Here are my ballots (as of 9/26)
AL CY
Verlander
Shields
Haren
Holland
Morrow
Cahill
Top 3 with clear separation
AL MVP
Cabrera
A-Gon
Ellsbury
Bautista
Granderson
(Verlander could easily be #1)
NL CY
Kershaw
Halladay
Lee
Kennedy
Cain
Greinke
Morton
Top 3 VERY close, bottom 3 far back
NL MVP
Kemp
Braun
Votto
Pujols
Castro
Kemp v. Braun coin flip, Castro distant 5th.
You’re the first person I’ve seen with Cabrera at the top of their MVP list, but he certainly deserves mention. He gets lost in the shuffle because he puts up amazing numbers year after year to the point where people forget about him.
Agreed. He’s been amazing for the Detroit offense, but I think the MVP and Cy Young, for the American League, should go to Justin Verlander.
I’ve been really anti-pitchers for MVP, but these last two months of Verlander’s have been ridiculous. Frankly, I’d hate to be a voter and have to explain my decision.
I totally agree. How can you be MVP if you only play once every five days? However, what Verlander has meant to that team is immense. Not only is it the stats, but it’s the stats combined with stopping any (and practically all) losing streaks before they get to three games. I knew Verlander had another level of talent to get to, but I didn’t think it’d be like this. Now, it’s like having Pedro Martinez circa 1999 out there.
I’ve never understood the every 5 days thing. Verlander has faced 969 batters this year. Jose Bautista has 642 plate appearances and 252 defensive chances. Allowing for the fact that not all of the value of a defensive player comes from plays on which he has defensive chances, a starting pitcher is still “playing” about as often as a guy in the everyday lineup, and facing a batter for an entire appearance is a lot more important than fielding a ball hit into the outfield.
I’d still give it to Bautista, but only by a hair over Verlander, and not just because Verlander’s a pitcher.
Looking more deeply at the stats, I’d slot Weaver in behind Verlander. Kershaw by a whisker over Doc.
How can you be MVP if you come to bat once every nine times?
Very carefully.
Wait, what?
Brandon Morrow?
Huh?
You know, that’s a very good point, though.
Yeah. No Weaver or Sabathia either.
Are you confusing Morrow with Ricky Romero? Ricky Romero’s one of the five best pitchers in the league, definitely. Brandon Morrow isn’t one of the 35 best.
I used to agree with that. But then I heard Jayson Stark rattle off a stat on the radio that Verlander will impact almost 1000 plate appearances this season. That’s a lot more plate appearances than any position player.
Verlander’s my MVP this year. And I say that as a Red Sox fan, but I can’t vote for Gonzales or Ellsbury with the way the Sox are crumbling apart.
ETA: Looks like **Jimmy Chitwood **pretty much made my point already about the plate appearances.
Since pitchers have the Cy Young, I think there should be an award just for hitters. Doesn’t have to be the MVP. But if Verlander does win the MVP, no position player will be honored for having the best season and that seems lacking.
AL Cy: Justin Verlander
Runner Up: James Shields (old school stats: 11 complete, 4 shut outs)
AL MVP: Jacoby Ellsbury (Yankees fan saying that)
Runner Up: Miquel Cabrera
NL Cy: Cliff Lee
Runner Up: Clayton Kershaw
NL MVP: Ryan Braun
Runner Up: Matt Kemp (essentially a tie)
The Hank Aaron Award.
That would be great if the same voters did all three awards, not:
I wonder if Kershaw and Kemp will both be hurt by vote-splitting. Both of them would have my vote, but there will probably be a lot of voters who feel odd about making two guys from a .500 team their MVP and their Cy Young.
I know that this is true, but I have never understood that attitude. I know there is a lot of debate about “value” and the MVP having to come from a contending team, but honestly I have always felt it should just go to the best player.
If you want to measure value though, Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw are the only reasons that Dodger Stadium wasn’t left totally empty at home games. No one is going to go see a .300 team particularly when everyone already hates the ownership. That is far more valuable, IMO, that Ryan Braun helping his team go from clinching the Division title by 3 games to clinching it by 6. I mean, if we are going to play the value game…which is stupid.
They will be 1 or 2 on every ballot I am guessing, which means it will come down to whomever gets the most #1 votes. Of course, some a-hole voter could decide to put one of them like 10th just to game the system and make that not the case.