Around MLB '12-'13 (offseason signings, trades, rumors, ect)

[jakecronus8]

Trout probably should have won, but I'm surprised how much anger there is over it. It's not like Cabrera wasn't also worthy.

[jr lucosa]

I'm not really surprised nor do I care. Okay, Trout put up the better season, but Cabrera put up the type of season we haven't seen since 1967, and maybe some of you don't like the stats it takes to get there but still, it clearly isn't an easy thing to do. Also this is Trout's rookie year, he'll have a closet full of MVP's if he can play this well throughout his career. I realize that shouldn't matter either, but again, who really cares.

[Kerb Hohl]

I personally don't care, I just think it's lame when people discredit why Trout is getting his argument.

I'm fine with Cabrera winning based on the fact that a lot of these writers don't care to understand that stuff and the fact that Cabrera had an incredible offensive season.

[Balls2TheWalls]

I personally don't care, I just think it's lame when people discredit why Trout is getting his argument.

I'm fine with Cabrera winning based on the fact that a lot of these writers don't care to understand that stuff and the fact that Cabrera had an incredible offensive season.

I think you have pinpointed it here. The problem people have is that the writers don't even think that Trout had a better season, even though by nearly every advanced statistical metric he was the best player in the league. On top of that he is a far better fielder and base runner. These are the people who vote for the most prestigious non-pitcher single player award in the league. That is why people have a problem. I think that if it happened in another league that there would be more stink, but baseball is definitely its own animal.

[ReasonablySober]

I'm not really surprised nor do I care. Okay, Trout put up the better season, but Cabrera put up the type of season we haven't seen since 1967, and maybe some of you don't like the stats it takes to get there but still, it clearly isn't an easy thing to do. Also this is Trout's rookie year, he'll have a closet full of MVP's if he can play this well throughout his career. I realize that shouldn't matter either, but again, who really cares.

That isn't even remotely true.

[jr lucosa]

I'm not really surprised nor do I care. Okay, Trout put up the better season, but Cabrera put up the type of season we haven't seen since 1967, and maybe some of you don't like the stats it takes to get there but still, it clearly isn't an easy thing to do. Also this is Trout's rookie year, he'll have a closet full of MVP's if he can play this well throughout his career. I realize that shouldn't matter either, but again, who really cares.

That isn't even remotely true.

Huh? Show me all the other batters who have won a triple crown since 1967 then.

[ReasonablySober]

The tripple crown isn't a thing. It isn't a record and it isn't some numerical milestone. It's the result of a confluence of events. What you're really saying is there hasn't been a situation since 1967 that has allowed someone with Cabrera's stats to lead in all three categories.

From Baseball Prospectus:

There were 44 seasons between Triple Crowns. In those 44,

Cabrera’s 2012 performance would have been good enough to win no Triple Crown categories: Two times.
Cabrera’s 2012 performance would have been good enough to win one Triple Crown category: Nine times.
Cabrera’s 2012 performance would have been good enough to win two Triple Crown categories: 29 times
Cabrera’s 2012 performance would have been good enough to win the Triple Crown: Four times.

The four: 2008, 1999, 1982 and 1979.

There have been MANY seasons in which a player has had the kind of season Cabrera has had, or better. It happened this year!

[jr lucosa]

The tripple crown isn't a thing. It isn't a record and it isn't some numerical milestone. It's the result of a confluence of events. What you're really saying is there hasn't been a situation since 1967 that has allowed someone with Cabrera's stats to lead in all three categories.

That's exactly what I'm saying, you have to look at it on a year by year basis. It doesn't matter if player 'X' had more HR in 1995 than Miguel had this year, or player 'Y' had a better batting average in 2001, none were able to lead all three categories at the end of the year since 1967.

It's almost like you're trying to completely discredit him winning a triple crown because it just so happened that no one else was able to pass him in those three categories this one particular season. Isn't the MVP vote suppost to come down to what you did this season ? MVP's aren't judged on numbers from past seasons.

I get the argument for Trout, if it was up to me he would have won the award, but it's really not that outrageous at the end of the day. This is the MLB after all, it's not like they are known for always giving out awards to the most deserving players.

[Kerb Hohl]

I do get and enjoy that baseball is a game of history.

I do also think that most of the stats in the triple crown are not extremely useful.

So I personally don't find it special that he happened to lead these 3 stats in a down year for most of them.

I think batting average is extremely overrated by people, though I will say that once you start discussing good players that have good on base percentages, then yes, batting average can differentiate them.

RBIs are alright but can just be a stat of having the most opportunity.

A lot of the writers that used batting average and RBI are the same writers that have the inability to adapt beyond the worst statistic in baseball: fielding percentage. They will take that and the fact that Cabrera switched to third as mostly a positive. In reality, he was a horrendous defender (but showed up as "mediocre" in fielding percentage) and he and Fielder should have rotated at 1B and DH.

[WEFFPIM]

Nearly a third of Cabrera's RBIs were him driving in himself on his home runs. This idea that RBIs are all about the specific situation in front of a player needs to end.

And even then, it says more to me about how a player performs in that specific situation, and not that the situation is there to begin with.

[HurricaneKid]

Cabrera came to the plate with ~440 runners on base. Trout had ~305. The ~ are because last I checked the season was still going. Thats more than 40% more opportunities. He BETTER have more RBIs. Which is why its such a ridiculous stat to dictate the MVP. Because of his lack of speed, Miggy also led the league in GDIP with 28. Thats a LOT of rally killers there.

WAR is calculated marginally differently by Fangraphs and Baseball Reference. But the big reason people are really ticked is that Trout had the best WAR of any position player in the last 20 years (that wasn't involved in steroid scandal), while Cabrera... was well behind Chase Headley, Robinson Cano, etc.

Cabrera had by far his lowest OPS in 3 years. He hit 14 points worse than list year. But because two guys hit 43 HRs instead of one hitting 45 and one hitting 41 he gets the MVP?

[ReasonablySober]

Some interesting things.

Carlos Ruiz get's hit with a 25 gamer for amphetamines, and word out of LA is likely out of the Greinke sweepstakes. I think he goes to Texas, but the Dodgers are in on him too.

[humanrefutation]

Greinke to Milwaukee. Book it.

I can dream, right?

[ReasonablySober]

Upton in serious talks with the Barves.

[Captain Erv]

Upton in serious talks with the Barves.

Done deal. 5/75.

[Turk Nowitzki]

5 years @$15 million a year for B.J. Upton? No thank you.

Carlos Gomez must be licking his chops at what he could get if he can put together another decent season. Melvin needs to stay away from free agency this year IMO, unless he can get sometime at a bargain down the road.

[Kerb Hohl]

Upton in serious talks with the Barves.

Those damn Barves and their tohamawk cohp.

[ReasonablySober]

Upton in serious talks with the Barves.

Those damn Barves and their tohamawk cohp.

[ReasonablySober]

I can't believe Span had that much value.

[BigDee]

I didn't think so either.