BEST HITTER. It's called the Hank Aaron award which is "given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players selected as the top hitter in each league, as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media."

This year, Matt Kemp and Jose Bautista won it, both deserving.

So why now should the MVP also be limited to hitters??

NOW, with all that said I do think pitchers should win the MVP when there is no clear-cut winner and a pitcher was dominating ... this being one of those years. The argument over Pedro in '99 is ridiculous because it's likely different voters now vs. then, each with different criteria. With that said, an argument could be made that Manny should have won it in '99 but he finished fourth.

At the end of the day, pitchers have their award, hitters have theirs, the MVP should be open to everyone. And in this case, Verlander was that dominating, and based on the number of players receiving first place votes, it's pretty clear there was no clear-cut, dominating player that was a hitter.