Awards - AL Most Valuable Player
I really don’t know how to make heads or tails of this whole American League MVP thing. There are people that I want to win, but I’m not sure they actually deserve it. I know ARod should have won last year, swear on bibles and Jayson Stark. This year I’m not so sure.
I really don’t have much else introspective or witty to say, except kudos are in order to Aubrey Huff, and Dmitri Young, for dragging their respective offenses across the finish line, largely unnoticed. Huff for one, kept the first base position on my fantasy league afloat while Paul Konerko went to find himself. Next spring, when I do my fantasy draft preview, and I say “Konerko” and “Might be a good pick in the
AL MVP
10. Tim Hudson OAK 16-7 2.70 6.08 k/9 78.064 runs sved
Token pitcher and the token A. Hudson just nudged out second favorite baseball player David Ortiz for this spot. Saying that, I have to be careful, or someone will rip up my membership in the Red Sox Nation. I love David Ortiz, but Hudson is one of the primary reasons the A’s made the playoffs. As an aside, isn’t weird to see one of the best baseball players in the world listed at 6’1” 163lbs? I’ll take him on the mound, but I’m sure there aren’t many people who would take him in a bar fight. Hudson might weigh as much as Ortizzle’s leg.
9. Edgar Martinez SEA .295-24-98 .408/.492/.900
His bat is lower on his shoulder now. It’s painful to see him run. His bat speed seems so slow, and then there is contact. Ten seconds later, there’s Edgar jogging into second. Maybe he doesn’t deserve to be this high up on the list, but this is like a lifetime achievement award for Martinez. He probably won’t make it to the Hall of Fame because of the inability to field, but he belongs. Probably the least annoying thing about the Mariner’s season this year was the joy I got from watching Edgar Martinez hit. Prettiest swing I’ve seen on a right handed batter.
8. Frank Thomas CHW .267-42-105 .390/.562/.952
Thomas is reason number 1,920 why batting average is overrated. He’s had a few solid years in the last five, but because they weren’t as good as the five before that, people don’t notice. Well, some people do…not White Sox fans though. All the one’s I talk to think he needs to be gone yesterday. Sigh.
7. Bill Mueller BOS .327-19-85 .398/.541/.939
Was that fun or what? Mueller is reason number 2,482 why batting average is overrated. He lead the league, therefore he is the best hitter in the league. He’s one of the best hitters in the league because of his ability to turn on a pitch once in a while, and spray line drives all over Fenway. Billy might also have the most violent swing in baseball. Mueller is directly responsible for one of my favorite memories of the Red Sox this year. He went big fly, and when he went back to the dugout, the Sox gave him his high fives. Except Ortiz, who hugged him full on and rubbed his head. Mueller disappeared and came out of the mountain with a half smile, and gasping for breath. That moment right there typifies the Red Sox season folks, David Ortiz giving man-love to Bill Mueller.
6. Jason Giambi NYY .250-41-107 .412/.527/.939
Remember, just because it’s a down year for his standards, doesn’t mean it’s a bad year. Giambi is reason number…forget it. Chances are if you are in love with batting average, you aren’t reading this anyway. The best thing about Giambi is whenever he’s in an interview, he looks like he’s in a hostage video. Sox fans and Yankee fans alike enjoy that. Just stop doing deodorant commercials, Big G. I remember you of your hitting-the-shit-out-of-the-yard, biker-looking, dubious-hygiene days in Oakland. Save that memory for me before you completely sell out.
5. Bret Boone SEA .292-34-115 .363/.530/.893
Hits like an outfielder, fields like a shortstop, and does it all in a park that is unfriendly for both. Boone is almost too small for his bat, but he sure can hit. He brings the same intensity that daddy Bob brought. I really have nothing else to say about him.
Oh yeah, his RBI’s went way down when Ichiro stopped getting on base. Funny how that works, eh?
4. Jorge Posada NYY .281-30-101 .405/.518/.922
The coolest thing about Posada is the lack of batting gloves. That must sting like hell. Anyway, his defense isn’t great, but it isn’t bad either. He hits a ton. Walks a ton too. He really isn’t in the same league as the top three guys, but will probably finish head of all three of them and win the award if tradition holds.
3. Alex Rodriguez TEX .297-47-118 .395/.599/.994
Although I don’t think that ARod should be penalized for his teammates sucktitude, nor for this crazy talk that he has actual say in who the Rangers sign, I really don’t think this is his year. Call it homerism, or whatever, but ARod just simply hasn’t been as good as the two guys before him. Last year he deserved it. He did in 2001, 2000, and 1996 also.
Baseball Prospectus uses a stat called EQA to deduce a player’s value. This number is read like a batting average, .300 is the bench mark. If I remember correctly, ARod leads the American League in this category. Far be it from me to look down on other’s work, because maybe he is the best offensive player in the AL this year. This is more an explanation as to why we differ. I use a Runs Created stat and adjust for parks. EQA is also adjusted for parks. I think the biggest discrepancy is that I put more weight in a player’s park then BP does. They aren’t wrong, just different then me. If you start digging at numbers, you will find all sorts of discrepancies like that.
All that said, if ARod won, then I wouldn’t care. He’s been screwed three times.
2. Carlos Delgado TOR .301-41-141 .425/.587/1.012
He carried Toronto on his back during their “frisky” period in June. Does anyone really think that Delgado has one of the worst contracts in baseball anymore? He will probably be used like Giles is used in San Diego, the centerpiece for a massive overhaul. Delgado just looks like he loves baseball, and Toronto. I think that I could meet Delgado for a beer, and talk to him all night, never once mentioning baseball. I don’t know if that’s true at all, but it’s the presence that he gives off.
1. Manny Ramirez .325-37-104 .427/.587/1. 014
Ironically enough, Ramirez and Delgado finished with the same amount of at bats. Manny of course won’t win because of the perception that he isn’t a gamer, is selfish, and doesn’t hustle. This is all bullshit. Manny Ramirez is the centerpiece of the Boston offensive juggernaut. He only had two real slumps all year, and the Red Sox didn’t win many of those games. Swung the bat with murderous intentions since the middle of August, and playoffs were the end result. Ramirez might someday replace Mel Ott as the best player never to be league MVP.
Something that’s been bugging me for the whole season. Last year, Manny came around to score on a double. Ichiro threw a bullet home, and Manny slid, face first into the plate. The end result was a broken finger and six weeks on the shelf, because his finger got caught in Dan Wilson’s knee pad. Manny was called a stupid player because of the slide, by many in the national media (the Baseball Tonight crew, mainly)
First game of the year in Toronto , Derek Jeter sprinted to third on a wild pitch I believe. Throw came in low, to catcher Ken Huckaby covering, and Jeter slid head first into third, hit his shoulder on Huckaby’s knee pad and separated his shoulder. Jeter was said to have made a smart hustle play.
Both head first slides into a base where the catcher was covering. Both runners out. Why is there a double standard? I think if anything, Jeter’s play was more boneheaded because he couldn’t have scored on the play. I will never understand people sometimes.
Tomorrow, the playoffs begin. Wait for the preview, it will be a hum-dinger.
Two more notes.
And in the NL manager of the year, I made an egregious error. I forgot Jack McKeon. He of course has done an insane job in Florida, and deserves the award. I would like to thank Henry M. for pointing that out.
Here are all the awards, in case you want to catch up:
NL MVP
AL Cy Young
NL Cy Young
Futility Teams
Rookie of the Year
Silver Slugger
Gold Gloves
Manager’s of the Year
NL Contender Bullpens
AL Contender Bullpens