NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

[kellsox]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

Votto led his team that was supposed to do nothing to the playoffs. Votto has less help in the lineup than Gonzalez. Its not a head to head comparison of stats- especially when they are basically identical- and most voters don't put much weight in sb's(juan pierre doesn't garner much mvp talk) . Votto put up great #s and was far more valuable to his team.

[rj_lucas]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

Well, the votes have been cast so it is what it is, but if Votto wins it will only prove (yet again) that sportswriters can no longer be entrusted to preserve the integrity of the game.

People are quick to dismiss the numbers, but the numbers are facts. Everything else is subjective, which is why the 'playoff factor' is a minor consideration. A-Rod won the MVP on a last place team for crying out loud (2003).

Here are the facts. Albert Pujols led the NL in HR and RBIs, had more hits, extra base hits, and scored more runs than Joey Votto. Pujols had more walks, more intentional walks, and more total bases than Votto. Pujols had 76 strike outs, Votto 125 (!).

Votto did not lead in a single triple crown category. Can anyone name the last player to win the MVP without leading in at least one category? Has it ever happened?

Keep all these things in mind when Votto is announced as the winner, which I fully expect, and watch as baseball's long and glorious history takes another body blow.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[rdeversole]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

Seems like you have something against Votto. MVP = most valuable player. He led his team to a enormously successful winning season and into the post season. He's responsible for so many Reds wins. If you take him out of the picture, then the Reds wouldn't have achieved either. Does the MVP award actually have any formal correlation to leading in the triple crown categories? Being in the top 5 in numerous categories is usually a good thing. The rest of the candidates didn't even make the playoffs, which is a pretty good measure of success. The playoff factor would be minor, except Votto is the main reason why this was accomplished. He led the team to a division title, into the post season, and with phenomenal, balanced, and big numbers. None of the other guys in the NL did this. He was more valuable to his team than any of the other contenders. My opinion, but I see nothing wrong with Votto winning the award. He earned it.

[rj_lucas]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

Seems like you have something against Votto.

I like Joey Votto. He's a great player, and (more important to me) a great guy. He gets my vote as the 2010 Cincinnati Reds MVP.

But not as the the 2010 National League MVP, for the reasons I've stated.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[lakeerie92]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

Votto did not lead in a single triple crown category. Can anyone name the last player to win the MVP without leading in at least one category? Has it ever happened?

Dustin Pedroia in 2008 was second in BA. He had 17 HR and 83 RBIs.

[rj_lucas]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

Dustin Pedroia in 2008 was second in BA. He had 17 HR and 83 RBIs.

Good call, so it's been done, and recently. I'm not an American League guy, but for the Cabrera and Hamilton fans out there, was Pedroia the right pick in '08?

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[lakeerie92]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

Good call, so it's been done, and recently. I'm not an American League guy, but for the Cabrera and Hamilton fans out there, was Pedroia the right pick in '08?

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

I seem to remember him being the logical choice that year. There was a wide desparity in the Triple Crown. Mauer had the batting title by 2 points. Cabrera had the HR title by 1 HR and Hamilton had the RBIs by a few. None of those guys were high up on the lists other than the ones they led. Pedroia got 81% of the vote so he ran away with it for the most part. I don't imagine this years NL MVP race will be won by that high of a margin.

[justinbittner220]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

Does anyone know what the contenders' on base percentages are?

[lakeerie92]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

Does anyone know what the contenders' on base percentages are?

Votto: .424

Pujols: .414

Gonzalez: .376 (Surprisingly the lowest despite winning the batting title)

[Fnazxc0114]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

If kinsler had not of gotten hurt at the end of the 08 season his numbers would have been better than pedroia's. Even after missing the last six weeks of the season he still had numbers that were even with pedroia through the course of the season. The east coast media bias is the only reason he won it. Hope votto wins.

[legaleagle92481]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

Well, the votes have been cast so it is what it is, but if Votto wins it will only prove (yet again) that sportswriters can no longer be entrusted to preserve the integrity of the game.

People are quick to dismiss the numbers, but the numbers are facts. Everything else is subjective, which is why the 'playoff factor' is a minor consideration. A-Rod won the MVP on a last place team for crying out loud (2003).

Here are the facts. Albert Pujols led the NL in HR and RBIs, had more hits, extra base hits, and scored more runs than Joey Votto. Pujols had more walks, more intentional walks, and more total bases than Votto. Pujols had 76 strike outs, Votto 125 (!).

Votto did not lead in a single triple crown category. Can anyone name the last player to win the MVP without leading in at least one category? Has it ever happened?

Keep all these things in mind when Votto is announced as the winner, which I fully expect, and watch as baseball's long and glorious history takes another body blow.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

It has happened more than one would think. Besides Dustin. In the past 25 years in the NL the following players won MVP without leading the league in a Triple Crown Category: Jimmy Rollins in 2007, your man Pujols in 2005 AND 2008, Bonds in 90, 92, AND 03 Kent in 2000, Chipper in 99, Ken Caminiti in 96, Barry Larkin in 95 and Kirk Gibson in 88 for a total of 11 out of 25. In the AL it was: Dustin in 08, Morneau in 06, Vlad in 04, Tejada in 02, Giambi in 2000, Pudge in 99, Gonzalez in 96, Frank Thomas in 93 AND 94, Cal Rikpen Jr. in 91, Rickey Henderson in 90, and Robin Yount in 1989. For a total of 12 out of 25. Overall it is 23 out of 50 or almost 50%. Yount and Riken both won a first MVP each over 25 years ago and did not lead the league in any Triple Crown stats in those years either.

[lakeerie92]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

If kinsler had not of gotten hurt at the end of the 08 season his numbers would have been better than pedroia's. Even after missing the last six weeks of the season he still had numbers that were even with pedroia through the course of the season. The east coast media bias is the only reason he won it. Hope votto wins.

You are absolutely right about his statistics mirroring Pedroia's at the plate, but for that season's MVP it was definitely more of an overall body of work. Kinsler had 3 times as many errors as Pedroia who only had 6. It is never perfect and a big market team that is on ESPN every night is going to garner more attention, but I felt Pedroia's was well deserved.

[Fnazxc0114]

Re: NL MVP Race should go to the wire!!!!

kinsler also didnt sniff the playoffs, or win a world series.