# MLB award ballots on Memorial Day **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 27, 2013, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454 "2013-05-27T09:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/1 "2013-05-27T09:32:35Z")
Here are my veteran award ballots on Memorial Day AL MVP Trout Cabrera Davis Machado Ellsbury (just to have 5, he’s way back) AL Cy Young Masterson Buchholz (basically tied) Shields Iwakama Moore Darvish Fister (really among top 3) NL MVP CarGo (huge lead) Votto Justin Upton Segura Phillips Cabrera Bruce (5-7 to fill ballot) NL Cy Young Zimmerman Wainwright Kershaw (super tight among Top 3) Burnett Garcia Harvey (Bottom 3 to fill ballot) ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/2 "2013-05-27T13:24:24Z")
I like your inclusion of Phillips and Votto. Bruce isn’t deserving of consideration at this point, IMO. You know whom is playing lights out for the Reds and hardly gets noticed? Sin Shoo Choo. Dude’s been amazing in the leadoff role, better than I could have hoped for. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/3 "2013-05-27T16:17:42Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Here are my veteran award ballots on Memorial Day > > NL MVP > > CarGo (huge lead) How do you figure? 5th in the league in fWAR, 4th in wOBA, 13th in average, 7th in on-base, 1st in slugging. Fangraphs thinks Votto (and Carlos Gomez, oddly) have both been more valuable than Gonzalez this year. He’s certainly a candidate but I don’t know where “huge lead” is coming from. Also, I think Posey deserves to be in the discussion. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/4 "2013-05-27T19:18:39Z")
**mark** -CarGo is top 20 in 16 different categories, and is top 10 in 14 of them, top 5 in 9. Votto is top 20 in 9 (all top 10). ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/5 "2013-05-28T00:41:52Z")
Huh. Thought I posted this before, but I was curious to hear why you’re taking Trout over Cabrera this year. Last year, there was definitely an interesting old-school/new-school argument to be made. Also, take Fister off the Cy Young ballot. Substitute with fellow Tiger Max Scherzer. You could make a case for Anibal Sanchez there instead, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/6 "2013-05-28T00:58:27Z")
**LOUNE** -I’ve widened how many stats I use, and Trout has big edge in SB and 3B. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/7 "2013-05-28T01:03:50Z")
How far along are we in the MLB season? 30% or so? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/8 "2013-05-28T01:08:41Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > **LOUNE** -I’ve widened how many stats I use, and Trout has big edge in SB and 3B. Well, yeah. Cabrera doesn’t do either of those. You might as well expand it further to “people that are caucasian”, in that case. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/9 "2013-05-28T01:10:35Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > How far along are we in the MLB season? 30% or so? About. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/10 "2013-05-28T02:52:13Z")
Mike Trout? Are we talking about Memorial Day 2012? He’s having a good year, but he’s not close to being the AL MVP, is he? The heck with Cabrera, how about Chris Davis? Heck, what about Manny Machado? In case anyone cares, Fangraphs ranks as the ten best players in each league: AL: 1. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit 2. Evan Longoria, TBR 3. Chris Davis, Baltimore 4. Mike Trout, Anaheim/LA 5. Manny Machado, Baltimore 6. Josh Donaldson, A’s 7. Dustin Pedroia, Boston 8. Jose Bautista, Toronto 9. Joe Mauer, Twins 10. Nick Swisher, Cleveland NL: 1. Carlos Gomez, Brewers (Yes, really) 2. Joey Votto, Reds 3. Jean Segura, Brewers 4. Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies 5. Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies 6. Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona 7. Buster Posey, Giants 8. Matt Carpenter, Cards 9. Justin Upton, Braves 10. David Wright, Mets For pitchers: AL: Sanchez, Buchholz (huh - behind Sanchez? Why?), Scherzer, Felix Hernandez, Holland NL: Wainwright, Kershaw, Harvey, Zimmermann, Burnett ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/11 "2013-05-28T03:26:12Z")
Nick Swisher at #10 demonstrates the silliness of WAR. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/12 "2013-05-28T04:16:49Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Nick Swisher at #10 demonstrates the silliness of WAR. Davis has had a monster year so far, but that entire lineup has been doing some damage, too. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/13 "2013-05-28T13:31:42Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > **LOUNE** -I’ve widened how many stats I use, and Trout has big edge in SB and 3B. Triples? Seriously? Just use extra-base hits or slugging and be done with it all in one fell swoop. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/14 "2013-05-28T17:59:16Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Mike Trout? Are we talking about Memorial Day 2012? > > He’s having a good year, but he’s not close to being the AL MVP, is he? He’s close-ish, i.e. I don’t think anyone would argue he is AL MVP, or even top 5, necessarily. But he isn’t that far off, and he has been coming on. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-award-ballots-on-memorial-day/659454/15 "2013-05-28T20:51:19Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Nick Swisher at #10 demonstrates the silliness of WAR. The problem is that defensive value just doesn’t mean much over only 30% of the season, IMO. Swisher is getting a lot of value from his fielding right now, and that’s likely to normalize a bit over the year. You see something similar in the NL list where Carlos Gomez pops up to #1 in fWAR mainly due to his defensive value. wOBA has the top 5 as: Votto, CarGo, Choo, Goldschmidt, Harper. That feel about right. Right now I think I’d go with: AL MVP: Cabrera NL MVP: Votto AL Cy Young: Buchholz NL Cy Young: Wainwright