MLB 2014 season thread

I think that ballot is pretty flawless, and I don't often agree with Keri's opinions.

 

This might be more for Old Tony or Bob Cook but anyone know if WGN radio had any special programming Sunday for its final Cubs broadcast?

 

Did I miss something or is Trout the only player on the list going to play in a Divisional Playoff game? Does this speak to any point as to what the award means or the definition of Most Valuable?

 

yab, you're figuring correctly. For what it's worth, 6 of the 10 players on Keri's NL MVP ballot are still playing, although three of them are in tonight's coin-flip game.

Clayton Kershaw
Andrew McCutchen
Giancarlo Stanton
Jonathan Lucroy
Buster Posey
Anthony Rendon
Russell Martin
Johnny Cueto
Anthony Rizzo
Yasiel Puig

 

I saw that argument for Kluber of Hernandez. It read to me like somebody trying really hard to justify making the unconventional choice, but to each his own.

 

Indians at 2 & 4, and 2 White Sox among the top 10? He must be (I didn't read it yet) a "player of the year" guy.

 

Wish they'd rename the award- call it the Derek Jeter Trophy if you bloody must- so we don't have to read the same arguments over semantics every awards season.

 

They already have the Hank Aaron Award (hitter of the year), but it's never gotten any traction, probably because it's not exclusively a BBWAA thing.

 

His argument was basically "This is really, really, really, really close. But Kluber did an ever-ever-ever-so-slightly better job of controlling what he could control and the only reason his ERA was worse was because the Indians were horrible butchers in the field."

 

Jonah's tweet back to me:

@jonahkeri Cruz great offense but stacked AL field plus bad defense left him just short

 

Not that CYA is team dependent, but since neither the Indians nor the Mariners made the post season, neither choice is 'wrong'.

FWIW giving Cruz any benefit of any doubt after coming off a suspension just seems distasteful. And since homeruns and hitting are down and pitching is stronger now, (or just ERAs are down due to lack of hitting) it seems PEDs really affected baseball to the highest degree contemplated. And PEDs did have a greater impact on the quality of offense, where PEDs for pitcher may have just kept them in the game.

 

If he blows this team up and they become cheaper and better - again - his legend will only grow.
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/01/could-billy-beane-bust-up-the-as/

Billy Beane: Hall of Famer?