AL MVP announced Monday Nov 21 - Bautista?

[mikero]

This is pretty disappointing. What more can Bautista do? If this season isn't good enough for the MVP, I doubt he'll ever win one.

Verlander had a great season. But I can't help but think what if Weaver hadn't lost the ERA race by 0.01 and the triple crown was broken up. Or what if his win total wasn't quite so gaudy....

[youngLion]

They got the top three right, at least, even if I disagree with the order. Does go to show that there are still complete idiots in the BBWAA...Verlander wasn't even on one ballot and was eighth on another, while Ellsbury was ranked tenth by one moron, and four people had Bautista outside the top five.

So, by way of overall verdict: this is pretty reasonable by the BBWAA's standards...they seem to be getting better. Long road ahead, but progress made.

I guess if you believe in a pitcher being in the conversation the top three is right, but I think Cabrera deserves it more than Verlander. He had a .344/.448/.586 line, which gives him a higher OBP than Bautista.

[jojo152433]

I'm not going to try and argue that Verlander didn't have a great season, because that would be futile. Fact is, he didn't have a great season...perhaps an MVP type season.

The reason I think it is ludricrous to give him the MVP is because the MVP is supposed to indicate the player who is "most valuable" to their team. If that is the case, then how could you have two players from the same team in the top 5?

While you could never argue that neither JV or MC had great years, how can either be the (obviously) most valuable player on their team, if one of their teammates in also in the top 5. Great season? No question. MVP of their team? Questionable.

I also have a problem with over-rewarding the power numbers of left handed hitters who play for Boston or the Yankees. Both parks are ridiculously tiny - especially in RF (a little leaguer could hit a homerun to right in Fenway). Boston also has the Green Monster which facilitates a quality hitter getting more doubles than they would hit just about anywhere else (i.e., just hit a decent flyball to the opposite field and bang it off the wall...its a double every time [unless you run like John Olerud or Greg Myers). That said, both Ellsbury, Gonzalez and Granderson had very good years.

[Mr Swagtastic]

All I can say is I told you guys so. I am not surprised one bit Verlander was amazing last year. I will say it again he was the best pitcher in baseball last year. Great to see Jose get 5 1st place votes.

[Schad]

All I can say is I told you guys so. I am not surprised one bit Verlander was amazing last year. I will say it again he was the best pitcher in baseball last year. Great to see Jose get 5 1st place votes.

He wasn't even close to the best pitcher in baseball, IMO...he was the best in the AL, and he had the best record, but Kershaw/Halladay/Lee were all better.

[Relentless88]

When ESPN "experts" picked Verlander to win the award yesterday, I knew this was decided. It's too bad Jose didn't get it. If only he had a better September.

[Weems]

All I can say is I told you guys so. I am not surprised one bit Verlander was amazing last year. I will say it again he was the best pitcher in baseball last year. Great to see Jose get 5 1st place votes.

He wasn't even close to the best pitcher in baseball, IMO...he was the best in the AL, and he had the best record, but Kershaw/Halladay/Lee were all better.

Agreed. Sabathia would be close, too, imo. At the very least, his pitching performance wasn't historic even if his win total was.

[Mr Swagtastic]

All I can say is I told you guys so. I am not surprised one bit Verlander was amazing last year. I will say it again he was the best pitcher in baseball last year. Great to see Jose get 5 1st place votes.

He wasn't even close to the best pitcher in baseball, IMO...he was the best in the AL, and he had the best record, but Kershaw/Halladay/Lee were all better.

I can see Halladay and Kershaw but Verlander had 7 more wins the Lee (all be it as 1 vs 2) 12 more strike outs (250 Verlander vs 238 Lee), a lower WHIP by .11 (.92 Verlander vs Lee 1.03) and they had the same ERA. Lee was great as usual but I don't see him better then Verlander only major advantage Lee had was his amazing stretch where he was unhittable it seems and had 6 complete games and 6 shutouts vs Verlanders 4 and 2.

Maybe I am putting to much into Verlander who knows to me he was the best pitcher at worst the 2nd or 3rd best

[Randle McMurphy]

They got the top three right, at least, even if I disagree with the order. Does go to show that there are still complete idiots in the BBWAA...Verlander wasn't even on one ballot and was eighth on another, while Ellsbury was ranked tenth by one moron, and four people had Bautista outside the top five.

So, by way of overall verdict: this is pretty reasonable by the BBWAA's standards...they seem to be getting better. Long road ahead, but progress made.

The voted Verlander on the basis of his Triple Crown (which is made up of pitcher wins) and being on a good team. I wouldn't call that progress...I would say that's an example of flawed reasoning. The BBWAA really shouldn't have the privilege of voting for these awards.

Amazing that RJ, Pedro, and Doc have never had a sniff at the MVP despite putting up seasons equivalent or better to Verlander's. You'd think Halladay would have been a perfect candidate last year based on what we saw today from the voters.

[Randle McMurphy]

When ESPN "experts" picked Verlander to win the award yesterday, I knew this was decided. It's too bad Jose didn't get it. If only he had a better September.

Judging by the final votes, I doubt a better September would have mattered much at all. Voters became too obsessed with Verlander's win total and the narrative that he singlehandedly got his Tigers to the playoffs.

[Michael Bradley]

If Pedro didn't win the MVP in 2000 for putting up a 1.74 ERA and 10.1 WAR during the height of the juiced ball/steroid era, then no pitcher deserves to win that award. I hate how baseball cherry picks these winners. If a player from a last place/non-playoff team can't be MVP, then don't vote for A-Rod in 2003. If a pitcher can't win, then don't vote for one. Stop cherry picking these things.

[Avenger]

Forget Pedro, you don't have to go that far back, what Zack Greinke did in 2009 is way more impressive than Verlander's 2011. Just stop voting for pitchers, we already have an award for recognizing their achievements, the MVP should be reserved for position players.

[Mattd97]

If Pedro didn't win the MVP in 2000 for putting up a 1.74 ERA and 10.1 WAR during the height of the juiced ball/steroid era, then no pitcher deserves to win that award. I hate how baseball cherry picks these winners. If a player from a last place/non-playoff team can't be MVP, then don't vote for A-Rod in 2003. If a pitcher can't win, then don't vote for one. Stop cherry picking these things.

forget a-rod, dont vote for ellsbury in 2011

[kavan]

No doubt Verlander was Cy Young but can you really call him MVP then you need a seperate award for the best hitter in baseball of the magnitude of the Cy Young the silver sluggers dont come close.

[BasketballAbyss]

If Pedro didn't win the MVP in 2000 for putting up a 1.74 ERA and 10.1 WAR during the height of the juiced ball/steroid era, then no pitcher deserves to win that award. I hate how baseball cherry picks these winners. If a player from a last place/non-playoff team can't be MVP, then don't vote for A-Rod in 2003. If a pitcher can't win, then don't vote for one. Stop cherry picking these things.

+1

It's ridiculous. Also, Carlos Delgado should have won it in 2003. But baseball writers will pick and choose when to follow their (Please Use More Appropriate Word) logic.

[Dr Positivity]

Ryan Braun wins NL MVP

That came out of left field

[oomalay]

I guess they should change it to MVP-on-a-playoff-team now.

[Schad]

Here's what I love more than any of the other stupidity about the MVP votes: the fact that you can throw Carlos Ruiz -- who performed about as well this year as John Buck did last -- a tenth-place vote for no apparent reason, and forever after he'll hold claim to being "tied for 23rd in MVP voting", which makes it sound like there is a person on this planet who honestly believes that Carlos Ruiz was one of the 25 best NL players this season, rather than some bag of cocks who simply couldn't name ten players in the league, and wrote in his team's catcher.