AL and NL MVPs

I am fascinated by the guy's mania.
As James Earl Jones said, "You're seeing a whole team of psychiatrists, aren't you."

 

Agreed. If that actually happens to somebody, I do hope they seek help. Maybe fart boy can recommend somebody. Just because a mental health professional failed him doesn't mean that person will always fail.

 

I think nothing short of committed electroshock therapy can rehabilitate you.

 

I wonder if Vizzini showing his ass was one of the photos leaked by 4chan.

 

Nobody really wants to see fart boy's ass, so let's hope not.

 

Since he's trying to hit a 600-foot and rarely making contact every time up -- .238 combined for July and August -- the longer the better.

In those two months, he's barely over .300 OBP and only 18 of his 48 hits were for extra bases. He's back to the Carlos of five years ago.

 

For much of the season, Trout has been marching to a coronation, finally getting the award many of us think he deserved the past two seasons. A recent slump, though, has made the race competitive. I'd say the MVP is still Trout's to lose, but here are some of the contenders, players who should end up getting some votes:

King Felix: He had recently passed Trout in WAR at FG, and there was talk that if the Ms made the postseason he might win that award along with a near certain Cy Young. Two nights ago, though, he got bombed by the Nats, giving up 4 HRs, which are not good for FIP, which is the basis of pitcher WAR. Every pitcher has a bad outing occasionally, of course, but given that many writers don't like to give the MVP to a pitcher (I feel the same way), his chances have really been hurt. Even his Cy Young prospects are damaged, as Corey Kluber has been making a run.

Josh Donaldson: Normally a player hitting a little over .250 would not be a very viable MVP candidate, but Donaldson's defense at 3B is stellar, providing a big boost to his overall WAR. He leads Trout at BBRef, though trails substantially at FG and BBPro. His hitting has revived recently--.295/.422/.489 in the past month--and since he has considerable power--only 4 HRs fewer than Trout, and six fewer RBIs--he could make a serious challenge if Trout slumps somewhat in the final month. If the As win the division over the Angels it will also help.

Alex Gordon: At one point recently, he passed Trout in WAR at FG, but Trout has regained the lead. Like Donaldson, Gordon is getting a big boost from his defense, and like Donaldson, he's been hot the past month. But he has much less power, and he also needs his team to win their division.

Kyle Seager: Another third baseman with great defense. His offensive numbers very similar to Gordon's. Probably not helped by being on the same team as Felix and Cano.

Robinson Cano: Has a shot at winning the batting title, but his power is down from previous years. Like Felix and Seager, his chances are to some extent tied to the prospects of the Ms making the postseason.

Jose Abreu: Since his team is out of the postseason running, he's widely written off, and it's hard to see him winning the MVP, though he certainly will win the ROY. But he is at or near the top in HRs and RBIs, and in the top ten in batting. WAR-wise, his defense has hurt him, but his offensive production is second only to Trout in the AL, despite a big difference in positional runs, and a stint on the DL. If the White Sox were contenders, he might be Trout's most serious challenger.

Adrian Beltre: Another contender for the batting title. Having a great year for a crap team.

Adam Jones: He might be considered a poor man's Trout, but not so poor this year. Has good power and this year at least a much better defensive rating in CF than Trout. The Orioles's surprisingly good season will definitely get him votes.

 

Good stuff, Rain.

As for the Lucroy argument, he had an awful July and only began pulling out of the slump in the last week of August.

Code:

                                                                                            
Split          G GS  PA  AB  R  H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO   BA  OBP  SLG   OPS TB GDP BAbip
April/March   24 24 105  95  9 28 10  0  1   8  1  3 10 13 .295 .362 .432  .793 41   2  .333
May           27 26 113 101 11 35 11  1  1  14  1  0 12 11 .347 .416 .505  .921 51   3  .382
June          26 25 117 103 19 37  7  0  6  20  1  0 12 10 .359 .427 .602 1.029 62   1  .352
July          24 23  96  87 12 18  6  0  4   8  1  0  8 17 .207 .271 .414  .685 36   0  .209
August        26 26 113 104 16 28 12  1  1  10  0  1  9 11 .269 .327 .433  .760 45   2  .293

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/1/2014.

He has to dominate in September because the Brewers are sinking while Posey and the Giants are surging. Brewers seemed like a lock for the playoffs. Ain't such a sure thing anymore. Cardinals will probably win the division.

 

Defensive WAR for third basemen is seriously fucked. Modern infield shifts are primarily responsible. buckweaver can explain better, if he still posts here.

 

Josh Donaldson has been a poor defensive player this season. He leads the American League with 21 errors and has been off his game throughout the year. (Just off the top of my head, he almost threw away a game last week in Anaheim on a routine force to second base in the ninth inning -- only Callaspo's diving stab saved the play.)

Vers notes it, but any idea of Donaldson's defense being a plus this year is based entirely on the "range" he gets for shifting. And that goes a long way to discounting any WAR-based explanation for anything these days.

 

Thank you for proving my point. Your perspective on this is all fanboy. Only a truly irrational fanboy would try to argue that his favorite team is better off without one of its best players. Wave those pom-poms, fanboy.

 

You think a guy hitting .238 the last two months is great and irreplaceable. Thank you for proving once again that nothing you say should ever be taken seriously. Keep wearing that "I'm an idiot" T-shirt.