Baseball Thread No. 17: Let's Get Dizzy, Mr. Dean

Cute. But Pujols doesn't get a vote.

 

Dawson won it because there was no one from a playoff team who had the kind of power numbers that MVP voters traditionally look for. That won't be the case this year. If Pujols somehow gets the Cards into the wild card this becomes a moot point -- he's the guy. But if not, that becomes his flaw, like Delgado's bad start, Howard's Ks, etc. He may win anyway, but he's not a no-brainer, because the MVP has never been just a straight-up analysis of statistics. Pujols has even acknowledged that it shouldn't be.

 

If the Mets win the division it would be ridiculous to hold Delgado's start against him. He's been carrying them at the most important time of the year.

 

Fixed ;D

 

What? Are you crazy?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/papeljo01.shtml

Pitched in more games this year than in his first three years, still has an ERA under 2, still has 36 saves, on par with the last two seasons, including 2006, when the Sox shut him down on Sept. 1.
Look at the K/BB ratio too. 71 strikeouts, 7 walks. All season. I know I'm a fanboi, but Paps is still the shut the door closer.

 

Just to play devil's advocate ...

Manny Ramirez in 38 games since Aug. 1 -- .396 average, 1.264 OPS, 14 home runs, 40 RBIs
Dodgers before Manny -- 54-54, 2 games behind the Diamondbacks in NL West
Dodgers before Manny -- 21-17, 3.5 games up on the Diamondbacks in NL West

Like Delgado, you would discount a significant portion of his season. And like Delgado, he's been carrying them at the most important time of the year and could be the difference in winning a division and not making the playoffs.

 

Budcrew, I think Angola was making an intentionally ridiculous argument because he didn't like my gloating over Percival proving me right last night.

That or he really is crazy. Who knows what finally missing the playoffs after all these years is going to do to Yankees fans?

 

Manny's been great, but helping a team improve from .500 to four games over .500 isn't exactly an amazing feat, certainly not enough to get him serious MVP consideration. The Dodgers just play in a crappy division where even losing 8 in a row couldn't drop them out of the race.

 

Exactly. If all you want to talk is carrying down the stretch, Delgado is third behind Manny and, yes, Sabathia.

 

Manny = 38 games sample... neither he nor Sabathia have been in the NL long enough to be MVP. Sorry.

And I'm not saying Delgaod is the MVP or Pujols shouldn't be.
I am saying this is not a cut and dried as you are making it for the guy on the FOURTH-PLACE team.

 

Sabathia's been there long enough to win the Cy Young though.

 

But you are saying 75 games is long enough to be MVP?