Comments on: My ballot: American League MVP

By: Ted Sverchek

Ted Sverchek — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:38:06 +0000

Just want to tell you thanks for all the great info found on your blog, even helped me with my work recently keep it up!

By: Darrel

Darrel — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:18:02 +0000

I noticed the glaring mistake too. Can’t believe Morales doesn’t make the top ten – he easily makes my top four!

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:38:14 +0000

I love Joe Mauer as much as the next guy (probably more), but I’m growing weary of seeing a lot of people including the ESPN bloggers use stats like AVG, OBP, SLG and OPS side-by-side.
My beef isn’t that this approach favors a guy like Mauer (though it does). It’s just not good statistics to cite multiple stats that measure the same thing: batting average is the largest component of all four.
Maybe less familiar metrics like Walk Rate, Secondary Average, etc should be part of these comparisons.
PS VORP: love it.

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:58:10 +0000

Has this guy ever heard of Kendry Morales? How does he not make your top 5 let alone your top 10? Pull your head out buddy! Can’t take your list serious when you have a pitcher on a last place team at #5.

By: Jeff Lewis

Jeff Lewis — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:12:13 +0000

My interpretation was not that Aaron was downgrading Teixeira for being on a good team, but that voters would overvalue his contributions. Teixeira was better than Youklis, Cabrera, and Morales, but not by a huge margin. Obviously, this is because first baseman hit really well relative to other positions, and unless you have a tremendous year at the plate, it’s hard to differentiate yourself as a first baseman (see Pujols). However, Texeira’s gaudy RBI numbers are partly a function of his teammates getting on base. Replace Teixeira with Cabrera, and Cabrera would have had gaudy RBI numbers too.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:39:26 +0000

Actually it was Delmon…
and being a Twins fan, thats not even the worse trade we’ve done under Billy Smith…
How about Johan for what turned out to be JJ Hardy, Jon Rauch and Deolis Guerra?

By: RonZ

RonZ — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:21:28 +0000

not to mention will bay finished at like .265 me being a redsox fan couldn’t put him on the list either

By: carl

carl — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:20:29 +0000

Why no love for Jason Bartlett? By the way – was getting Bartlett and Garza for Delwyn Young the greatest trade of the decade or what?

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:26:08 +0000

Jason Bay plays horrible defense. When you factor that in, he falls quite a bit in value.

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:55:32 +0000

Aaron-Great points on Mauer, way to give him the respect he so richly deserved. Unfortunately, though, the article was somewhat ruined for me because of your inconsistency with Mark Teixeira.
When presenting your criteria for your definition of the MVP, you call the award “individual” with “nothing to do with the quality of his teammates.” Then, to my extreme dismay, you move the switch-hitting, Gold Glove-winning, American League home run and RBI champion Mark Teixeira down several spots on your ballot because you consider his performance to be largely influenced by his “MLB-best teammates” and a product of his “batting in the middle of a great lineup.”
That discrepancy is a little disturbing. Was Mark Teixeira the 2009 AL MVP? No, of course not. But is it fair to devalue him because of his All-Star teammates when you clearly stated in your introduction that the MVP is an independent award? YES INDEED.

By: jonny5

jonny5 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:52:37 +0000

Sorry, born and bred to bleed red. PHILLIES RED! Now I’m onto my winter green. Let’s not forget the orange and black as well!!!

By: Will

Will — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:38:53 +0000

How is Jason Bay not on that list?

By: Church of the Perpetually Outraged

Church of the Perpetually Outraged — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:13:57 +0000

per espn:
Mauer first, 27/28 first place votes
Tex second 225 votes
Jeter third, 193 votes
Cabrera fourth (other first place vote) (wtf!?!?)
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4682842

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:05:10 +0000

You’re an idiot. Never post whenever you’re under the influence.

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:45:39 +0000

How can you have Mark Teixeira at #6 but not even list Kendry Morales? Kendry was almost as good and didn’t have the benefit of playing half his games in that crazy Yankee Stadium.

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:20:24 +0000

I’m pretty sure 85 was joking/baiting you guys into this flame war.

By: James

James — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:06:05 +0000

Kendry Morales doesn’t make your top ten list? Really? Maybe if you didn’t have so many pitchers on your list…

By: ecp

ecp — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:01:39 +0000

Yeah, because the Royals would have just been inspired to score more runs just by Mariano’s mythical presence, huh? What a joke.

By: Church of the Perpetually Outraged

Church of the Perpetually Outraged — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:01:24 +0000

Um yes you can, because even though it doesn’t factor in catcher defense, he’s still third. So imagine that it did. It also is a counting stat, and while he missed a good month of the season, he’s once again third.

By: TMW

TMW — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:57:04 +0000

WAR doesn’t have a calculation to catcher defense so you can’t really use it to argue anything here.

By: RonZ

RonZ — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:50:21 +0000

ocho, u shouldnt have the right to post ne thing ne more…ure probably some yankee fan who thinks every player on their team is of god status…. i hate that money apparently buys championships and all the yankees fans dance around like idiots cuz they just bought a championship….but any ways my AL Mvp goes like this.
1.) Joe Mauer
2.) Longo
3.) Greinke
4.) Miguel Cabrera
5.) Mark Teixeira

By: Eagle 57

Eagle 57 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:48:44 +0000

Mauer! Yes! By any rational, objective view of performance.
Congratulations to Joe Mauer. Hope he has many more!

By: DEPP DA PIRATE

DEPP DA PIRATE — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:47:08 +0000

YOU PIRATE FANS ARE SO FUNNY, I HOPE YOU ARE LAUGHING ABOUT 17 STRAIGHT LOSING SEASONS AND ANOTHER 100 LOSES.

By: J-LO FELL 2

J-LO FELL 2 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:43:15 +0000

are you drunk from sunday, or did you fall. like J-Lo

By: J-LO FELL 2

J-LO FELL 2 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:42:45 +0000

are you drunk from sunday, or did you fall. like J-Lo

By: JJ Metz

JJ Metz — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:41:52 +0000

I find it funny that you keep calling it your “ballot”. Since you don’t really have a vote and all.

By: jonny5

jonny5 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:35:32 +0000

Mauer hands down. Jeter is #2? You must be a New yorker in love with the guy………

By: Church of the Perpetually Outraged

Church of the Perpetually Outraged — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:33:35 +0000

In other words, based on VORP at least Mauer was 50 percent better than last season’s MVP and 25 percent better than the anyone else this year. And that’s counting only offensive contributions, so his value rises even further once you factor in 939 innings at the most demanding defensive position.

Just curious as to why you didn’t use WAR, since it factors in defense. It would also make your pick of Greinke look better because the WAR numbers are:
Greinke 9.4
Zobrist 8.6
Mauer 8.2
Verlander 8.2
Jeter 7.4

By: Glanzer

Glanzer — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:14:34 +0000

JoeK said it well. The honor for lifetime achievements and post-season glory is called the Hall of Fame, for which Rivera no doubt will be a first ballot inductee. If he receives any MVP votes this year, which he might because he did have an excellent season, it will be for his achievements on the field in 2009 and not his playoff success from a decade ago.

By: matt

matt — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:09:20 +0000

“what he has done throughout Yankee’s history especially in the post-season being on so many great teams, he really deserves this award even if he didn’t put up great numbers this year.”
um… pretty sure this is the award for putting up great numbers this year, which mauer did and mariano did not :\
idiot