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A.L. baseball fans: Who deserves the AL MVP this season?
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A.L. baseball fans: Who deserves the AL MVP this season?
This is a public poll: others will see what you voted for.
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I know he doesn't play in the field, but Nelson Cruz is pretty Valuable here in Minnesota.
Bogaerts looks to be a MUCH better choice than LeMahieu to me.
I'll go with Bregman over Trout, played in more games, but either is a good choice.
BREGMAN
I do like LeMahieu. He does many things well and typically flies under the radar like he did in Colorado. He had an awesome year, but it doesn't compare with the year BREGMAN had in HOUSTON. He was the consistent force in that lineup and played at SS and 3B, two of the more difficult positions. Again, it's not even a conversation if Mike Trout stayed healthy. His numbers as such that he may win anyway.
I voted for Bregman. I will admit I thought last year might have been a fluke for Alex. But this year
convinced me he is the real deal. Monster year.
For Trout its the same old thing. Piling up numbers for a losing team. How valuable can you be when
you keep playing for a loser team year after year ad nauseum.
This is the first I've heard LeMahieu in the discussion. Semien would be a better choice, IMO.
I'll give it to the fans for being smart enough to quit going to the games.
At least us fans who like baseball aren't as dumb as the guy who hates sports but constantly posts on a sports talk forum.
I have become the anti fan. Sort of a post golden era remnant whose loyalty to professional sports could no longer absorb the PED use, strikes, deflated footballs, kneeling players, wife beaters, netting of stands and 4 hour games.
The anti fan is a valuable balance to the brain dead loyalists that watch their favorite NFL players pack up and leave their tundra like cities each December with a cool $15,000,000 payday as the fan laments the 6-10 season and chortles "wait till next year."
Trout was, for the 8th time in his 8 year career, the best hitter in the league, when he was available to hit. He missed 28 games this year and was still, arguably, the best hitter overall anyway. But, as a RF/DH he was not enough a better hitter than 3B/SS Bregman to take the MVP from him.
Famously, Branch Rickey once said to Ralph Kiner, "We finished in last place with you, we can finish in last place without you." I have long felt that way about Mike Trout and the Angels. This year, they finished 35 games out with him and his 8.3 WAR, and they could easily have had that kind of futility without him. Just how valuable is he, really? He racks up a lot of stats, and even more accolades, but he's not a "winner", he's not "clutch", and (this is more because 1970s isn't around to say it), "He's certainly no George Brett".
Trout "does everything well", sure, but not at all when it matters. Try to think of any of Trout's "signature moments". You're probably hard pressed.
A great catch to rob a homerun, immortalized on a baseball card? Lorenzo Cain does it much more frequently. Heck, Jarrod Dyson does it more frequently.
A big homerun to win a game? Any number of players playing currently can lay greater claim with more cache. I'd take Nelson Cruz, mentioned above, over Trout in a big at bat EVERY time. I'd call back Trout and send Bryce Harper up there, too, with the game on the line. Yellich, Betts, Bregman, Springer...even Pujols probably still has enough left in the tank to come through in the clutch, like he used to. I have zero confidence in Trout to get the job done.
A big stolen base to get into scoring position at a time in the game when it really matters? Couldn't help but think of Dyson again.
Going first to third when it mattered? I immediately think of Cain scoring from first, on a single, TWICE, in the postseason.
A big throw from the outfield to cut down a runner when it matters? Does Trout even have one of those on his resume? I mean when it really mattered? One that everyone knows what you're referring to without much description? I can't think of one.
Mike Trout has to be the most overhyped "superstar" in the history of MLB.
it isn't Mike Trout's fault that "signature moments" don't present themselves to him. it isn't Mike Trout's fault that he isn't presented with opportunities to "Walk-Off" or win games with his bat. the guy is stuck in a perpetually average Team that tends to underachieve. I wish the Angels would rebuild and do for Mike Trout what they aren't obligated to do, but should do because it's the right thing: trade/release him and offer the Man a chance to win.
as I see it, Mike Trout is being wasted by a franchise that can't get out of its own way. if he played with any of the Playoff contenders I would expect him to cement a few as WS Champions and help a few others to at least get there. it's a Team game and one player can't carry a franchise.
MVP or not, Mike Trout is without a doubt one of the best players in the game, has been for his entire career.
Maybe the Tigers should get the award. Finished 11 and a half games behind a team that lost over 100 games.
Nice somebody noticed Nelson Cruz. I have followed his performance very closely this year and he has had a lot of "clutch" games where he has "carried" the team. He is one of the best sluggers in the last 6 years averaging 40 HR 100 RBI per year. Trout has not done that!
I don't follow Trout at all, but I do think you are being a bit harsh. He has been top three in OPS every year and number one 5 out of the last 6. I am not a big WAR guy, but to be first virtually every season (except one where he was second) points to an excellent hitter.
You mention Bryce Harper and he can hit almost as well as Trout, but it looks like Mike scores more runs and can steal some bases too.
The last three years he has missed some games but only in 2017 did he miss a "lot" of games.
You may very well be right in that he isn't "clutch", it might be hard to be clutch with a team that is so bad those clutch situations don't come around very often. Since I don't see him play, I have no idea of his defensive capabilities and I will accept your evaluation(s) to a degree.
He certainly played horribly in the one playoff series he appeared in in 2014, no argument there.
If he can maintain his currant hitting for another 4-5 years, the hype is going to get even higher!
Do you even watch any baseball games that he plays? His mere presence in the lineup impacts the way other teams approach the Angels. Is it his fault that he plays on a team that, despite ownership trying to bring in players to complement him, can surround him with enough good players to win consistently. The man is, plain and simple, one of the top two or three players in the game, year in and year out, if not the best.
Its hard to convince a Royals fan that Trout hasn't had enough good players around him to get the job done.
Royals had 2 world series appearances in a row 2014-15. Hardly a star player on the team, let alone superstar.
No outstanding starting pitchers or even star pitchers.
They got to the pinnacle with a lot less than Mike Trout has had over the years.
This statement is so utterly and fantastically wrong that I had to read it three times to see if I was missing a joke.
There is a stat that measures how well a player hits "when it matters". It's called Win Probability Added, and Trout led the AL in it. There are related stats called Base-Out Runs Added, Situational Wins Added, and Base-Out Wins Added. And Trout led the AL in all of them, even though he missed 28 games. His OPS of 1.064 with the bases empty rose 45 points with men on, and another 50 points with runners in scoring position.
Trout is on the Angels and the Angels are a terrible team. And Trout, when he's not hurt, is the best player in the league. There is no reason to see any contradiction in that.
Trout is a full-time CF. He hasn't played a single game in RF since he was a rookie. 17 total in his entire career. And 66 games as a DH. In his entire career.
So you're basing your decision on something that isn't even close to true.
I voted for Alex Bregman but DJ Lemahieu would be my second choice.
Mike Trout is easily the games best player; if that was the question, it’s pretty cut and dry.
I think Alex Bregman deserves the award as he was the best player on the best team - shifting between 3rd and SS to suit the needs of the team and mashing like a boss at the dish.
But a word for DJ LeMahieu?
This guy was signed to be a utility guy off the bench. There was literally no spot for the guy in the starting lineup. And he was (I think) the only player besides Brett Gardner to not miss time on the DL for the Yankees this year. The Yankees nearly posted the best record in baseball and I would make the argument that without DJ LeMahieu this season that the Yankees may have missed the playoff entirely. He lead the team in Games Played, Runs, RBI and AVG and finished 4th in OPS (really 2nd since Mike Ford had 50 games and Mike Stanton 18) - all while playing 1B, 2B and 3B and all while batting (mostly) leadoff. Oh and his career high of 26 HR also came this season. And - for those who watched 150+ Yankee games like me - he was almost single handedly carrying this team in April, May and June: this is in part hyperbole but an appreciably good chunk of those RBI came during this span.
That’s pretty amazing for a guy signed as utility player and is pretty close to MVP productivity. And it’s hard to imagine being much more valuable than that to your team.
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That's why the MVP award is a great debate and always will be.
It sure looks like DJ has done a LOT for the Yankees that goes unnoticed by most. The Yankees are the third best hitting club in the AL, so there are quite a few guys contributing at the plate.
Historically, with very few exceptions, it has gone to a player on a pennant or division winning team and in most cases there have been at least two other very "valuable" guys on that team.
During the 1980's and early 1990's someone told me that if the MVP was really for the most valuable player, Puckett would win it every year, yet he never won an MVP.
I won't go that far, BUT in 1988 he sure was more important/valuable to the Twins than Canseco was to the A's, but Jose got 40/40 which was all we heard about (so what?) and his team won the division.
Boggs was prolly the best player that year and he didn't even finish as high as his own teammate Mike Greenwell, who did have a great year.
Puckett was the CLEAR winner in 1988 and while he did have a couple of good hitters on his team (Hrbek and Gaetti), Canseco had Dave Henderson and Mark McGwire. Puckett also played a great CF winning a GG. Better and more valuable player.
Hell, Ted Williams won two Triple Crowns, batted .400 another year, and got beat every one those years for MVP! I'll never understand 1942, Joe Gordon? OMFG! Can you imagine how much worse those Red Sox teams would have been without Ted? MVP just HAD to go to a Yankee though! ;-)
With all due respect to DJ, he was 16th in the AL in OPS and that hurts him. I would think your SS Torres would be as good or better of a MVP choice, but I am just looking at stats.
You could say the same/similar things about Nelson Cruz. Without his hitting the Twins might not have made the playoffs either, he sets a great example for the rest of the hitters in the lineup, he is a consummate professional hitter. I realize a DH will never win an MVP unless he does something extraordinary, and that's fine.
Even though I "voted" for Bregman, Trout plays CF and has very little help offensively on that team. Bregman has Springer and Altuve helping him. Houston is the #1 hitting team in the AL with 5 hitters in the top 19 in OPS.
Best player? Best hitter? Best player on a Division winner? Most important to his team? Most important to the league?
Hmmmmm Trout seems to get four out of the above five. Do you penalize him for missing about 25 games?
I might have to change my vote!
I voted above for Bregman, but had a little to say about LeMahieu. I just read Banzai's comment above and had to add my two cents. LeMahieu was a quality player for the Rockies for several years.....hell he won a batting title a few years back. When I saw him play up close at CBP against the Phillies, he won me over. Yet he never seemed to get the respect I thought he deserved. When he was a free agent last winter, I was curious to see who would scoop him up; to my shock, everyone passed on making him their everyday second baseman. The Yankees scooped him up to be a utility player. Sure enough, He got his chance to play and the Yankees, the team with all the young talent and superstars, couldn't take him out of their everyday lineup. I'm guessing all the Yankee fans took notice and realized what an offseason bargain he was. It's nice to see a good player who was playing in the Colorado market for several years finally get his due with his fabulous season in NY. JMO
He HATED those guys!
Looking at his stats, I see a good/great fielder who has had two outstanding years at the plate and two pretty average and four a little below average. he had one year where he was a very good base stealer if he did that consistently, I would elevate his value.
He had a great season, but should not be mentioned for MVP imo.
Looks like a great guy to have playing second base, but SS and CF guys who can hit better year in and out are WAY more valuable.
How about Marcus Semien?
LeMahieu
75 games at 2B
52 games at 3B
40 games at 1B
Opening Day Lineup
Each positional was actual need; Andujar then Tulowitski then Bird. And for 1B and 3B, he played more games at each position just this year than he had at either position TOTAL in his career.
And again, it easy to look at the Yankees NOW and say ‘They’re loaded’ but for all of May and June, the Yankees had no Judge, no Stanton, no Hicks, no DiDi, Sanchez was ice cold and DJ was banging out hit after hit. Sure, many were singles (.250 SLG) but there were so many and it was at a time where Tampa Bay could have been building a lead in the division as the Yankees were licking their near daily wounds.
Again, I think the versatility helps as does the really big batting average. Those singles came with lots of productivity...
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The Yankees nearly posted the best record in baseball and I would make the argument that without DJ LeMahieu this season that the Yankees may have missed the playoff entirely.
sometimes we forget that baseball, and really all Sports, are Team efforts and we tend to place too much emphasis on one single player. that argument gets used against Mike Trout, that if he is so good why isn't the Team better?? well, because it's a Team game and takes all 25 guys. with the Yankees, I think it's preposterous to believe that one player, DJ LeMahieu, made so much difference that he's why they made the playoffs.
that's just really a stretch.
consider Mike Trout, he is so superior to everyone in so many ways but his TEAM doesn't play very well as a whole. that shouldn't be held against him but it always is and the player on the better TEAM generally wins these kind of awards.
as another example, consider the Chicago White Sox. they finished 72-89 settling a full 28-1/2 games out of first place. all that was done with the player having the highest BA in MLB and another Teammate leading the AL in RBI's.
it takes 25 guys.
No doubt he played very well at several positions. He's having a great year!
I don't really think the voters or the fans really consider who's most valuable, and how do you even decide?
It seems to come down to the best hitter, then if things are close enough, best hitter on a playoff team. Once in 20 years a pitcher gets it.
I think for a mythical Player of the Year award it is almost a toss-up between Bregman, Trout, and Semien. Do the Astros still win the division without Bregman? Very likely. Do the Angels still finish near the bottom without Trout? Almost certainly. Do the A's make the playoffs without Semien? Highly doubtful. It's close, but my analysis above pushes the needle towards Semien. LeMahieu should get plenty of votes, IMO, but no firsts.
First, I did not realize we shared a love of George Carlin. Genius level comedy.
Second, I’m sticking to it. Yes, it is a team game. No doubt. But I’m putting up the basic stats of the major contributing 2019 Yankees. Only Gleyber, Gardy and DJ played 140 games and when you couple the excellent need based position shifting in season, I just think he was really that important to the Yankees success. There was no real slump the entire season and there were just so many huge hits.
And to reiterate, I believe Mike Trout is the best player in the game and I would cast my vote for Alex Bregman, if I had one, as I thought he had a similar utility impact (SS/3B) as LeMahieu and performed better overall as a hitter and played a whopping 156 games.
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Aforementioned 2019 Yankees stats...
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I think you're making too big a deal out of a typo, but never let it be said I didn't appreciate the value of going way over the top when the mood strikes. But the point I made, obviously, is unchanged whether I typed "R" or "C".
I agree, but there is a huge difference. It's also unfair to characterize Trout as a CF/DH when he only DHed six more games than Bregman. Very, very close. Semien stands higher, IMO.
Semien also plays SS and looks like he fields his position very well. Only 13 errors this year.
Anyone seen him play?
Trout. Bregman is outstanding; but not as good as Trout.
Any reason why Rafael Devers, 3rd baseman for the Red Sox is not in the poll?
His 2019 stats eclipse almost every Yankee player by far, with few exceptions. He did better than Bregman, except in HRs, Bregman got 9 more...but Devers smokes him elsewhere.
Hits 198; 109 singles; 53 doubles; 4 triples; 32 HRs; 128 runs; 115 RBIs
My Criteria
I have very loose criteria but in general I default to the player(s) who contributed the most to the best team(s). Players from losing/non playoff teams can win but they have to be considerably better than anyone else. I tend to place heavier emphasis on traditional stats (myself) than advanced in these type of award scenarios especially.
So Devers and Trout - through no fault of their own - get knocked down some. Semien, too me, gets lost in the ‘too many choices from the team’ angle, similar to LeMahieu. Bregman had a big stretch of no Altuve and no Springer and played 156...
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See above for criteria. I left out that defense is a near must. It’s half the game and playing your position(s) well - and added bonus for premium positions - matters too.
And for you specifically and for full disclosure, I fall into the camp that believes it’s near criminal that David Ortiz, a DH, never won an MVP. That is a farce. I thought he should have won it the year they gave it to Pedroia at minimum with at least 2-3 other worthy campaigns. So I’m not dismissive of Devers for some anti Sox bias at all. He had a killer season.
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If I'm building a team from scratch Trout is my MVP.
Of course Bregman had Cole and Verlander.
Yeah... except it wasn't a typo. It was just wrong. He's a full time CF. He played over 90% of his games in CF. That's a GIGANTIC difference from "RF/DH", two significantly less valuable positions, as you well know.
Perhaps best if you start a poll to define all parameters, not do qualifiers later. That you only used Vegas odds data, does not, IMO, define the best players worthy of the AL MVP for 2019.
He was pretty amazing for quite a while. Talk about "clutch" hitting!!!!!
@Tabe said:
In admiration of your ability to read minds, I will not further belabor the difference between "RF/DH" and "CF/DH"; I hereby decree that it is whatever you want it to be. But my point, my only point, is unchanged. Trout's hitting was not enough better than Bregman's to make up for the games missed and the fielding value of an infielder vs. an outfielder.
I don't disagree with you on that. 22 games is a lot to make up.
And as we start the playoffs, LeMahieu gets the Yankees off to a great start. Again, I'm not saying he's a superstar or some future HOFer but a solid everyday player who had a great season and will be considered. I'm still voting (if I had a vote) #1 BREGMAN and #2 TROUT
Perhaps you missed the dropped ball.
Perhaps you missed the three hits including a home run and 4 RBI's. This from a guy who the Yankees originally planned as a utility player
He still dropped the ball.
You are totally right.
We Yankee fans this year call it pulling a Dave Dombrowski...
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Never liked Dumbo, nor his sidekick Tony (I fell asleep at the wheel totally drunk at a stop light) LaRussa. Dumbo should have had Alex (I'm not even close to being a manager) Cora, and Tony follow him out the door. Inexplicably, they have kept Tony and Alex.
I have written many, many negative posts about the inept performance of the team and management. I predicted somewhere last May that the team was on a downward projection. No spark, no pitching, no hustle, no key hits with RISPs, where a simple single would have won several games. It was like a choke-a-thon. Their one spark was taking 3/4 from the Bombers...then it was "turn out the lights, the parties over".
Uber overpaid millionaires playing a kid's game with lackluster performance. To think they went from winning it all to almost the cellar in one fell swoop is stunning. Because of Dumbo's dismal future planning, there are almost no farm system players to look to as even Prospects...I believe the Red Sox team will look vastly different than they do today, and I also believe it'll be years before they are competitive again. I will not renew my baseball package next year.
The Astros may be a bridge too far for your team. I'd wish you good luck, but then I'd be forever banned from any family gatherings.