AL MVP

Fixed

 

It's much funnier if you are accurate. Where exactly did I complain about the Monday Night Football game? Also, why are you talking about that on a thread about the AL MVP?

Oh, that's right. Because you are in stalker mode again.

 

Are you really still talking about things like record? That's probably the last thing people are looking at these days.

 

I has nothing to do with his record and everything to do with the fact that he provided 8.5 more wins than a replacement player would have in his position, placing him tops in the American League. He was the Most Valuable Player in the American League ... The record is a byproduct.


** As calculated by Baseball Reference.

 

Yes. We all know how married the BBWAA is to those types of stats. They use 'em to figure out every award.

 

If you haven't noticed, there's been a shift.

2010 AL Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez was 13-12.
2009 AL Cy Young winner Zach Greinke won 16 games.
2009 NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum won 15 games.

The crusty guys who can't look beyond wins, losses and ERA are now in the minority. It might do you some good to go read about some of the MVP ballots that were cast. In the New England region, Peter Abraham, Michael Silverman and Brian MacPhearson all cite advanced metrics such as WAR. If you understand those metrics, certainly you understand that using a pitcher's record to evaluate his performance is the worst possible metric in the world.

 

I think there has been a shift for Cy Young but not for MVP. The nebulous definition of MVP will keep it that way. When giving an honor for best pitcher, it doesn't have to matter what a team does.

 

Right, but wins were inconsequential in crowning Verlander. It's not like he would have won if he had a 5.00 ERA, ranked 25th in WAR, but went 32-0. Every advanced metric shows he was one of the most valuable players in the league, if not the most valuable. His record means nothing to many of those who voted for him. Suggesting so only shows that the person on the soapbox hasn't read the reasoning behind the votes that were cast. It comes from a place of ignorance.

 

Since when did 'stats' become 'metrics'? Verlander won the MVP because of his win total. If he went 19-9 with the same 'peripherals' (I can speak sabermatics too!) He sins the CY but not the MVP.

 

He sins the CY, does he?

And you can speak sabermatics? Well, I guess that's handy if you're into woodworking. Not sure how it pertains to this discussion, though.