The 2008 Major League Baseball Thread

[Drew_Kingsley]

gado = mvp

Albert Pujols is the NL MVP, no doubt about it.

For the record, Page 2 made the argument much more eloquently than I am about to. If you really care, you should read their article instead. My post is a cross between the cliff notes of that article and my own thoughts. Anyway...

Pujols\' batting average more or less equals Delgado\'s on-base percentage. Plus, Delgado has been batting either between or behind David Wright and Carlos Beltran, whereas Pujols is batting in a lineup where his batting average is 40 points higher than that of the next best hitter. Pujols is in the top five in a ridiculous number of hitting categories. Delgado leads Pujols only in home runs (by 3) and RBI (by 2).

As for the argument that the MVP needs to come from a playoff team, is it really Pujols\' fault, looking at his numbers, that his team isn\'t in the playoffs? Wild card race not withstanding, his team is going to be at least .500 and has a chance to finish with a better record than the NL West Champion. I do believe that the MVP shouldn\'t come from a last place team, but it shouldn\'t fall in Pujols\' lap that his team finished six games out of the wild race behind a team like the Mets that has a far superior lineup.

And this is not attack on Klout, the Mets or Carlos Delgado. There is a case for Delgado as MVP from the "inspirational story" and "team leader" perspective. But my career as a stat-hound has definitely shaped my definition of the Most Valuable Player.

Mmmm... longwinded and unnecessary.

[Klout]

its not about all about stats!!!!! I am believer of the mvp not coming from a shit team. a player that is huge down the stretch and hits huge home runs in clutch spots and pushes a team on the edge into the playoffs is much MUCH more VALUABLE than someone who hits .370 and 130 RBI and 50 HR in the middle of  crap line up....how is that VALUABLE? It has no value. its worthless! pujols can get the biggest waste of talent award...but not most VALUABLE player! What makes a player valuable....what he does for his team. its all relative to the TEAM. not the numbers he racks up. while it might not be his fault he is on a shit team, pujols essentially has no more inherent VALUE to his team than the worst player on that team because neither could do anything to get them into the play offs which is all that matters. stats are good and useful when you have to split hairs between two or more players like gado and howard this year who are better and worse in different categories but both have huge value and impact on helping their team win down the stretch and make the playoffs.  if your not helping your team win and make the play offs down the stretch then your intrinsic VALUE is nothing regardless of your numbers.

[Drew_Kingsley]

its not about all about stats!!!!! I am believer of the mvp not coming from a shit team. a player that is huge down the stretch and hits huge home runs in clutch spots and pushes a team on the edge into the playoffs is much MUCH more VALUABLE than someone who hits .370 and 130 RBI and 50 HR in the middle of  crap line up....how is that VALUABLE? It has no value. its worthless! pujols can get the biggest waste of talent award...but not most VALUABLE player! What makes a player valuable....what he does for his team. its all relative to the TEAM. not the numbers he racks up. while it might not be his fault he is on a shit team, pujols essentially has no more inherent VALUE to his team than the worst player on that team because neither could do anything to get them into the play offs which is all that matters. stats are good and useful when you have to split hairs between two or more players like gado and howard this year who are better and worse in different categories but both have huge value and impact on helping their team win down the stretch and make the playoffs.  if your not helping your team win and make the play offs down the stretch then your intrinsic VALUE is nothing regardless of your numbers.

Fair enough. All I know is that the AL MVP had better not be Francisco Rodriguez.

[Gordo]

I\'m going to go ahead and say that Pujols IS the MVP. Without him the Cards would be competing with Pittsburgh for the worst record in the NL Central.. 82-76 aint too shabby, and that man is responsible for keeping his team in contention up until the last couple of weeks.

However based on your analysis Klout--- Aramis Ramirez is the MVP. Clutch clutch clutch.

Oh, by the way....

SOOOOORRRRRY CHIP.

Wild Card all even.

[DocEllis70]

they used 7 pitchers again.. they are arent gona win shit unless someone steps up and can be the one to go to. how they leave so many people on base is beyond me also. gona try to forget about it while down there tomorrow and pray Pedro can avoid getting blasted early.

[booztravlr]

While Pujols has the sick stats, Manny has vaulted the Dodgers from a somewhat distant second place into the playoffs as the divisional winner. Since he was traded to the Dodgers, he\'s hitting .398 (72/181), 17hr, 53rbi, 36r  and 1.228ops in only 50 games (29-21). Can\'t deny how important he\'s been since the Dodgers signed him. Without him they\'d be nowhere near a divisional title.

On a side note, I\'d even put Howard in front of Delgado in the MVP race. He has solid numbers over the last couple months and the Phillies seem to rise/drop based on how well he is hitting the ball. [Ramirez, Pujols, Howard, DLgado]

[Klout]

that was a tough tough loss last night. David wright has just been so unclutch. I mean murph dog leads off the bottom nineth in a tie game with a bust ass triple and dwright strikes out? COME ON! this one falls squarely on the offense not the pen.  too many blown chances.

[Spacey]

they used 7 pitchers again.. they are arent gona win shit unless someone steps up and can be the one to go to. how they leave so many people on base is beyond me also. gona try to forget about it while down there tomorrow and pray Pedro can avoid getting blasted early.

I still blame the Wagner injury. He brought stability to that bullpen.

Can\'t win when you use your entire bullpen nightly.

Sad really.

[Klout]

when the one guy who has an ERA in the low twos goes down, leaving a bunch of scrubs with ERAs in the 4-6 range to pick up the slack its going to have a huge impact. hopefully johny boy maine can help.  jerry shoulda put him in for the 10th last night instead of running the way overworked ayala out for a second inning. thats just asking way too much.

[Spacey]

Is it possible the Mets don\'t make it to the playoffs again this year?

All tied up with the Brewers going into the final 4 days of the regular season. Did not expect that at all.

[Yoda]

I\'m not rooting for The Mets to lose, but I wouldn\'t be upset if they didn\'t make the playoffs.  It definitely be Karma for what they did to Willie.

As far as I\'m concerned, I\'m now rooting for Tampa Bay and whoever play boston.

[Spacey]

I\'m not rooting for The Mets to lose, but I wouldn\'t be upset if they didn\'t make the playoffs.  It definitely be Karma for what they did to Willie.

As far as I\'m concerned, I\'m now rooting for Tampa Bay and whoever play boston.

I never agreed with the style that the Mets handled the Willie firing but it seemed like it needed to be done for the betterment of the team.

Been routing for the Rays since the beginning of the year. Hope to see them continue to play good baseball. The playoffs are foreign ground to the Rays and that might mean something later.

[Gordo]

So I\'m just leaving the school library, checked the MLB scoreboard..... must\'ve been a wild one Met fans. Daaaaaaaamn!

Now let\'s get a Brewer loss.

[Klout]

SICK game.

best thing about baseball is you could watch it for 40 years then still see something you never saw before. i.e. that play at the plate with church.

hope aruny stayed dry somehow or at least got good and drunk! it was pouring half the game.

[Gordo]

I just saw the highlights.... what the fuck was with Murphy\'s buntly-boner-at-bat?? That was fucking reetaahdid. 2-0 count and we\'re bunting? 2-2 count and we\'re bunting? Did I just hear that right--he hasn\'t laid down a bunt in the majors OR minors this year? Your Mets are lucky, those are the kind of decisions that could (and maybe should) end a season in this spot.

That play at the plate was crazy indeed.