Who’s the 2011 Most Valuable Player in Baseball?
The Major League Playoffs have begun, and the World Series is up for grabs. The Tampa Rays are the first casualty, and the Most Valuable Player award for the American and National League hasn’t been decided yet. The voting will take place after the conclusion of the World Series. Players like Albert Pujols, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder for the National League; and Curtis Granderson, Jacoby Ellisbury, and Jose Bautista of the American League are the front runners to win the award.
What factors constitute winning the MVP award? Should a player be graded on how well their respective teams do? Should a player win solely based on their stats for the year? Or should a pitcher be placed on the ballot? If I had a vote, I’d factor in the success of the team, individual statistics, and I’d factor in how well the team would do if MVP caliber player gets injured. Under no circumstances would I consider a pitcher for the award because pitchers don’t play every day, and the Cy Young award is solely reserved for pitchers.
My formula for evaluating the MVP starts with who has the best individual statistics during the reason season. For the National League; the top ten are Justin Upton of the Diamondbacks, Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman of the Cards, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder of the Brewers, Matt Kemp of the Dodgers, Joey Votto of the Reds, Ryan Howard of the Phillies, Dan Uggla of the Braves, and Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies. The race would be over with Matt Kemp as the winner if voting was based on who had the best year (.324 BA, 39 HR, 126 RBI), but there are other important factors to consider.
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