Justin Verlander won the American League MVP award, according to the Baseball Writers Association of America. Verlander took home the AL's Cy Young award last week. He's the first pitcher to win the MVP since Dennis Eckersley in 1992, and the first starter since Roger Clemens in '86.
Jacoby Ellsbury, Jose Bautista, Curtis Granderson, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Adrian Gonzalez, Michael Young, Dustin Pedroia, and Evan Longoria rounded out the top ten. Ian Kinsler, Alex Avila, Paul Konerko, C.C. Sabathia, Adrian Beltre, Ben Zobrist, Victor Martinez, James Shields, Mark Teixeira, Asdrubal Cabrera, Alex Gordon, Josh Hamilton, and David Robertson also received votes.
Congrats to Justin. Now he just needs to parlay the MVP and Cy Young accolades into a championship.
I wonder which Writer completely left him off there ballot though.
Probably the same one that voted Ellsbury 10th. Do these writers even know how to spell baseball?
And the one that voted for David Robertson.
One who probably feels that pitchers shouldn’t even be included in the MVP conversation? He’s not alone, that’s a big debate.
The writer is from Ohio. His name I can’t remember.
The Cleveland writer
Way to go Justin. Way to go.
Wow.
Good, he deserved it, without him Tigers aren’t even above 500 imo
Hard to believe that Verlander is worth a full 28 wins over a replacement player!
F replacement player and other made up stats
You’re right. Since all stats are “made up,” they should all be banished. If you can’t do simple math equations, that’s your short-coming.
never said all stats are made up this comment applies to sabermetrics. Thank you for your concern of my “short-comings” though
Hey, no problem (lulz). But it still doesn’t change the fact that all stats are made up. But with your exclusion of basic statistics, which are incredibly flawed in showing the true value of a player by the way, sabermetrics are fairly easy to comprehend if you take the time to, y’know, learn.
all stats aren’t made up there big guy, but again thank you
Yes, they are. Math is made up, so therefore all statistical formulas (and counting methods to tabulate data) are also made up.
so counting how many runs a batter drove in is made up? hmm
If you look at RBIs, Runs, Hits, HRs, and BA, all you get it the raw picture. Sabermetrics are a much better way of comparing players. This is why you get players with great raw stats that don’t help a team win, but you can consistently count on players with high sabermetrics. Verlander had great raw stats AND sabermetrics. A WAR score anywhere near 30 is absolutely ridiculous and directly reflects the primary reason JV won the MVP: The Tigers would not have even sniffed the playoffs without him.
-Verlander=Tigers still in playoffs. hey look i just made a sabermetric
troll
Trollin’.
In actuality, he was worth 33.35 fWAR over a 162-game schedule, but like you said, hard to believe!
He’s not worth 28 wins…however, for pitchers like that, and the Tigers system…
If they didn’t have Verlander, his spot in the rotation wouldn;t be taken by an “average MLB player”. It would be taken by a guy from AAA or something like that. Considering the carosell the Tigers had at the #5 spot though the year, do you really think a replacement player for the tigers would have gone .500? That’s 17-17 the Tigers would have played in games started by someone like Duane Below, Phil Coke, or Andy Oliver. Simply but, that’s would not have happened. I think the Tigers might have gone 10-24 in those games.
To me, this is one of the flaws with WAR. Its a nice stat that provides at least a basis for comparing players, but its not accurate or perfect at all.
You take away Verlander from the Tigers, they probably squeak into the playoffs in the weak division, but its a quick exit.
I wouldn’t go that far
Well deserved. Congrats.
Not really crazy about it and I’m kind of shocked by it. But, congrats to Justin on a nice season.
AJ BURNETT WAS ROBBED
Great. Incredible season. Congrats MVerlanderP.
I get the whole initial thing, but that’s not as catchy as you’d think it’d be.
JVMVP sounds better
JVMVP sounds better
you spelt his name wrong… there’s no M or P… common mistake
he did that on purpose silly
Totally deserved. He was that dominant.
unfortunately I’m in the camp that a pitcher shouldn’t be eligible to win MVP but if any pitcher deserved it it’s Verlander
until they call it Most Valuable Batter, a pitcher can and should win it when they provide the most value to a team.
yeah but there’s no award specifically for a batter like there is for a pitcher
Well, they have the Silver Slugger award.
I guess what we need is a Golden Slugger award that goes to the best batter overall, not just per-position if anyone wants to complain.
There’s the Hank Aaron Award, but fans get to vote on it (though the award winner isn’t determined solely by fan ballots).
Actually there is. It is called the Hank Aaron Award. It just doesn’t get the publicity as the Cy Young Award.
Hank Aaron Award.
i think Pitchers in the NL should be able to win but not in the AL. If you don’t have to bat at all it doesn’t count as much.
Announcer #1: And roy halladay strikes out again.
Announcer #2: You think he could win the mvp?
Announcer #1: If he makes contact with the ball and it stays fair then he’s a got a shot.
Announcer #3: WTF?!
totally deserved
if Verlander won the MVP, then pedro deserves the 99 MVP….. his 99 stats were better then verlander
His 99 season was one of the all time great seasons for a pitcher. I think he had a 1.14 FIP or something outrageous like that.
While I agree that Pedro deserved the ’99 MVP, two wrongs don’t make a right. Verlander shouldn’t be omitted now just because the writers botched it twelve years ago.
No, Verlander doesn’t deserve the mvp and there are other reasons than that.
While I agree that Pedro deserved the ’99 MVP, two wrongs don’t make a right. Verlander shouldn’t be omitted now just because the writers botched it twelve years ago.
This doesn’t make any sense. Pedro was competing for the 1999 MVP against other players in 1999. Verlander was competing against other players in 2011.
Granted, if you want to use WAR, Pedro was +2 over Pudge, with Manny Ramirez and Jeter right behind Pedro. But, sticking again with WAR, Pedro was actually more “valuable” in 2000 than he was in 1999…
Ivan Rodriguez hit over 330 with over 30 hrs and like 130 rbis that year, won the gold glove, and was a catcher. He deserved it.
Congrats but I don’t think he shouldn’t have won it…
That means Kershaw or Halladay should win NL MVP. Both were better than Verlander. #narrative
Not that I agree with a pitcher winning the MVP, but how did Kershaw and Halladay have a better season?
If you can do what Verlander did in the AL you’re nearly as good as it gets.
Look it up. ESPN blew Verlander up all season after the no hitter. Barely ever did Kershaw get any credit. Both of them were statistically better and more consistent.
Kershaw didnt get any credit because the Dodgers werent that good. Halladay doesnt get as much credit because of the rotation he is in. Take away Verlander and replace him with another average pitcher and we dont make the playoffs. Take away Halladay, and you still make the playoffs. Take away Kershaw and well, youre still a bad team.
Take away Miguel Cabrera and plug in Chris Shelton or Robert Fick and the Tigers lose more games than if they lose Verlander
Unless Chris Shelton converted to his April 06 (I believe) form and we would have won 140 games.
My vote goes to Miguel Cabrera… But maybe we are just used to him being one of the best players every year.
the dodgers finished above .500 and had one of the best records in baseball for the last two months of the season.
The Dodgers won their last 25 of 35 games, which is something pretty nice to build on.
Oh, and back to topic: Sucks when a pitcher wins MVP.
Statistically better in the NL. Barely better at that…really not even better enough to even mention it.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a baseball crush on Kershaw, but he did not have a better season than Verlander.
I do think Kershaw will be the best pitcher in baseball very soon though.
Statistically better in the NL. Barely better at that…really not even better enough to even mention it.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a baseball crush on Kershaw, but he did not have a better season than Verlander.
I do think Kershaw will be the best pitcher in baseball very soon though.
Look it up. ESPN blew Verlander up all season after the no hitter. Barely ever did Kershaw get any credit. Both of them were statistically better and more consistent.
It doesn’t matter if they were better than Verlander. What matters is if they were the most valuable player in their own league.
Thats your take on the award. My take is who is the best player in the league. Take Miguel Cabrera away from the Tigers. Who provides more value? Him or Verlander?
Your comment wasn’t Cabrera vs Verlander though. You said Halladay or Kershaw should win the NL MVP because they were better than Verlander. But the comparison is irrelevant, Verlander plays in a different league. All that matters is how Kershaw and Halladay were compared to other players in the NL.
Thats your take on the award. My take is who is the best player in the league. Take Miguel Cabrera away from the Tigers. Who provides more value? Him or Verlander?
It doesn’t matter if they were better than Verlander. What matters is if they were the most valuable player in their own league.
The difference being, there are more than enough hitters in the NL to make a significant case for the award and the AL had a bunch of guys all in the same general class but none of them rose above to say they deserve it.
It’s going to be interesting to see if Kemp wins while being statistical standout on a loser of a team, Braun for being a standout on a team that was comfortably ahead for the last two months, or Pujols for being the leader on a team that clawed its way from doom to the playoffs over those same two months. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be Kemp but who knows what the writers were thinking.
Were there any of those guys in the AL this year that made any sort of statement? It never really seemed like it to me.
Easy now kid who uses hashtags on MLBTradeRumors. It does help Kershaw pitching in the NL, the much weaker conference. You know what also helps Kershaw? Having 2 Gold Glove outfielders.
Gold gloves? lol
Kemp and Ethier are well below average defensive OFers.
I’ll probably be in the minority here, but awful choice. I have nothing against pitchers winning but frankly if you’re a pitcher winning the MVP you should put up a legendary season. Verlander was great but I certainly wouldn’t mark it down as one of the best of all time.
Bautista should have won.
Agreed. The voters/writers have a lot of explaining to do. This wasn’t an awful choice, it was the wrong choice considering the level and volume of play for a position player. There were three other candidates, who for their own merits should have won. Granderson, Ellsbury, Bautista.
I think part of the issue was whenever someone brought up the idea that a pitcher should win. The entire thing took on a life of its own and people started coming up with excuses as to why Verlander should win rather than reasons.
I almost wonder if Verlander will feel a little guilty having been awarded the MVP. Silly point of view, but he has to be aware of this type of discussion of who should win the award.
Certainly not.
I almost wonder if Verlander will feel a little guilty having been awarded the MVP. Silly point of view, but he has to be aware of this type of discussion of who should win the award.
I think part of the issue was whenever someone brought up the idea that a pitcher should win. The entire thing took on a life of its own and people started coming up with excuses as to why Verlander should win rather than reasons.
Bautista, Ellsbury or Graderson should of won…pitching every 5th day?…these players play “every” day!!!..does Verlander hit…no…does he field…barely…does he run the bases..no….but hes MVP?…really?….Its the best player and most valuable in the league…not because you made your team better, or most valuable on your team..Cabrera has an effect everyday…Ellsbury and Granderson play premiere positions also…These guys have an effect on games every day and they are MVP players, fielding, running and hitting…all aspects of the game…This choice (and verlander is awesome) is not fair to the guys that bust it everyday…IMO…What effect does a pitcher have on any game who is sitting in the dugout the 4 days he is not starting?….NONE…is he “valuable” in the dugout eating sunflower seeds?…lol
Yeah I’m with you. Fangraphs did an awesome piece on Verlander’s season stacking his dominant season up against others within the last 20 years and compared to them – he wasn’t very dominant. It should be noted that none of the guys they discussed won MVP’s. So I dunno, this is kind of a perfect example of media hype taking a guy and vaulting his reputation beyond what it is.
Granted – the guy is one of – if not THE best pitcher in baseball. He had an incredible season. Just not as good as it’s made out to be.
Yeah I’m with you. Fangraphs did an awesome piece on Verlander’s season stacking his dominant season up against others within the last 20 years and compared to them – he wasn’t very dominant. It should be noted that none of the guys they discussed won MVP’s. So I dunno, this is kind of a perfect example of media hype taking a guy and vaulting his reputation beyond what it is.
Granted – the guy is one of – if not THE best pitcher in baseball. He had an incredible season. Just not as good as it’s made out to be.
He didn’t even come in 2nd, let alone WIN it. Lawlz
Two words: WOOOO HOOO!
David Robertson got a vote. Michael Young got a FIRST PLACE vote. Are you kidding me?
Someone voted Bautista 9TH and Ellsbury 10TH. What a joke.
Wow. Leading in 4 batting stats means jack all I guess.
Kinda reminds me of the year Pedroia won. Someone left him off their ballot entirely that year.
ahha Evan Grant. I remember that. He also voted Michael Young #1. Ahahaha.
That was me…my bad guys.
No seriously how do you vote the best offensive player in the entire league, NINTH?
No seriously how do you vote the best offensive player in the entire league, NINTH?
And someone left JV off the ballot completely.
And someone left JV off the ballot completely.
Honestly I consider a Michael Young first place vote much worse than either of those.
David Robertson got 1 Cy Young vote too…gotta think both of those votes were cast by the same guy…any way to verify this?
Who gave Robertson’s dad a vote? Seems biased.
They actually got it right, I can’t believe it
I wonder how much the Red Sox’s collapse hurt Ellsbury’s MVP stock…
Despite our wishes that played a role, it doesn’t as much as you think, well then again, maybe it did.
I don’t know — he was a huge part of keeping the Sox in it as long as they were. If that had resulted in Boston squeaking by into the playoffs, I think it’s reasonable that he could’ve garnered more votes.
It probably did. There’s large schools of thought that a pitcher shouldn’t win and a player who doesn’t make the playoffs shouldn’t win. This seems to demonstrate that the latter is the larger category as, really, this could have gone either way. Had the Red Sox made the playoffs, Ellsbury very likely would’ve gotten the award.
That said, I’m cool with this. Verlander was a pretty obvious choice if you operate by the “should be a playoff team” standard and getting that MVP would’ve made Ellsbury even more expensive in arbitration than he already will be.
It probably did. There’s large schools of thought that a pitcher shouldn’t win and a player who doesn’t make the playoffs shouldn’t win. This seems to demonstrate that the latter is the larger category as, really, this could have gone either way. Had the Red Sox made the playoffs, Ellsbury very likely would’ve gotten the award.
That said, I’m cool with this. Verlander was a pretty obvious choice if you operate by the “should be a playoff team” standard and getting that MVP would’ve made Ellsbury even more expensive in arbitration than he already will be.
Yes.
lol
What a farce. These writers need to give their head a shake. Let’s give a guy who appeared in 1/5th of the games the most coveted award. I would have even been fine with Elsbury or Granderson, but Bautista should have won it in my slightly biased opinion.
What a farce. These writers need to give their head a shake. Let’s give a guy who appeared in 1/5th of the games the most coveted award. I would have even been fine with Elsbury or Granderson, but Bautista should have won it in my slightly biased opinion.
Verlander was great last year, but, sorry, Bautista deserved MVP. Verlander got roughed up in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Bautista gets no repsect.
Voting closes before the playoffs begin.
Then there’s a flaw in the process. Also, if it closes before the playoffs begin, then why wait until a month after the WS is over to announce it?
Because they want fans to focus on the playoffs and not the awards.
Bautista plays on a 4th place team. Hello, Andre Dawson 1987. Joke.
Irrelevant. Verlander is a pitcher, so his case is even less convincing and less common.
Bautista plays on a 4th place team. Hello, Andre Dawson 1987. Joke.
Edit:
Verlander got roughed up in playoffs. Meanwhile, Bautisa watched them from his couch.
Yeah, and it definitively was his fault that his team missed the playoffs…
Verlander and his team made the playoffs in the weakest division this year. Meanwhile Bautista and the jays are looking forward to earning a playoff spot legitimately next year. GO JAYS.
Anytime you say “Go (Team Name)” nobody cares what you say because you are biased.
So, I guess Bautista’s only flaw was that he played on a team in a much stronger division. And I’m saying this as someone who can’t stand the Blue Jays.
He sucked at the end of the year? Verlander was more consistant? Verlander was more valuable?
Awesome!
Verlander was tied with Bautista for tops in WAR in the AL according to baseball-reference. the “tie-breaker” is the fact that the Tigers won their division. He deserved it.
And yet Bautista destroyed him in fWAR.
If Verlander has 3-4 less wins, he’s top 5 at best.
And Bautista was outdone in fWAR by Ellsbury by almost as much.
Verlander’s a fine choice.
And if you take away 7 homeruns from Bautista then he would’t be as high. Terrible point.
woosh. verlander could have not-won 4 games and still pitched exactly the same. if bautista hit 7 fewer home runs, his performance would not have been the same
But he didn’t. He had 24.
Jose Bautista should have been the MVP. Pitchers have their own MVP award called the Cy Young. Elite starters will ALWAYS be more “valuable” to their team due to thier direct effect of the out come of the game they are involved in. Which is why the position players have their own award and pitchers have their own award.
Verlander>Ellsbury>Bautista
Nothing against Verlander who won the Cy Young and in his own right was the most dominant pitcher in the MLB this season, but this is a black eye for baseball and the voters should be ashamed at themselves for not thinking this through or perhaps maybe they thought too much. Either way they’re wrong.
Nothing against Verlander who won the Cy Young and in his own right was the most dominant pitcher in the MLB this season, but this is a black eye for baseball and the voters should be ashamed at themselves for not thinking this through or perhaps maybe they thought too much. Either way they’re wrong.
I am willing to say it’s because Bautista didn’t make the playoffs…
ALSO: I find it odd Verlander recently openly says pitchers deserve to win the MVp let alone be on the mvp voting list… AND BAM he wins it.
Why is that odd, he said it when he wont the Cy Young. Voting took place the last day of the season.
It was mostly a joke, I didn’t actually believe that.
Correlation does not imply causation.
Verlander isn’t a bad choice. Everyone is citing fWAR as a reason why Bautista/Ellsbury should have won, but calculating Pitcher WAR isn’t an exact science yet…
you make it like WAR is an exact science…
WAR for hitters has been around for a while and is based on four pillars: batting, position, replacement and fielding. WAR for pitchers is relatively new, and is essentially based on IP and FIP. I didn’t necessarily mean that WAR was an exact science, however comparing pitcher WAR to batter WAR right now is essentially comparing apples to oranges.
Pitcher WAR is sort of like calculating UZR for catchers, we have inconclusive research. The research for batter WAR is much further along than the research for other sabermetric stats…
Also to ALL the Verlander haters on this thread, check out bb-ref’s version of WAR (bWAR) how they rate the players this year:
(1) Verlander – 8.6 bWAR
(2) Bautista – 8.5 bWAR
(3) Ellsbury – 7.2 bWAR
I highly prefer using bWAR instead of fWAR, mainly since Fangraphs weighs defense *heavilly* into their calculations…
people who think verlander wasn’t the MVP are haters? -5 credibility WAR
Congrats to Verlander. However, I’m in the camp that believes that pitchers shouldn’t be eligible for the MVP. I also think Bautista got screwed, he should have won MVP.
He wasn’t even second.
He wasn’t even second.
lol BBWAA… I can’t say I’m surprised. Verlander had a fantastic season but there is no way in hell would I pick him over Bautista and Ellsbury.
There were voters that gave Bautista a 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th place finish vote. Ellsbury got a 10th place vote! Young with a 1st place voters (insane that he even managed to get any votes whatsoever in the top 5).
Well done, the idiots that are BBWAA!
Yes I would much rather have Ellsbury who helped his team make the biggest collapse ever, or bautista whose team barely was over .500 over an Ace with no hit stuff every time he goes out who put the team on his shoulders in june/july and carried them.
The rest of the players on Ellsbury’s/Bautista’s team have nothing to do with how well they played personally. And specifically in Ellsbury’s case he (along with Pedroia) kept playing out of his mind even when the team was collapsing around him, so he played no part in their collapse.
Yea he just sat by and talked to lowrie while the team imploded.
MVPs put their team on their backs and carry them through the rough stretches. Look at the history of the MVP award.
Tell me this how often will a player put up bautistas/ells numbers? It will happen again next year and probably the year after that. When was the last time someone put up JVs numbers? He had a great season mixed with the lack of competition in the AL MVP race so he won.
Ellsbury had a .440 wOBA during their September collapse (the second best month of his season), if that’s not putting the team on your back then nothing is.
The last time a pitcher had a season as good as Verlander’s was, well… this year (Sabathia’s, Halladay’s and Kershaw’s seasons were all statistically as good or better), and the last time a position player had a season as good as Ellsbury’s was A-Rod back in 2007 (at least according to fWAR).
More to be a MVP than the stats, verlander worked with avila and the other starters a TON!
01) 8.6 – Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers
02) 8.5 – Jose Bautista, 3B/OF, Blue Jays
03) 7.2 – Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Red Sox
04) 7.1 – Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
05) 6.9 – Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Red Sox
05) 6.9 – C.C. Sabathia, SP, Yankees
07) 6.8 – Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox
08) 6.6 – Jered Weaver, SP, Angels
09) 6.3 – Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays
10) 6.2 – Josh Beckett, SP, Red Sox
bWAR which I personally have always prefered, whether or not you do I dont care the point is you can pull up stat a and I can pull up stat b which are essentially the same only mine doesnt discriminate so much against pitchers and doesnt factor in defense to a HUGE amount.
Lots of guys work with the other players on their team, in fact Ortiz has himself said that Gonzalez played a major part in him finding his swing again, so maybe we should add Ortiz’s WAR to Gonzalez’s and make Gonzalez MVP?
There are flaws to any version of WAR you use (bWAR uses RA, which is essentially ERA in their calculation for pitchers WAR, so that’s hardly reliable).
Did Ellsbury help transform a sub par staff and stop every losing streak just about? Did ellsbury help transform catcher into an all star? Yes people help out others, but few do that and dominate as much as verlander did.
Right, which is why I dont really like using WAR, but since you did to support your argument of ellsbury I figured I would.
Point is you asked what else he could have done to be a MVP, that is what Verlander did that ellsbury didnt.
It’s nearly impossible though to quantify how much of their success is contributed to Verlander, so it’s really hard to justify giving him X amount of benefit from it toward winning the award.
Truth is, I don’t like using WAR (at least not just WAR) to justify how good a player is either, but it was the quickest/easiest way to compare all of the top players from the past 5+ years (it was that or go through 5+ years of stats for 5+ players each year).
Your first question is honestly kinda silly though, no position player can do those things.
Ok fair enough, did he do anything comparable on that level?
He obviously couldn’t make up enough of the difference, but I think the fact that he played his best baseball specifically when the team was struggling suggests that he did everything humanly possible to get his team to the postseason. He could score and drive in all the runs he wants, but when the pitching staff is imploding and giving up more runs than he could drive in there’s really nothing he could do about that.
Take away the beer and fried chicken? Yell at them? Do something>
By all accounts there were players who tried to do those things, who’s to say Ellsbury wasn’t one of them? Nobody has named any names (nor would you really expect them to).
lol BBWAA… I can’t say I’m surprised. Verlander had a fantastic season but there is no way in hell would I pick him over Bautista and Ellsbury.
There were voters that gave Bautista a 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th place finish vote. Ellsbury got a 10th place vote! Young with a 1st place voters (insane that he even managed to get any votes whatsoever in the top 5).
Well done, the idiots that are BBWAA!
sorry but a guy who plays in 21% of his teams games shouldntbe considered for the MVP. You can make the argument that if he doesnt win 24 games then the Tigers dont make the playoffs, but really what ace pitcher doesnt follow that argument? If CC doesnt win 19 games, the yankees dont make the playoffs. If Halladay doesnt win 24 then the Phillies dont make the playoffs.
Really what it comes down to is, there are guys who play their hearts out who affect over 90% of their team’s games in one way or another…to give this award to someone who goes out there once every 5 games is a travesty.
That’s kind of a odd argument to make. Pitchers, while don’t play a great amount of games for a specific team, also factor significantly more heavily in outcome of the games they do pitch in. There lays an equilibrium between position players and pitchers in game outcome over a season.
I agree with you in spirit that MVP is a position player award. But to call Justin Verlander’s win a travesty is a hyperbole or a sign of an intellectual blackhole.
bottom line is that while their presence in the games they played in is great, they still only perform 20% of the year…why not just throw out MVP voting altogeher from now on and give it to a pitcher who throws up 20+ wins and less than a 2.5 ERA?
In that case then Kershaw should be the NL MVP. Argument against him would be “BUT HAY HE DIDNT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!!!” amirite?
Wow you’re an angry person. Please seek medical attention.
Kershaw didnt carry his team to the playoffs, and their are more viable MVP candidates in the NL…do you watch basseball?
Calculate the number of at bats a player gets, in respect to the other 8 players on the team. Factor in the amount of chances they get defensively, and I still dont think that one position player out of 9 comes close to the 21% a pitcher factors in every 5 days.
it’s pretty close. verlander was involved in more plays than bautista in 2011, but ellsbury had them both beat by a couple hundred
Calculate the number of at bats a player gets, in respect to the other 8 players on the team. Factor in the amount of chances they get defensively, and I still dont think that one position player out of 9 comes close to the 21% a pitcher factors in every 5 days.
Your argument is completely flawed, you are essentially saying brandon inge(who plays his heart out) and appeared in more games has a bigger influence than verlander.
Who should have gotten it? No other player was deserving or meant more to his club.
OK, I’m a supporter of Verlander for MVP, and happy about that. But what the heck is with the next couple? Ellsbury and Bautista? Wha? Did all of the sane voters vote for Verlander so you have a bunch of loonies with the remainder of the votes?
I’m sorry, what?
OK, I’m a supporter of Verlander for MVP, and happy about that. But what the heck is with the next couple? Ellsbury and Bautista? Wha? Did all of the sane voters vote for Verlander so you have a bunch of loonies with the remainder of the votes?
If ever a pitcher deserved to win, it was Verlander. However, if I’m a Tiger fan, all the innings, the pitches and deep into the playoffs, I’m a little worried about 2012.
Its the perception that just because you surpass a certain number of innings or throw a certain number of pitches you are going to eventually get hurt. I think it has to do more with preparation and workouts than anything. From what I hear, Justin has an insane routine and dedication when it comes to staying healthy.
wow…you know pitchers had long dominant runs before the stupid f’n 200 innings limit was set by statisticians and over-protective front offices right?
He’s been durable his entire career. I wouldn’t worry too much about 2012.
Justin Verlanders 2012 Season Projection: 25-4 or bust!!!
A great pitcher at his peak carries a team to its first division title in 24 years. No player in either league was “more valuable.” Without this elite sportsman the Tigers are an ordinary team. With him, they’re a force.
The voters got this right.
He was unstoppable. Verlander was the reason why the Tigers had a great year…
Not Miguel Cabrera? Or Jhonny Peralta? Verlander was one of many reasons the Tigers had a great year.
He was unstoppable. Verlander was the reason why the Tigers had a great year…
BBWAA, another award, another mistake.
Of course I am happy with JV winning it because he is on my favorite team. But I think the whole discussion goes back into making it to the playoffs. Pitcher or position player, the awards usually go to teams that make the playoffs. JE probably would have won it if his team didnt completely suck in September. Joey Bats werent in contention mid summer. Granderson has amazing numbers but a horrible batting average for a MVP caliber player. The Tigers went to the playoffs and without JV we would have never won our division, regardless of how terrible the Central is. To me that merits MVP status.
The problem with the “once every five days argument” is that the pitcher makes the most impact on the game by far.
so then…why isnt kershaw in the NL MVP discussion? Or kennedy for that matter?
Actually I agree with you. Kershaw should be in the NL MVP discussion.
I agree w/ that….their 1 start holds way more more weight then a position player for 1 game…..BUT it’s arguable that he wasn’t the MVP on his own team….
Um, you seem to forget that while a pitcher is pitching the true MVP calibre players are also having an affect on that same game, and every other game until the next start for said “MVP Calibre” pitcher.
This is a joke to the extreme. You cannot award the MVP to a guy who plays 1/5th of the games. He may be the MVP for those games, but that’s what the CY Young is for. He does absolutely nothing to help the team in the balance of the 125 or so games. I can tell you for sure, Jose had a direct effect on more than 35 games, as well as Ellsbury, and Granderson, and Cabrera. Hell Verlander shouldnt have even been MVP of his own team.
I think Verlander is a great choice. He accounted for about a quarter of the teams total wins. He clearly is the most valuable to his team.
his team only won 75 games? thats news to me…
75 games. 96 games would be the total if Verlander accounted for a quarter, 24 games. I dk what you calculated.
You must be using the new math….lol
I think Verlander is a great choice. He accounted for about a quarter of the teams total wins. He clearly is the most valuable to his team.
“I will be providing an explanation on my MVP vote later this afternoon on the Dallas Morning News’ website, but for now, here is my ballot”
Per Evan Grant, the guy who voted Michael Young as tops for MVP. If his explanation is anything other than “I was very drunk AND someone made me do it at gunpoint,” then this dude should be drummed right out of the BBWAA.
Even if his excuse is “I though I was writing out my Rangers MVP ballot when I wrote him in,” it’s beyond ridiculous. Young was about the sixth or seventh best player on the Rangers, much less in the entire AL.
I think him providing his explanation on the Dallas Morning News’ website is all we need to hear.
Again, unless his explanation involves having been held at gunpoint while writing that ballot out, there is no excuse.
“I will be providing an explanation on my MVP vote later this afternoon on the Dallas Morning News’ website, but for now, here is my ballot”
Per Evan Grant, the guy who voted Michael Young as tops for MVP. If his explanation is anything other than “I was very drunk AND someone made me do it at gunpoint,” then this dude should be drummed right out of the BBWAA.
While I do like the vote and think Verlander deserved it, I have to note that the fact that Evan Longoria received anything close to a 10th place vote consideration, let alone multiple top-5 votes, is laughable and a clear indication that popularity and perception play too big a role in the process. .244? Please.
Batting average, eh? Welp, see ya!
Sigh. I was going to show you all the reasons and statistics for these votes but I have an exam in a couple hours that i haven’t started studying for yet. So all I have to say to you, is that you’re doin it wrong.
I’d wish people wouldn’t jump to conclusions that Longo’s BA is the ONLY reason I oppose his getting votes in this process, but the conclusion has been jumped to. I hope that anyone who disagrees with me about Longoria can tell me why his decent power totals and poor contact this year should get him nods as an MVP–as in, one of the ten best American League players in 2011.
Well, according to fWAR he was the tenth most valuable player in the AL (despite only playing in 133 games); he played his usual outstanding defense, had a .355 OBP despite his low batting average, and had a .495 SLG (.251 ISO).
While I do like the vote and think Verlander deserved it, I have to note that the fact that Evan Longoria received anything close to a 10th place vote consideration, let alone multiple top-5 votes, is laughable and a clear indication that popularity and perception play too big a role in the process. .244? Please.
Tigers fans, did you forget you guys had Cabrera the batting title winner on your team too? Geez…
nope…we didn’t forget he finished 2nd last year to an inferior hitter who got his club to the playoffs….said player this season wasn’t even consideration for MVP of his own team….no sympathy from Tigers fans, who STILL are pissed about the ridiculous George Bell win in 1987 over Trammell….
Cabrera was robbed last year for sure, I’m just trying to put into perspective the value of Verlander. How Granderson finished infront of him this year is insane. And hey, George Bell is the only MVP award the Jays have don’t take that away from us! I personally think Bautista and Cabrera should’ve been 1 and 2. Also the thing about Ellsbury, yes he did have no errors, but he only had 6 outfield assists! So the above average defence argument doesn’t hold too much ground with me. UZR and Total Zone stats still have a long way to go from season to season IMO.
lol. Say what???
Tigers fans, did you forget you guys had Cabrera the batting title winner on your team too? Geez…
Good old Evan Grant, left Pedroia off the ballot in ’08 & gave Michael Young a first place vote this year.
Good old Evan Grant, left Pedroia off the ballot in ’08 & gave Michael Young a first place vote this year.
Congrats to one of the “Best Pitchers in Baseball” and one of the “Nicest Guys” in the league. Both traits are equally important in my book!
i heard personality wins MVP awards these days
That’s why Nick Swisher has 5 MVP awards.
Oh wait…
Personality/disposition/etc. does come under consideration though.
Congrats to one of the “Best Pitchers in Baseball” and one of the “Nicest Guys” in the league. Both traits are equally important in my book!
Verlander had an amazing year, but there should be something to be said about a guy who is only takes part of 21% of the season. Hes arguably not even the Tiger’s MVP. Take Miguel Cabrera out of the lineup, and the Tigers are a complete different team. The only reason Verlander won, is b/c of Boston’s collapse. If Boston made the playoffs, Ellsbury would have won the MVP.
21% of the season he’s the most important player of his team. a position player might be in there 100% of the season, but his impact it about 10% per game.
well deserved
Great job JV, lets get this kid a ring !!!
nice size verlander
i think position players should be eligible for cy young cosideration
position players have the hank aron award if im not mistaken, wich goes to the best overall hitter in each league
and Ron Guidrey should be the MVP of 1978
Die-hard Tigers fan here, extremely excited for JV. After reading the comments, just have a few of my own I want to make…
First, I agree that a pitcher should not be eligible for MVP consideration. However, the way it is currently drawn up allows for pitchers to be eligible. That’s the way it is. If pitchers are supposed to be eligible, then Verlander is hands down AL MVP. If they aren’t supposed to be eligible, change the rules. If any voter leaves a pitcher off their ballot simply because they are a pitcher, I believe they should have their voting privileges revoked. Blatant disregard for the rules, really.
Second, I don’t think the argument “he only plays in 1/5 of the games” really holds much water here. If it’s most VALUABLE player, Verlander most certainly is that. Regardless of how many games he plays or starts. Not only that, but I believe this argument could almost be flipped around. A starting pitcher pitches about 30 games a season. Only pitching 30 games a season, you are pretty much expected to be dominant EVERY single time out. A position player going 150 games can go in slumps. A couple 0 fer nights every few days, no big deal. Hitless in the past 3 games? No need to worry. A starting pitcher puts together a few bad outings in a row? They really start feeling the heat. Positional players don’t experience anywhere near the amount of pressure that a starting pitcher does.
The guy appears in what 36 games? How can that be compared
to a guy that plays every game, and therefore produces in every game. Verlander
had a great season and he won the Cy young award, but giving him the MVP award
over Bautista isn’t right, imo.
No Bautista and the Jays still are a 2nd division team. No Verlander and the Tigers don’t go to the playoffs. Verlander won the pitching triple crown, 4th in the last 65 years….Bautista had a nice season but it had little impact on the American League…hence the title of the award….
You need to clarify that. If Verlander gets hurt and the Tigers start Phil Coke in his place, where he wins even half as many games, the Tigers still win the division. Remove Bautista from the Jays lineup and instead of 81 wins, it drops to 61, which is a huge impact made by one player. Remove Granderson from the Yankees lineup and sub in Nunez, instead of 97 wins, it drops to perhaps 91. Remove Ellsbury from the Red Sox lineup and they aren’t even in a position to blow the season in the last month. They are out of it in August. That is what the MVP stands for. Where would their teams finish without them in the lineup. Pitchers can be replaced. They may not win as many games, but they are only a factor every fifth day. Hitters impact their teams 162 games every season. That is the difference. Impact players that can challenge for the MVP are coveted by every team in baseball and paid huge salaries. Pitchers play a huge role in the success of a team, but it all boils down to run support. It doesn’t matter if you are Cy Young on the hill pitching nine inning shutouts every game, if his team scores 0 runs as well, he doesn’t win, which adds zero value to his team’s success that year.
The devils advocate argument here is that a regular player will only factor 5 or so times a game, whereas JV impacts 25 every fifth game
Congrats to Verlander.
I would have voted for Ellsbury, but it went to a worthy player.
David Robertson? Really people?
It’s a 10th place vote, in most cases it’s a throwaway. It’s simply a hat tip.
It’s far from the worst travesty on the voting list. Young getting a first place vote, for that matter most of Evan Grant’s ballot? Bautista getting 6th-9th place votes?
MVP voting every year is just a roll the dice affair. When the top players in baseball that help their teams win 90 – 100 games don’t even get consideration, there is something wrong with the writers. The MVP goes to the player that was the most valuable player in the league, not on one team. I saw it coming down to Bautista, Ellsbury, and Granderson, since those three accounted for more than 90 percent of their teams success. Verlander started every fifth day and wins – losses are based on run support. The Tigers score one more run, he gets a win. If they score one less run – he loses.
If you look at the breakdown of votes each player received, some writers showed their incompetence by assigning 5th to 10th place finishes for the best players in baseball that made their teams in 2011. Without them, they finish last, and isn’t that why many GM’s sign the Fielders, Pujols, Votto’s, Granderson’s, Ellsbury, Bautista types every year. They know they can be MVP’s every year, but unfortunately the writers don’t consider that and the vote totals reflected it.
All I can do is offer congratulations to Verlander, but it just threw dirt in the face of pitchers in former years that did more for their teams and weren’t rewarded for it. I am now expecting the NL MVP to go to Clayton Kershaw. If he doesn’t win it for the NL, there will be a grave error or injustice served, since the writers felt Verlander was deserving of the award in the AL over the top three hitters in all major league baseball, not just the AL.
I think it’s great that they are making it even, the pitchers that deserved it in the past won’t be mad, they probably will be glad the system is getting fixed. To me, starting pitchers winning the MVP it’s kind of like closers winning the Cy Young, perfect if it is deserved.
This was the correct choice.
Sigh…okay MLB I’ve literally given up. If you give an MVP to Verlander and he’s a pitcher what in the hell is the excuse as to why Pedro didn’t will MULTIPLE ones? Ugh.
And I’m actually pissed Jose Bautista keeps getting ignored. Maybe if pitchers would actually throw the ball to him instead of walking him over 100 times he’d have “better” stats, but he was easily the most dominating and feared hitter in the league. No reason that he shouldn’t have won…ridiculous.
Ummm his team didnt make the playoffs? Same reason Mcgwire didnt win the MVP…
There were players that had better seasons the years pedro was dominant. Lack of competition this year mixed with verlander’s season= mvp.
I would have voted ellsbury.. I really hope this wasn’t a, well his team made the playoffs rationale
I want to know who keeps giving Robertson votes.
Stupid app. I promise I only posted that once.
I want to know who keeps giving Robertson votes.
cause hes a beast and hes the houdini
I want to know who keeps giving Robertson votes.
Cant wait to hear the M-V-P chants on opening day all in Elsburys face when he leads the game off
The only problem with the MVP is that writers vote for it!! Who cares what they think, they don’t know anything. Let the players vote. Its the fairest way. Writers have agenda’s and they think they know everything.
The players gave Verlander the player’s choice award too…
Players gave Verlander the award too, so who cares what you think, you don’t know anything.
Fangraphs Overall WAR Leaderboard Top 10
01) 9.4 – Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Red Sox
02) 8.3 – Jose Bautista, 3B/OF, Blue Jays
03) 8.0 – Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox
04) 7.7 – Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers
05) 7.3 – Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
06) 7.1 – C.C. Sabathia, SP, Yankees
07) 7.0 – Curtis Granderson, OF, Yankees
07) 7.0 – Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers
09) 6.9 – Alex Gordon, OF, Royals
10) 6.6 – Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Red Sox
10) 6.6 – Ben Zobrist, 2B/OF, Rays
Baseball-reference Overall WAR Leaderboard Top 10
01) 8.6 – Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers
02) 8.5 – Jose Bautista, 3B/OF, Blue Jays
03) 7.2 – Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Red Sox
04) 7.1 – Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
05) 6.9 – Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Red Sox
05) 6.9 – C.C. Sabathia, SP, Yankees
07) 6.8 – Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox
08) 6.6 – Jered Weaver, SP, Angels
09) 6.3 – Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays
10) 6.2 – Josh Beckett, SP, Red Sox
Mean WAR of Both Top 10
01) 8.4 – Jose Bautista, 3B/OF, Blue Jays
02) 8.3 – Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Red Sox
03) 7.8 – Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers
04) 7.4 – Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox
05) 7.2 – Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
06) 7.0 – C.C. Sabathia, SP, Yankees
07) 6.8 – Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Red Sox
08) 6.6 – Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers
09) 6.4 – Alex Gordon, OF, Royals
10) 6.2 – Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays
Probably should have gone to Joey Bats…
But his team wasn’t in playoff!!!!!
Wtf is WAR!!!!! Seriously though, Wins Above Replacement is a non-stat to me. Im not a sabermetrics fan so whatever…
Wtf is WAR!!!!! Seriously though, Wins Above Replacement is a non-stat to me. Im not a sabermetrics fan so whatever…
I also do not think pitchers should win the MVP. My opinion is regardless of how legendary they are. Thats what the Cy Young award is for.
I don’t like the decision. If JV wins then Kershaw should win as well. He won the triple crown too. Plus he played in a team which didn’t contend. But no, Kershaw won’t win and Matt Kemp would (not that I argue). Voting is just based on hype. If Verlander had won 23 games instead of 24, I can bet he would not win the MVP. I don’t understand the writers since past few years making decisions like these.
Just because a pitcher won the MVP in the AL doesn’t imply that a pitcher should win the MVP in the NL. Kershaw had a fine season, but Kemp should win the award without any question, since he was the best player in the MLB last year.
So did Joe Bats and Ellsbury. I say this because both of them have similar stats, both won the triple crown. Actually you could argue that Kershaw was a hair better since he pitched for a non contending team. Its just about being fair. If two guys have same statistics and you reward one and discard the other, thats discrimination.
I’ll agree with you that Verlander and Kershaw were both equivalent, each around 65 runs above replacement.
Bautista (1.056 OPS) had superior numbers to Ellsbury (.926 OPS), producing 20 more batting runs on average than Ellsbury did. Ellsbury’s value came from his range. Fangraphs gave him a 9.2 WAR since they factor UZR heavily into their calculations.
Right right right because the NL has the same quality of mvp candidates. Oh wait…they have better candidates…on winning teams?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! OH SNAP!!!
Kershaw wasnt on a winning team and didnt carry his team to the playoffs.
Kemp/Braun are going to win it, probably Braun.
Name ONE hitter in the AL that led his team to the playoffs and put up monster numbers, the only guy is Cabrera but even then whose numbers make you go “oh wow” more?
So if Kemp wins the MVP then your argument about ‘carrying his team to the playoffs’ becomes mute then (which I think is going to happen). Joe Bats and Ellsbury had monster years too. There have been several examples in history where a player whose team didn’t make the playoffs won the MVP. Best being Andre Dawson in 1987 where his team finished last and he still won the MVP. I am amused by your attempt at sarcasm at best.
I didnt say it wasnt possible did I? Just that it is a contributing factor. Kemp/Braun both had better years than any positional player in the AL. Kemp could very well win but braun has the better team argument which the voters do put stock in.
Bautista and Ellsbury did have monster years but a true MVP can put a team on his back and carry them when they really need it, neither did so as much as Verlander.
I am assume that you essentially conceded your whole KERSHAW DERP argument.
how can you say kemp should win it when you previously said the MVP should of been from a player on a playoff team.
I never said kemp should win it, I said he will be there with Braun but Braun probably will.
It was proving his whole “KERSHAW SHOULD WIN MVP” thing. Kemp had a better year than anyone in the AL, as did Braun.
I didn’t realize MVP was a team award?
Well the voters tend to vote that way and not give the MVP to a losing team.
normally i’d be mad because Ellsbury had a career year & didn’t win but Verlander definitely deserved it, everytime I looked at the tv, Verlander-8 IP, 0 ER, 10 K, it was getting repetitive
Hello there.
Seems like the BBWAA is in need of some changes after this year’s balloting. Considering Verlander’s fairly weak opposition throughout the season (only 4 wins against teams above .500), and all of the great full schedule performances by Ellsbury, Bautista, and Cabrera (any of these players getting votes outside of the top 5? Really?), this is pretty embarrassing… like… Evan Grant embarrassing.
The writer that gave Verlander an 8th place vote and Ellsbury a 10th place vote is from N.Y.
It was a NY writer who gave MVP votes to David Wells one year & then refused to give one to Pedro in ’99.
The hyperbole and overreaction just makes me stronger.
On a serious note, I would have given my MVP vote to Bautista and Verlander and Ellsbury would have battled it out for second/third place.
Obviously they were trying to make up for the worst robery in history last year when Hamilton won over Cabrera.
Yeah, that drove me nuts, too. If Cabrera didn’t win it last year simply because he played for a non-contender, then there would have been no sense in giving the MVP to Bautista this year, regardless of his numbers. At least the voters are consistent in that regard. This is an award for the most valuable player, not the best player, right? I think Verlander was the right choice, personally. He had an enormously positive impact on the Tigers in ways other than just through his pitching stats.
Nothing like making it up to Cabrera this year by not giving it to him again….
And Cabrera was wayyyy better than Elsbury and Bautista gtfoh…
Say what?
how is cabrera better than jose or ellsbury, please elaborate as i find this absurd.
Who cares if he is a pitcher, the main thing was no other player was deserving.
Pedro had a better season and didnt win it because there was another choice out there, there was NO ONE who had a case even comparable to verlander’s.
MVP of the league should be able to get his team to the playoffs, it something the voters have believed for awhile and you cannot be the league MVP on a losing team.
With that being said who else would have gotten it? All of you people saying he only pitches x amount yes but he effects up to 100 games by going deep into games and he effects the games he pitches way more than a hitter does when a hitter hits.
So again who should have been MVP? Ellsbury whose team collapsed? Bautista whose team was 4th in his division? Granderson who had a terrible BA and plays in freaking yankee stadium with all stars at every position batting around him?
The only other argument that can be made is for Cabrera, however if you take Cabrera out the Tigers still make the playoffs, if you take Verlander out oh hell no. Take ellsbury out his team still misses the playoffs, take bautista out his team still finishes ahead of the orioles, take granderson out the yankees still make the playoffs.
Verlander CARRIED the tigers staff. Scherzer was good then struggled and procello was good but inconsitent, penny was penny, and our fifth starter was coke(a reliever) until we got fister.
Without verlander that staff looks pretty bad.
Verlander meant more to his team then any other player, dominated his competition, and carried his team to the playoffs. No other player in the league contributed more, that is why he is the MVP.
Tempted to tl;dr… but good points, mostly. Though you’re probably not putting enough weight to the fact that he pitches in the AL Central, with most of his wins coming against the Royals, Indians, Twins and Adam Dunn. If ballpark, weak surrounding staff and team playoff contention should be real arguments for Verlander’s case, then Sabathia should have gotten more votes. Also, saying that there’s no question the Tigers would’ve made the playoffs without Miguel Cabrera, well, kind of makes me regret not tl;dr’ing the post to begin with.
The tigers had a good enough offense to get along without cabrera, although we would not have finished with 96 wins we still would have made the playoffs.
Sabathia had nova/colon/garcia all pitching very very well and never once threw the team on his back for 2 months or threw a no hitter.
Still disagree the Tigers run away with the division without Cabrera, and if they do, it could further prove how weak the competition really was.
Again, if it should even matter, how are nova/colon/garcia better support than fister/scherzer/porcello?
btw using “we” in a “Verlander Wins AL MVP” thread kind of hurt your argument…
fister was only a tiger for 2 months.
Nova had a great year and the yankees pitchers as a whole were more consistent.
I dont think the tigers run away with it but that is purely speculation.
Who else should have won then? The only argument against verlander is “hes a pitcher” but pitchers are allowed to win. The arguments against all the others are much more valid.
Seems like I agree with the general opinion of the people on this thread and around the internets, that it should have been one of Bautista, Ellsbury or Cabrera with the slight edge going to Ellsbury because of consistency and defense, even though teams pretty much stopped pitching to Bautista in the 2nd half (Hamilton won with a monster middle half last year).
Also, “Like”ing every argument “for”, and arguing against any argument “against” Justin Verlander within a 20 argument radius in a “Verlander Wins AL MVP” argument does NOT help your argument.
Add that to the use of “we” as a thinly veiled Tigers fan, and telling other people to “research and educate” themselves whilst ignoring statistics and history… well… sir… you’ve just earned yourself, yet another, fully capped and more collective *FACEPALM*
I like comments that say verlander is the MVP…oh wow because I wait for it…LIKE IT
I am a HUGE tigers fan. I dont care, when do I ignore stats? The only person I told to educate themselves was someone who said they dont know something, if I dont know what a certain law/rule is I research it….
Also insults are a great way to win an argument.
Great Choice For MVP
If David Robertson, Michael Young and Evan Longoria deserved votes than why on earth didn’t Napoli get any?
should have been bautista, if not then ellsbury. not taking anything away from verlanders super amazing season, but i would have picked miguel cabrera from his own team over him.
then vote him Tigers MVP… Though I still think he’s second on his team
Yea the players should be allowed to vote…wait they did? wait they picked Verlander?!?!
i don’t understand how a pitcher can win the MVP when they do not have the opportunity to play all 162 games.
If you dont understand something you should probably do research and educate yourself.
I think comparing pitchers to hitters is apples to oranges. I think there should be 2 awards for pitchers, and 2 awards for hitters. Get rid of the MVP for only 1 player.
They should make 4 awards, and all awards are voted on by the BBWAA
Cy Young Award for the best pitcher overall
Most Valuable Pitcher for the most Important pitcher overall
Hank Aaron Award for the best Hitter overall
Most Valuable Positional Player for the best More Important All Around Player.
For instance, in 2010 I think we would have 4 different winners
Cy Young Award- King Felix
Most Valuable Pitcher – CC Sabathia (Yankees would have been No where without him)
Hank Aaron Award – Jose Bautista
MVP- Josh Hamilton
As far as 2011 goes
Cy Young – JV
MVPitcher- JV
Hank Aaron- Jose Bautista
MVP- Still a tough one, probably Ellsbury, Granderson or Miggy.
And I also think ROTY should be separate for Hitters and Pitchers.
Oh, my. So many haters. No one player more dominating than Verlander. You’d die and go to heaven if he was your ace!!!!!!
Most of them are AL East fans that cant accept the fact that one of their 6 candidates didnt win because “ITS DA BEST DIVISION EVEN THO WE FAILED IN THE PLAYOFFS!!”
Wow…so many opinionated people here who feel like they’re right, and yet they’re not the ones with the vote. Funny how that works.
Wait MLBTR doesnt have a vote?
Im the only tigers fan that dosnt think Verlander should be MVP… Cabrera is the best hitter in the major leagues. And thats not biased, its a fact. I predict he will finally get it in 2012.
Im the only tigers fan that dosnt think Verlander should be MVP… Cabrera is the best hitter in the major leagues. And thats not biased, its a fact. I predict he will finally get it in 2012.
Personally i dont think verlander shouldve won… I wouldve taken ellsbury, cabrera, or even gonzalez over him