If another hitter for a playoff teams had a big year with lots of RBI I’m confident Harper would lose to that guy. But there really isn’t such a player - the other playoff teams didn’t have someone like Donaldson. The other big hitters like Goldschmidt were also on non playoff teams.
…or Tulowitzki or Bautista or Encarnacion. I’m so tired of the “the MVP has to come from a playoff team” argument. I’d like any of the pundits/voters who push such an agenda tell me why they aren’t pushing for Tulowitzki to win the award. Toronto was 50-49 before they traded for him, 43-20 after. That’s pretty damn valuable by that metric.
Or you could just vote for the league’s most valuable player - who was Mike Trout.
So apparently the Indians are looking at trading a starting pitcher for an outfielder. Rumours involve the Yankees offering Brett Gardner, the Dodgers offering Yasiel Puig, and the Blue Jays offering Kevin Pillar.
One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong…
I know, right? Pillar had a much higher WAR this year than those other guys.
Oh, and in case you didn’t hear, David Ortiz announced that the 2016 season will be his last.
The difference between Trout and Donaldson in any analytical overall stat is within a margin of error or a reasonable dispute about how such a stat is calculated. Fangraphs has then 0.3 WAR apart, which is basically three runs in Harper’s favor, and Donaldson 0.4 ahead in WPA, which is basically three runs in Donaldson’s favor. It’s a tie in any sense that matters, really.
There is no one within a reasonable argument range of Harper. No other NL player is close in WAR.
If the Blue Jays trade Kevin Pillar now, they’re nuts. He’s a good player going into his age 27 year, he’s still cheap, and they have no replacement for him, unless you have a lot more confidence in Dalton Pompey than you really should.
I would trade Edwin Encarnacion before I traded Kevin Pillar.
25 years ago, the voters would have thought “Whoa, 130 rbi” and made Nolan Arenado the MVP.
25 years ago? Hell, they gave Justin Morneau the MVP on that basis in what, 2006?
You’re right. I was thinking of Juan Gonzalez.
It’s interesting to sort past years MVP voting by WAR (which isn’t everything, of course). Justin Morneau finished in 17th place among AL position players in 2006.
Harper unanimous NL MVP.
Donaldson wins easily in the AL, as I figured he would.
Either he or Trout were good choices. I am pretty sure Trout is the only person to be MVP runner up three years in four, unless Mantle did it too.
And the second-highest on the team (behind Donaldson, ahead of Joey Bats).
You know who had the second-highest WAR on the 92-93 Blue Jays? Devon White. Center field defense matters.
Donaldson and Harper are the MVPs, as expected. Harper was a unanimous selection. Trout took a few top votes in the AL. Harper just turned 23 and is younger than the NL Rookie of the Year, Kris Bryant. Not sure if that’s ever happened before, but Harper’s not the youngest MVP ever.
In 2014, Trout was substantially younger than Jose Abreu.
In terms of the awards, I would have given the NLCY to Greinke and think this one is actually wrong, but it’s defensible, and for sure there have been many Cy Young winners who have had worse seasons than Arrieta. MVPs seem about right though Trout would have been defensible. Interesting to think how that vote would have gone if a ball hadn’t gotten stuck in the second baseman’s glove in a game between the Astros and Angels with about a week to go.
Also, the Astros just did a thoroughly minor deal for an A-ball pitching prospect, but he has one of the all-time great baseball names: Cy Sneed. I think they might have to get him up to speed on some recent developments, such as night base ball and the fact that fielders now wear large gloves on one hand to help catch base balls.
I don’t know if the rumor has legs, but word is that the Yankees may be considering shipping Brett Gardner to Chicago for Starlin Castro. If so, it eases the logjam the Cubs have in the infield. Baez takes over at 2nd full time, Russell stays at SS, and Bryant at 3rd. Gardner would be the lead-off man/center fielder the Cubs need since Fowler declined his QA, and you might be able to get by on Soler and Schwarber in the corner OF spots.
The Yankees ease their logjam in the OF, and Castro might increase is numbers with that short porch in RF, since he can hit the ball to the opposite field fairly well. And Girardi just might be able to get him to focus.
Do the Yankees really have a logjam in the outfield? If this trade happens, Aaron Hicks would replace Gardner, which makes them younger but not any better. Beltran is only signed for 2016 and a liability defensively. Everyone hopes Aaron Judge is the future, but that isn’t a sure thing. Trading Gardner only makes sense if Cashman plans to sign Upton or Heyward, or trade for a proven outfielder.
Gardy’s last two seasons have been puzzling, unless he’s been playing hurt. In the first half of 2014 he hit .279/.353/.424 and the second half .218/.286/.417. For 2015, it was .302/.377/.484 in the first and .206/.300/.292 in the second. He might still produce a couple of very good seasons.
What’s the deal with Castro, anyway? He is only 25 but seems to be on the way down.
I hope this doesn’t happen.
I was referring to this paragraph from the story featuring the rumor:
Maybe “logjam” was too strong a word.
It’s true they have a bunch of prospects, but it’s the Yankees. When do they ever give rookies a chance to blossom in the big leagues? Brett Gardner is the only regular position player developed by their farm system since Robinson Cano came up in 2005. I’m a little sentimental about him for that reason. Hate to see him go, especially for a possible dud. If Castro can’t maintain focus for an exciting, contending Cubs team under Joe Maddon, I doubt Girardi is going to have better luck.