Who will win the AL MVP?

[Big_E]

USA Today ranked their candidates today for the major post-season awards. I am creating some polls to see what the most knowledgeable fans on the internet think

USA Today Link

Who do you think will win the AL MVP Award?

[PinstripePride]

Delgado if he keeps it up. i think you have to also throw in Garrett Anderson and Vernon Wells, though.

[MulderHudsonZito]

Nah, I don't think so. Delgado plays for Toronto, and I'm betting they'll finish under .500. I'm calling Bret Boone--the best player on a contending franchise.

[NYYFAN]

Carlos Delgado, he's on a tear this season. Jason can't win it with a .261 average...

[MulderHudsonZito]

No way, guys. They won't allow the MVP to come from a losing team--that belies the definition.

[PinstripePride]

Crap...I forgot about that damn rule...

[Mr. Maddux]

I'm thinking about Ordonez. He's kept a somewhat underachieving team in the race, the White Sox, and put them in a position for a playoff run. He and Loaiza have played huge roles in the resurgence of Chicago.

As for being on a contending team: that's really more of an "unwritten rule"; it's not set in stone, but many voters take that to heart. But Delgado is having a monster year; I'd hate to see him not get something for his efforts. This reminds me of the A-Rod debate from last year.

[MulderHudsonZito]

Mr. Maddux, you're right, it is an unwritten rule, but one that is universally understood by the voters. The only times in history (4 to my knoweledge) the MVP has gone to a player not on a contender is when there was no other compelling candidate.

I believe that's how it should be, as evidenced by the mere name of the award--Most VALUABLE Player. Since the object of the game is to win, the most valuable player must come from a winning team--propelling his team to victories largely unattainable without him. If a team falls below the generally accepted definition of winning--a .500 record--then you cannot say that he fulfilled that definition because the team's record made his contribution moot. A team can finish in last place, or near it, without any given player on its roster. Texas did not need Alex Rodriguez to finish in last place--they could have achieved that without him.

[TinoBambino]

Jason's been great the last two months, and at times, hands down the best player in the AL, but Delgado has been on a violent tear all year. He has yet to slow down, and this is all with Vernon Wells hitting in front of him. I really see Delgado with the MVP and Halladay with the Cy Young.

[Yankchic22]

Delgado should, but I dont think he will.

Giambi is looking at MVP numbers...

[Jeter&Johnson]

Originally posted by MulderHudsonZito
No way, guys. They won't allow the MVP to come from a losing team--that belies the definition.

I completely disagree. Most Valuable Player, which player had the most value to his team. If the Texas Rangers won 70 games last year with A-rod in their lineup and you were to take him out, they'd probably have had 50 wins. If you took Giambi out of the Yankee Lineup last year, it would have hurt the team, but they probably still would have made the playoffs or been pretty close. That is how I define value, and that's why I think that Delgado should be the MVP, he provides the most value to his team.

[DiMaggio5CF]

Other

Vernon Wells, OF, Toronto

.302, 28 HR, 96 RBI

[Ansky39]

my vote goes to mr delgado as of today...

[MulderHudsonZito]

Originally posted by Jeter&Johnson


I completely disagree. Most Valuable Player, which player had the most value to his team. If the Texas Rangers won 70 games last year with A-rod in their lineup and you were to take him out, they'd probably have had 50 wins.

A Rod absolutely did cause the Rangers to win more games by his participation. Neverthless, did it matter insofar as their standings? NO! The Rangers finished last. Whether you finish last by winning only 20 games or finish last by winning only 70 games is irrelevent. The Rangers did not need Rodriguez to accomplish that task--they could have done it without him. Therefore, unless he personally effected the team's standings such that they had a winning season, then he is not really valuable, and certainly not MOST valuable.

[FilthySox]

Its almost funny that noone is saying manny ramirez or Nomar......seriously, im not saying they deserve it by any means, but its just funny bc even if they did I wouldnt expect to see them even mentioned on a yankee forum, and they werent. As a matter of fact, every other player on that list was mentioned in this thread EXCEPT those two. Pretty obvious bias there.

Dont look now, but both those guys are putting up very nice numbers- for a team in a pennant race.....i think Manny is top ten in pretty much every offensive category you can think of, top five in a lot of them.

I would pick Delgado if his team was contending.----but for right now my pick goes to Bret Boone

[WindRavenX]

Normally, I wouldn't vote for a player that comes from a losing team (like ARod, I was extremely vocal in the fact that he shouldn't be given the AL MVP), but Delgado may prove to be the exception because I really think that without him, the Jays may not have even been close in the AL race most of the season.
I think it's going to come down to Giambi and Delgado. At this point, if Giambi keeps going and Delgado has a bad month, then he may get it. But if Delgado keeps going...he's gonna win it, IMO.

[SanFrANSKY]

I agree that "valuable" does not mean "best" or "has the most eye-popping numbers." Over the years, there have been some curious choices for this award, but IMHO it usually goes to the player that makes the strongest individual contribution to his team's SUCCESS.

There is no way you can look at the Texas Rangers and call them successful. As for the Jays, Delgado has had a monster season but as of this writing they are a sub-.500 ballclub.

Originally posted by MulderHudsonZito
The only times in history (4 to my knoweledge) the MVP has gone to a player not on a contender is when there was no other compelling candidate.

I did a little checking and since 1992 each AL MVP's team qualifed for the playoffs.

2002 Tejada
2001 Ichiro
2000 Giambi
1999 Pudge
1998 Juan Gone
1997 Junior
1996 Juan Gone
1995 Mo Vaughn
1994 Frank Thomas
1993 " "
1992 Dennis Eckersley
1991 Cal Ripken*
1990 Rickey Henderson

*In 1991 the top vote-getters were Cal Ripken, Cecil Fielder, Frank Thomas, and Jose Canseco. None of their teams went to the PS, and none came closer than 7 games to a division title.

[FilthySox]

Giambi and his near .250 BA?? And you think he will get MVP?

And noone has mentioned any of the 2 red sox on the list, while every other snigle player has been mentioned multiple times.

They must be the 2 worst players on there.....

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[hugelongtermdeal]

good analysis on this topic here...

http://baseballblog.blogspot.com/

[Ansky39]

Originally posted by FilthySox
Its almost funny that noone is saying manny ramirez or Nomar......seriously, im not saying they deserve it by any means, but its just funny bc even if they did I wouldnt expect to see them even mentioned on a yankee forum, and they werent. As a matter of fact, every other player on that list was mentioned in this thread EXCEPT those two. Pretty obvious bias there.

Dont look now, but both those guys are putting up very nice numbers- for a team in a pennant race.....i think Manny is top ten in pretty much every offensive category you can think of, top five in a lot of them.

the question was:

Originally posted by Big_E

Who do you think will win the AL MVP Award?

excluding your anti yankees bs in a yankees fan forum the only part of your answer that addressed this question directly was the following:

Originally posted by FilthySox
I would pick Delgado if his team was contending.----but for right now my pick goes to Bret Boone

funny, i don't see any metion of shnozmar or the waterbottle in his back pocket carrying dh in the outfield manny, "my mom is dying so i can't play in the allstar game" ramirez...

[FilthySox]

Ansky, thats because right now I dont think Nomar or Manny are in the lead, but certainly in a thread where there is a poll attached where they both are included, then EVERY SINGLE PLAYER on that poll gets discussed in the thread EXCEPT the 2 Red Sox players, I think thats unfortunate. Because I dont think people are considering their numbers as much as they are that they are on the red sox. And thats unfortunate bc even if they are not the leaders in the mvp race they certainly have great numbers and certainly are worthy of MVP consideration.

They are the main cogs for what is probabaly one of the greatest offenses in modern times, and they're team is in the race for a playoff spot. Those should count for something.

just because I questioned them not even being mentioned doesnt mean they are my pick....i try to be as unbiased as possible in terms of individual rewards.

[Ansky39]

Originally posted by FilthySox
Ansky, thats because right now I dont think Nomar or Manny are in the lead, but certainly in a thread where there is a poll attached where they both are included, then EVERY SINGLE PLAYER on that poll gets discussed in the thread EXCEPT the 2 Red Sox players, I think thats unfortunate. Because I dont think people are considering their numbers as much as they are that they are on the red sox. And thats unfortunate bc even if they are not the leaders in the mvp race they certainly have great numbers and certainly are worthy of MVP consideration.

They are the main cogs for what is probabaly one of the greatest offenses in modern times, and they're team is in the race for a playoff spot. Those should count for something.

just because I questioned them not even being mentioned doesnt mean they are my pick....i try to be as unbiased as possible in terms of individual rewards.

yeah they're nice one dimensional ball players, and have been a big part of a pretty decent offense, but 1) i agree their numbers are not the best in the al so i'd personally have no reason to mention their names when asked who is my mvp right now, and 2) that decent offense may be their undoing... their impact may be perceived as not as significant in light of all the other one dimensional offensive players in fenway having career years... i mean when your #9 hitter and catcher has 18 hrs and .553 slg% mebbe they don't rely so much on their .559 slugging ss...

but hey it's early still, i like delgado today who knows i may even have jete up there by the end of the seas

seriously, me i like manny alot despite his ugly colored sox and his hack job in the outfield.. i'm not too big on nomar, cause in spite of his great bat his role on the dee is too critical to rely on an avg at best dee ss... but hey so what i'm just a biased yanks fan...

[FilthySox]

Originally posted by Ansky39

seriously, me i like manny alot despite his ugly colored sox and his hack job in the outfield..

I thank Manny EVERY DAY for that "hack job" he pulled off in the finale of the last three game series between Yanks and Sox at Fenway.

[Ansky39]

Originally posted by FilthySox


I thank Manny EVERY DAY for that "hack job" he pulled off in the finale of the last three game series between Yanks and Sox at Fenway.

[SanFrANSKY]

annie, you HAD to know that was coming.

FS, that was a great catch by Manny...and I think nobody was more surprised than he was.

[NJASDJDH]

Originally posted by FilthySox
Giambi and his near .250 BA?? And you think he will get MVP?

And noone has mentioned any of the 2 red sox on the list, while every other snigle player has been mentioned multiple times.

They must be the 2 worst players on there.....

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I'm not saying Jason should win the MVP, but he is currently 4th in OPS and I think he will finish the season first in that category, he also leads in BB and OBP and HR and is top 5 in HR. Seeing as he has been hitting a near Bonds-esque .308/.490/.703 since June 1st, can anyone imagine the type of numbers he may put up next year? Much less if he was healthy all this year. The only negative with Giambi is that he is striking out way more than he used to, but I think from this year on we're gonna see a couple seasons with at least 50 HR from Giambi. He has a chance to break the AL record for HR one of these years, especially if he learns to use the Stadium.

[KeepClaussen]

My top 10
OPS
1. Brett Boone .954 .
2. A-Rod 965
3. Nomar 924 .
4. Bill Mueler 978
5. Delgado 1.024
6. Manny 993
7. Giambi 991
8 Trot Nixon 992
9. Vernon Wells 905
10. Milton Bradely 943

This is mostly because I value players who play posistions that are hard to get production out of much higher then the Delgados, Giambis, and Ramirez's of the world.

After Nixon theres a whole Bunch of guys having good but not great seasons, Melvin mora, Jason Varitek, Edgar Martinez, Magglio Ordonez, Hank blalok, pretty much any of them could have been in the 9 or 10 spot.

I think its going to come down to Boone and Garciapara, whoevers team makes the playoffs.

[Yankee Bulldawg]

My vote for the AL MVP is Jason Giambi. Jason was in a slump not to long ago but he's been red hot lately hitting some awesome home runs and getting lots of RBI's. I would not be surprised if he passes the 40 HR mark before the end of the year. He's gonna get 100 RBI's for sure but how many after that is something we'll just have to wait and see.

[SanFrANSKY]

No Yankee in the current incarnation is going to get that award. There is Too much talent around Giambi even if he had had a good April.

Bret Boone, ya.

[NJASDJDH]

Originally posted by Yankee Bulldawg
My vote for the AL MVP is Jason Giambi. Jason was in a slump not to long ago but he's been red hot lately hitting some awesome home runs and getting lots of RBI's. I would not be surprised if he passes the 40 HR mark before the end of the year. He's gonna get 100 RBI's for sure but how many after that is something we'll just have to wait and see.

I say 50 and 125