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Fearless 2009 MLB Playoff Predictions
Posted by: | CommentsLiving in San Diego, we get used to spectacular weather. So it sounds a bit odd to say this, but I probably enjoy the fall out here more than any season. The warmth dies down just a bit, and I can wear my hoodie and/or leather jacket around for a few months. It’s just cool enough to make things cozy, but never cold enough that you’re freezing. So I trade in my shorts for jeans, drive around with the top down a bit less, and most importantly, enjoy postseason baseball.
Following yesterday’s Game 163 between the Tigers and Twins, it’s hard not to get excited. If you weren’t tuned in you missed an absolute classic, a game that showcased baseball at its best: everything on the line, a passionate and loud stadium, and a back-and-forth battle that went extra innings. Hopefully the rest of the fall can live up to that one game: given the outlook, I think we’re in for some great baseball over the next few weeks.
Here’s a overview of what we have lined up, and of course, my predictions.
NLDS: Rockies vs. Phillies
The Rockies started the season looking like not much of a threat at all, especially when you consider how the Dodgers came screaming out the gate. So go figure, you trade in Clint Hurdle for Jim Tracy, and suddenly it’s 2007 all over again: not quite the same ridiculous run, but enough of a sharp turnaround to warrant attention.
Comparing this year’s version to the 2007 National League pennant winners, I’d say they’ve made some major upgrades where position players are concerned. Chris Ianetta brings some slugging to the table (and a decent OBP for his position), Carlos Gonzalez is realizing his potential, and Dexter Fowler brings an added dynamic of speed to the team. You really have to give the Rockies credit: they scout and develop players exceptionally well. Troy Tulowitzki in particular may be the most underrated player in the game today, as he plays spectacular defense at shortstop, takes walks, and hits for plenty of power.
The Phillies are improved from last year’s World Championship version, with the exception of the bullpen. Their lineup offers very little breathing room, and is the only offense out of the four National League teams that can really match up with the American League juggernauts where slugging is concerned. But most importantly, the deadline acquisition of Cliff Lee gives the team a bonafide ace to put in front of Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton.
This series will really come down to two elements: the Rockies rotation, and the Phillies bullpen. Ubaldo Jimenez continues to evolve into a front line starter, and has the strikeout rate you want to see from a Game 1 playoff pitcher. Jorge De La Rosa would be the other strikeout specialist on the Rockies, but he’s out for the series with a groin injury. This is a huge blow to the Rockies’ chances, as they’ll probably need to slot Jason Marquis and Jason Hammel for games two and three.
Compared to Hamels, Happ and Blanton, you absolutely have to give the edge to the Phillies. Marquis and Hammel do not strike out a lot of batters, and their WHIPs are well in the 1.37 range. The Phillies will take their walks and hit the ball, which means that often enough, it’s heading out of the park to put some numbers on the board.
Yes, Brad Lidge has had his issues this year, but the rest of the Phillies bullpen is capable of picking up the slack. The Phillies are actually in the enviable position of having too many starters, so the bullpen will have plenty of guys who can throw multiple innings. Specifically, it looks like J.A. Happ and Pedro Martinez will come on in relief for this five game series. Ryan Madson may not have the closer reputation necessarily, but he’s capable of shutting the door, at least for this series.
Prediction: Phillies in four.
NLDS: Cardinals vs. Dodgers
If not for some risky moves by the Cardinals front office to shore up the offense, this series would look much different. Luckily for St. Louis fans, Holliday is now backing up Pujols, providing some much needed protection. On paper, the lineup for the red birds should be solid, but recent production tells a different story. Julio Lugo hit .242 in September, and in the last twenty games Ludwick has hit .229, DeRosa .189, and Holliday only has one home run.
Compare to the Dodgers bats, and I think you need to give Los Angeles the edge. Yes, they don’t have Albert Pujols (no one else does, to be fair), but they scored 50 more runs this season. Pujols and Holliday are both better hitters than anyone the Dodgers have (save Manny, if he gets going), but the Dodgers have a more capable 1-through-8 batting order.
Of course, the key to this series isn’t the bats, but the Cardinals’ monster 1-2 punch of Cy Young candidates Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. They represent two of the National League’s best pitchers, and both already have a championship ring from 2006: so don’t expect either to be intimidated. In a short series, while I do think the Dodgers offense is better, it’s just going to be too difficult to put up three victories against this rotation.
Given the daunting task ahead of them, the Dodgers’ chance for success rests on Clayton Kershaw’s shoulders. The 21 year old has the strikeout talent to dominate in the postseason, but he’s had some poor starts as the regular season came to a close. He’s thrown 60+ innings more than last year, so you’re left to wonder how much he’ll have left in the tank at his age.
But if the endurance is there, he could potentially outduel Wainwright in Game 2, giving the Dodgers a chance to go after groundball specialist Joel Pinero in Game 3. And who knows, maybe the Cardinals bats will be stagnant for Game 1 against Randy Wolf. I still have to give the edge to the Cardinals, but Dodgers fans have some hope here.
Prediction: Cardinals in four.
ALDS: Yankees vs. Twins
Last night’s game was one of the best I’ve ever seen, and was a prime example of why baseball is such a great sport.
That being said, count me in with the rest of North America when I say there’s no way the Twins can beat the Yankees after that. They’re exhausted after playing 12 innings, and will get very little sleep before heading to the Bronx. The new Yankee Stadium is a friendly place for home run hitters, which is bad news for a team like the Twins with very little power. Even if the stadium plays short, I don’t expect the likes of Matt Tolbert, Nick Punto, Brendan Harris or Denard Span to be able to take advantage of this environment. If the Twins had Justin Morneau in the lineup I’d give them a chance, but they’ll be forced to play a different brand of baseball in New York, one they can’t compete at.
The Yankees however, will eat up the Twins starting rotation, hit plenty of home runs, and their bullpen will protect the leads. It’s been a great, inspiring run by Minnesota, but they are clearly overmatched here.
Prediction: Yankees in three.
ALDS: Angels vs. Red Sox
This series is becoming a rivalry of its own, with the Sox seemingly always getting the best of the Angels. Both teams have changed a bit in terms of strengths and weaknesses over the last few years, but the Sox have retained their dominant pitching, both in the rotation and the bullpen. As has become standard under the Theo regime, this will be what Red Sox Nation hangs its hopes on.
And to be fair, when you’re gunning for your third World Series championship of the decade, there are worse places to put your bets than on the arms of Lester, Beckett, Buccholz, Dice-K and Papelbon. The talent is still there but health is a bit of a question mark, with Beckett and Dice-K struggling through their share this year. But then again, both have earned a reputation as “big game” pitchers, and most fans expect they’ll ramp it up now that October is here.
The weakness of the Red Sox in this series has been highly publicized: the running game. Mike Scioscia loves to push aggression on the basepaths, and with Varitek and V-Mart tasked with throwing them out, the green light will be on like never before. Look for Figgins, Abreu and Hunter to steal early and often, while middle infielders Kendrick and Aybar will swipe their share as needed. But unlike Angels lineups of years past, this one has more than one dimension, and can hit home runs and take walks to go with the speed.
Lackey, Weaver and Kazmir are lined up to pitch for the Angels. Aside from Lackey’s age 23 run with the 2002 World Championship team, none of these Angels have the intimidating championship pedigree Lester and Beckett bring to the table. The Angels rotation actually comes into this series healthier and with less question marks, while the Sox come in with the potential for their guys to dominate. But, there’s also more potential for the Sox rotation to put up a bad start, especially with Beckett’s back issues. His Game 2 start will really be the key in this series. I expect all three Angels pitchers will give their team a chance to win, while there’s a lot more variance with what can happen to the Sox rotation, between good and bad extremes.
The big difference in this series will likely turn out to be the bullpen. This is not the lockdown Angels bullpen you’ve grown to fear, with leads confidently handed off to capable middle relievers, before the ball gets to Scot Shields and K-Rod. Brian Fuentes has 48 saves on the year, but also has a 1.40 WHIP. These late innings will be crucial, and if I’m an Angels fan, I’m biting my nails until that last out. In contrast, the Sox bullpen continues to be a major strength, and should be able to put away the game if given a lead.
It’ll be a very entertaining series, especially with the new dynamic of the Angels offense. Game 2 is going to be absolutely crucial, as a victory against Beckett will be needed to at least keep the series even headed back to Boston. If that happens, the Halos have a chance. But a strong bullpen is so important if you want to win a championship, and the difference between the teams is huge in that regard.
Prediction: Red Sox in four.
NLCS: Phillies vs. Cardinals
Once we expand to a seven game series, the 1-2 punch at the top of the Cardinals rotation becomes less dominant, as St. Louis will need to rely on their other starters. You still need to give the Cardinals the edge where the front of the rotation is concerned, but really, with Cliff Lee in the mix, it’s not a huge gap between the two teams. Speaking to the offense, again, Pujols and Holliday are great, but the rest leaves something to be desired. The Phillies leave very little room to breathe, and Cardinals pitchers will have their hands full.
The Cardinals need to win every game that Carpenter and Wainwright pitch. If the Phillies can win at least one of those, they’ll be headed to the World Series with a chance to repeat. Given a 1-in-4 chance, I like those odds.
Prediction: Phillies in seven.
ALCS: Yankees vs. Red Sox
Here we go again! Honestly, all I care about this postseason is seeing this rivalry once more to close out the decade: this time around, it’ll be spectacular. Yes, the drama of The Curse is gone, but that evens the playing field a bit, and actually puts a bit more pressure on the Yankees. After all the spending in the winter and the dominance in the regular season, it’s up to them to get the job done and even out the decade a bit following 2004 and 2007. It won’t be about curses or grandpappy seeing the Sox win it all just once, but rather, which team is better at baseball. Period. The level of talent on the field and the battle that’ll take place between both teams is all the drama I’ll need, personally.
I know, I’m sounding like an ESPN or FOX executive, or some of the mainstream press who seem to think baseball doesn’t exist outside New York and Boston. But I just love how these teams line up in 2009. The Sox probably have a better rotation, but who knows what Beckett will bring to the table? Will the back spasms do him in, or does he continue to be a Yankee killer? Can Dice-K return to form, or can Buccholz handle the pressure of the big stage? And it’s not like Sabathia, Burnett or even Pettitte are a sure thing on any given night. I honestly think it’s safe to say that in a 2009 Sox vs. Yankees ALCS, the rotations are structured in a way where any team can win on any given night: there’s no one dominant performer (say, Pedro of years gone by, or Schilling at his peak), and most of these starters are equally likely to craft a gem, or succumb to the opposing team’s offense.
Where bats are concerned, the Yankees obviously have the edge. With Teixeira at first, Abreu’s terrible range out of right field, Cano’s continued improvements and even Jeter doing much better with the glove, the Yankees are well equipped to play both sides of the field for a change. Both teams have good bullpens this year, but you still have to give the edge there to the Red Sox.
It’ll be an entertaining series if it happens, one that’ll slow down work productivity in the Northeast for a week or two. In the end, I think the Yankees offense is too much to handle, and for once, their pitching can hold up their end of things. Sure, Sabathia, Burnett, Joba and Pettitte are all capable of having a terrible start, but I don’t expect it’ll happen to all of them. And even in case of disaster, the Yankees are capable of digging themselves out of an early hole with their power, especially at home.
Prediction: Yankees in six.
World Series: Phillies vs. Yankees
Most Mets fans (myself included) will likely cheer for the Yankees in this scenario, and that’s saying something.
More seriously, both teams mirror each other a bit. They both have incredibly strong lineups, play in bandboxes, and have rotations that are strong, but can still be knocked around on a bad night. The Phillies would probably have the best starter in the series in Cliff Lee, who also has plenty of experience pitching against American League teams. For the Phillies to have a chance, they’d need to win both of Lee’s starts.
Rotations and defense are fairly comparable, but the Yankees have a better offense and a better bullpen. The Phillies are used to being able to bring the thunder and outslug their opponents when all else fails, but that’s a game the Yankees would be happy to play. Given the nature of both stadiums, you’d expect lots of home runs and big scoring games.
In the end, the Yankees are just too good. They could probably benefit from a bit more reliability in the rotation, but that’s really nitpicking considering their other strengths. If it comes down to Yankees and Phillies, the American League team will overmatch their National League counterpart, and beat them in a slugfest.
Prediction: Yankees in six.
What are your predictions? Comment here, or post yours to our Facebook page! I’m eager to hear your thoughts, as this is just one man’s opinion.
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The ABC’s of Card Handling OCD
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I was growing up, all the adults in my family made it very clear to me that cards were not supposed to be “played with”. Cards were not “toys”, they did not get left lying around to get dinged corners or creases, they certainly did not go in my bicycle wheels, and I was not supposed to flip them. So you can imagine that over the years these lessons have stuck with me, and I am very, very meticulous about how I handle cards.
When I open packs, the cards immediately get put into numerical order unless it’s a player I collect (in which case he gets logged in, and put into his respective binder). Autographs and relic cards get scanned to show off, then go into penny sleeves and either a snap case or toploader depending on who it is. I was also told to be very careful when trading cards so that I didn’t end up getting hosed.
If you were to look at my binders, they may not necessarily be in chronological order (most are) but they are mint. When I see other people’s binders and they have cards in them with creases or white corners it drives me bananas. I don’t know why, it just does. I also don’t like handling my cards once they are put into the binder or cases as the case may be. Don’t get me wrong, I love looking through my cards but I just don’t need to touch them and potentially damage them. I don’t have an answer as to why I’m so crazy about my cards . . . I just have issues I guess.
I learned about trading cards with friends at a very young age. My mom’s friend had a son who was a year or two younger than me, so when we would go to their house I would always bring my binder so we could trade. We would run upstairs and carefully show off what we got since the last time we saw each other, and then we would make trades. It was the early to mid 90’s and all he wanted was Griffey Jr’s or Gary Sheffield, and I wanted Yankees: it did not matter who they were. Had I known that a heap of Kevin Maas and Matt Nokes would end up as kindling for a fire, I may have held onto some of my Griffey’s. But don’t worry, I never traded rookie cards of anyone, and I am still reluctant to do so. I always had to inspect our trades and make sure there were no creases or fingerprints (pet peeve) on any of them, then we traded and put our new acquisitions into our binders. My friend was also very careful with his cards, so this usually worked out well.
As a kid, Christmas always involved baseball cards. My brother and I always got a complete set for the year, and some Yankees in our stockings. The year Derek Jeter came up I got a whole bunch of his cards including one of my favorites, the Foundations card. By the way, the one Jeter card I really want to own eventually is the SP rookie. They are hard to find in good condition ungraded.
As I got older it seemed that less and less people were collecting cards, and I’m talking like 5th or 6th grade through high school. At that time I started selling cards I didn’t want so I could go to the hobby shop and buy Yankees and new packs. It seems as though I had the mind of a little entrepreneur as a kid and was always looking to turn unwanted cards into new stuff.
I know that many people out there have a warped perception of what types of people collect trading cards as adults, not to mention those who blog about it (like me). Trust me, they are almost always the complete opposite of the stereotype. But honestly, if it wasn’t for crazy people like me who had learned lessons as children about cards, there might not be many people buying them anymore. I have been blogging about cards for about two years now, and I have met so many people that I trade with and even talk to on a regular basis. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how much fun it is. I have acquired hundreds of Yankee Stadium Legacy cards for my collection either via trade, or people just send them my way because they don’t want them. My Pujols collection has also been boosted by fellow collectors’ trading cards, and buying singles online.
Any cards I don’t want now go up for trade on my personal blog, or I try and flip them on eBay in order to get new cards. Some things just don’t change: either you have a passion for collecting or you don’t. Collecting cards is one of the few things you can continue to do from childhood and is a great hobby.
I would love to hear if there are any other people out there that are super anal retentive about how they handle their cards and store them. If you are crazier than I am, I would love to hear that, too. I always find it interesting how people have quirks about handling and storage. I know I have my family very well trained when I show them a card or pack of cards: they handle them super gently and usually hold just the sides for fear of scratching them or putting (gasp!) a fingerprint on them.
Marie co-writes the blog A Cardboard Problem in addition to being a season ticket holder for the Yankees and an all around baseball fan. Marie is an avid card collector and welcomes comments, questions, and e-mails.
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2009 NL MVP: Pujols vs. Hanley
Posted by: | CommentsLast week, I made a case for Mauer deserving the AL MVP more than Derek Jeter. Judging by responses on our blog and the Upper Deck Facebook page, I’d say most of you agree with this. For the National League, things seem to be even more straightforward; after all, Albert Pujols is a monster, and widely acclaimed as the best player in the game right now.
And let’s be honest, it’s hard to argue against that. Pujols leads the league in runs, home runs, RBI, walks, OBP, slugging, OPS and total bases. He’s also doing this with a fear factor attached to him we haven’t seen since the glory days of Barry Bonds earlier in the decade. No one wants to challenge him, so he’ll probably only see one good pitch per at bat . . . which he’ll crush often enough. He plays very good defense, and has even stolen 14 bases this year. Any praise I heap onto Pujols is pure redundancy at this point, as we all know he’s the best player of this generation.
The only way I can possibly make an argument against Pujols is position scarcity. This is a concept you’ll be familiar with if you’re ever played fantasy baseball, even if you’ve never thought about it directly in these terms.
In a fantasy baseball draft, getting great players at premium positions like shortstop or second base is a huge advantage. For example, if I draft Chase Utley in the first round, as long as he stays healthy I know I can count on 30+ HRs and 100+ RBIs from my second baseman. That’s something no one else will have, and while I won’t have Pujols on my team, I can still draft a good first baseman who will put up big numbers like Adrian Gonzalez or Prince Fielder.
Of course, real baseball is not fantasy baseball, so this doesn’t translate perfectly to the real world. But it does illustrate a point that should be considered: when you get great production out of a position on the diamond that usually doesn’t generate that kind of offense, you’ve got a significant edge.
This is what makes Hanley Ramirez so great. He’s hitting .352 with an OBP of .416, 23 home runs, almost 40 doubles, and 26 stolen bases, all while playing shortstop (his defense, while not great, has shown improvement). What other shortstop can match up to this level of production? I can’t think of any in the league. He’s the kind of player any fan would love to have on their team, in some cases more so than Pujols. To frame this a bit better, I’d say the gap in talent between a contending team’s shortshop and Hanley Ramirez is going to be greater, more often than not, than the gap between their first baseman and Pujols.
But even considering this small detail, Pujols still deserves the MVP. He’s approaching 50 home runs and has an OBP of .447: which, by the way, is incredible. When you’re more or less coin-flipping to see if you get on base, you’re an extraordinary player (when he comes to the plate, he’s only making an out 55.3% of the time).
Most notable is that this will be Pujols’ third MVP (and could have very well been his fourth, as Ryan Howard barely edged him out in 2006). This marks his ninth season in the league, he’s put up monster numbers each year, and he’s remained healthy (634 plate appearances is his lowest career total). In other words, he’s already made a strong case for being a Hall of Famer before turning 30 years old. With no signs of slowing down, I’m sure he’ll continue to add to his resume.
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Jeter’s Hit: Watching History Happen From the Yankee Stadium Bleachers
Posted by: | Comments“Now batting . . . number 2. Derek . . . Jeter. Number 2.”
Anyone who has ever been to a Yankee game can read that sentence and hear Bob Sheppard in their head. I know I would never hear that any other way. Jeter has stated that he will forever be announced by Bob Sheppard for as long as he is a Yankee (which should be his whole career).
As a baseball fan you either love Derek Jeter, or you love to hate him. There doesn’t seem to be a grey area in this debate. I’ve been having a bit of a back and forth with many people about this love/hate relationship to try and figure it out; it seems as though many people hate him simply due to the overexposure he gets from the media. Is that a good reason to hate him? I really don’t think Jeter is calling all these media outlets demanding all this attention; he’s not A-Rod.
But I will grant you this: the media does have an obsession with everything Jeter does. Clearly this is more far reaching than just New York, but I wouldn’t know that without talking to many of you out in the blogosphere. Derek Jeter has been quoted saying many times that he doesn’t watch baseball when he isn’t playing, and he doesn’t get the MLB Extra Innings package. Maybe that seems strange, but we can understand he doesn’t want his entire life consumed by baseball.
Personally, I will agree that the media jams him and the Yankees down your throat because they do it here. You all know I am a big Yankees fan, and I can say good things about Jeter until the cows come home . . . but really nothing needs to be said. You watch him on the field on a daily basis and you know what kind of player he is, you know the dedication and drive he has, and you know all about his place in Yankees history.
Some of you may have wondered what it would have been like to have been there to see Jeter break Gehrig’s record, and some of you may have changed the channel because you are sick of him. If you want to know what it was like, I can tell you firsthand. It was amazing, one of those moments that I would sit in the rain for six hours to see in person. There was an initial rain delay of 1:27 before the game even started, and I have never seen that many people wait through a rain delay in all my years of going to games. Most of the time if it’s raining people don’t even go, myself included. This was different; this was a matter of seeing 72 years of history being changed in a single moment. This was a night for one captain to steal the spotlight from another captain.
It was pouring for the first pitch and no one was in their seats. But between innings the seats filled in very quickly because Jeter was leading off in the bottom of the 1st. Jeter stuck out in his first at bat, and the fans ran for cover. I remained in my seat, as did most of the bleacher creatures. The crowd then returned for Jeter’s next at bat: he belted an opposite field single, in “Jeterian” fashion (as John Sterling would say). The whole stadium was standing even before he hit the ball. As soon as the ball reached the outfield I jumped up and screamed. The crowd erupted in typical Yankee Stadium fashion, and Jeter stood at first base with 2,722 hits.
The whole team came out from the dugout to congratulate Jeter, and the Orioles were very respectful of this and waited patiently (I even saw one clap on the replay). On behalf of Yankees fans, I’d like to thank the Orioles for showing Jeter respect and for understanding the moment was not meant to show you up.
The crowd stood for every Jeter at bat after that, cheering, and chanting his name. It was a great experience that I wouldn’t have missed for anything. There have been a few games where I have been lucky enough to get to see history, and this was definitely one of my favorites. It was probably what Jeter had in mind at the last night in the old stadium about ‘building new memories’ at the new Stadium.
And so far it has been a great first season in the new stadium: between walk off wins, come from behind victories, Jeter chasing the record for all time hits, and Mariano getting his 500th career save (even if it did happen on the road). To put a cap on it, Jeter finally became the Yankees all time hits leader.
I don’t know about any of you guys, but I have a great feeling about the Yankees’ chances in the postseason and making the World Series. We have a very good group of guys who seem to have that chemistry we haven’t seen since the 90’s championship teams. I just purchased my postseason ticket package, which entitles me to my seats for every home playoff game. Hopefully, we’ll create one more new memory at our stadium by taking home a championship.
Marie co-writes the blog A Cardboard Problem in addition to being a season ticket holder for the Yankees and an all around baseball fan. Marie is an avid card collector and welcomes comments, questions, and e-mails.
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The 2009 AL MVP Debate: Mauer vs. Jeter
Posted by: | CommentsFirst, I need to start with a disclaimer here.
Derek Jeter has a strong relationship with Upper Deck, and is a class act. He was gracious, warm and friendly to the winners of our Yankee Stadium Legacy contest a few months back, answered tons of questions for kids on UpperDeckU, and all our internal staff who met him had nothing but great things to say about his personality when they returned from the event. He is one of the best players from this generation and has kept himself away from the off-field controversies that plagued so many of his contemporaries. His career numbers at shortstop put him among the best at all time at his position, making him an easy first ballot Hall of Famer. Fifty years from now, he’ll still be talked about by fans. He’s having one of his best seasons yet, and is an integral part of the Yankees dominance over the league during the regular season so far.
All this being said, in my own humble opinion, he is not the 2009 AL MVP (despite some arguments I’ve seen to the contrary). He can’t be the MVP, because what Joe Mauer is doing right now is more appropriate for a video game with the difficulty turned to “Easy” than reality. He’s currently leading the American League in average, on-base percentage, and slugging.
To reiterate, in the American League this season, Joe Mauer is simultaneously the best at getting hits, the best at getting on base, and the best at hitting for power. This is an incredible feat. Even more impressive? He’s doing it while catching, which is by far the hardest position to play in baseball. By all accounts, Mauer handles his pitching staff very well, and is an asset behind the plate. Combine with his offense, and you’ve got the most valuable player in the league. Not even close.
This is not to take anything away from Jeter. He’s having one of the best seasons of his career at 35. He’s the catalyst for an offense that gives opposing pitchers nightmares. He’s hitting for a high average, taking plenty of walks, hitting for some power, and stealing bases while playing improved defense at a premium position. In any other year, he’d be MVP. In fact, in a similar 2006 campaign, he probably should have been MVP: that honor went to Justin Morneau for reasons that still puzzle me today (sure he had a great season, but not nearly the best). Actually, I take that back a bit. Morneau won the award, in part, because writers felt the Twins couldn’t have made the playoffs without him. Hence, he was the “most valuable” player in the league.
Sorry, but this is crazy. In 2006, it wasn’t Jeter’s fault that he was surrounded by good hitters, while Morneau was the only power hitter on his team. Morneau’s MVP seemed to speak more to the weakness of the Twins compared to the strength of the Yankees.
And to that point, in 2009, Joe Mauer has no control over the players the Minnesota Twins sign to play for the team. He can’t make decisions about which pitchers to trade for or sign, or which batters will surround him. That’s the General Manager’s job, and it’s miles away from his responsibilities. Joe Mauer is paid to catch and hit, and he’s done his job at a historical level of excellence this year. To discredit Mauer’s MVP credentials based on the performance of players around him defies logic. With this type of voter, it’s as if a player needs to find the right balance between playing on a team with just enough talent to get to the playoffs with his help, while avoiding being on a team that would have been good enough to get there without him.
External circumstances out of the player’s control shouldn’t be incorporated into the decision here; and at the end of the day, I’m confident they won’t be. Some writers may still vote along these lines, but it’s hard to ignore any player putting up the performance Mauer has this year, much less at catcher.
And as for Jeter? He’ll probably get another second place finish in the voting (to go along with the one that probably should have been an MVP campaign in 2006). He’ll definitely go to the playoffs, he’s the face of a franchise that is the most famous in the world, and he has four more championship rings than Joe Mauer does. So let’s not give him an MVP as a “lifetime achievement award” (as Allen Barra suggested in the Wall Street Journal). If anything, it does a disservice to his genuine career accomplishments, of which there are plenty.
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