The Case for Miguel for MVP

that runs and RBI have just as much to do with the people that bat in front of and behind you as the player themselves.

Depending on your thoughts on how team performance should affect MVP voting, and assuming the JV isn’t the most obvious choice (he is), then Jose Bautista is the best pure offensive force in baseball this year and should probably win.

If you feel that only players that are on contenders should win then it would probably fall to Elsbury and/or Granderson over Miggy. Their all around game is much better (even though they probably aren’t nearly as feared as Miggy) than Miggy’s this year.

He leads all catchers with a 5.5 WAR, and also has Chuck Norris beaten in almost every physical/toughness challenge on record.

I think he’s too overlooked in light of Verlander’s accomplishments.

But Avila’s the one I’d love to see win.

but I feel like Miggy has gotten to the point that we are so used to his ridiculous level of production that he is almost underrated

I don’t think Miguel should win it because he’s not the most valuable guy on his own team. However, I do feel that his offensive numbers are just as good as the guys that have more HR and RBI, considering his OBP and AVG.

I think Cabrera got robbed last year, though. And I take Verlander vs. the field this year.

and that is why players on contenders have a huge advantage in MVP voting. A great many voters see “value” in helping the team to win something. A great player on a third or fourth place team simply can not provide that value, and the award is all about being valuable, not being better. The argument is as old as the award.

The idea that a pitcher has a separate award and should not be considered for MVP is just wrong. The criteria specifically includes pitchers and position players, offense and defense. If they want a separate award for offensive players or position players only, then they should hype the Hank Aaron award or come up with another one, but the MVP is for most valuable player, including pitchers.

Next, the notion that a starting pitcher somehow provides less value than an “every day player” doesn’t hold water, IMO. A starting pitcher is typically involved directly in more plays during the course of the season than an “every day” player. The exception is a catcher, who is involved in calling every pitch as well as hitting and fielding.

Finally, a player who is one of several stars on a star studded roster generally has less value to his team than a player who is indispensable to his team’s success. Therefore, my vote goes like this.

1. Verlander
2. Avila
3. Cabrera
4. Granderson

Cabrera has been his typical amazing hitting self, but plays mediocre defense at a non-premium position. Not to mention that he simply has not hit the ball as well as Bautista this year – even if I think Cabrera is a safer bet for massive production next year and beyond.

And if you disqualify Bautista because he plays on a 4th place team (I personally don’t like that argument, but I know a lot of voters traditionally do), you can go ahead and replace him with Granderson, who has also been better this year than Cabrera.

I still think that Cabrera is the most talented player of the bunch. While all three of the other players are having career years that they probably won’t replicate, Cabrera is just having a typical season for him.

is whether those MVP voters that choose one of the “every day players” as their top pick, are so fundamentally opposed to having a pitcher win the MVP award that they don’t give JV consideration at all, or whether they’ll slot him in their No. 2 or 3 slot on the ballot. I think it’s a wide open race this season between all of the aforementioned players. No single player might get a majority of the first place votes, which means that how far down the ballot a player is slotted will be the deciding factor in who wins.

Some voters favor every day players. Some voters love the OPS stat. Some are stuck on the triple crown numbers. Some can’t get past the “but for” test and will DQ any player on a team that’s not in the playoffs. Some devalue a mere slugger and give points to an Ellsbury because he plays defense as well. But how strong these criteria are doesn’t necessarily translate into second, third, and fourth place votes. There may be a contingent of the “every day” crowd that won’t rank JV in their top five at all, or a contingent that won’t rank Bautista in the top five. Miggy moves up on those ballots, but JV could top more ballots than any other player and still not get the award. It’s complicated, and it’s wide open.