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09/28/2003 Archived Entry: "MLB News: What is "Most Valuable?""
MLB News by Eric Gartman
As Baseball's writers get together to vote on the yearly awards, knowledgeable fans get their yearly sense of foreboding. Earlier we discussed how the voters mistakenly favor wins over ERA in the Cy Young votes. In the MVP votes, they unfairly favor players on winning teams. Their thinking is simple: Better teams are better due to their players, so we should reward a player on a good team. As an example, in 2002 Oakland's Miguel Tejada came up with big hits down the stretch for the playoff-bound A's, so he was given the MVP over Alex Rodriguez, who clearly had a better season. There in an obvious problem with this. First, if A-Rod had been on the A's not only would he have collected those important hits, but the A's might have been so far in front that they would not have needed any clutch hitting! But yet nearly every year its a playoff team member that gets the award. Other undeserving receipients in recent years include Juan Gonzalez in 1996 and 1998, and Pudge Rodriguez in 1999. I suspect this year will produce another undeserving winner. A-Rod is once again the best player in AL, and Carlos Delgado a close second. But some hitter from the Yanks or Red Sox, with tremendous protection in the lineup, will probably take the hardware home. The situation hasn't been so bad in the NL in the past couple of years, since Barry Bonds has been so great, as well as having played for a contending team. He deserves it again this year, but if Pujols wins it will be no great travesty. Lost in all this is the great year that Gary Sheffield had. If he were in the AL, he would easily have won.
Replies: 2 comments
Well said Jay.
Posted by a baseball fan @ 09/29/2003 05:32 PM EST
I think you miss the point of the MVP.. MVP goes to a player who is valuable to his team.. The Rangers would be in last place with or without A-Rod. Tejada got it because without him the A's would not have been in the playoffs.
You can speculate about what a rod would or would not do if he played with the yankees or such, but he doesnt.. Since he plays on a losing team how is he valuable? He is the best player, but not the most valuable.. The award goes to a difference maker, and what difference does a rod make on the rangers.
Posted by Jay @ 09/29/2003 06:00 AM EST
