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

[rj_lucas]

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]

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]

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

[lakeerie92]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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